Friday Fulham Stuff - 08/10/20...

[WhiteJC]

Gareth Southgate opens door to Ruben Loftus-Cheek England return if Chelsea loanee regains form at Fulham

Gareth Southgate has backed Ruben Loftus-Cheek to return to the England fold if he can get regular game time at Fulham.

The Chelsea midfielder, who was part of the World Cup squad in Russia but has not played for England since November 2018 after almost a year out with injury before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, joined Fulham on a season-long loan on deadline day.

Loftus-Cheek says he wants to get back to his best with opportunities being the most important factor in leaving Chelsea for the season, with the amount of competition at Stamford Bridge restricting his chances to regain form and fitness.

A key factor in the move was also to ensure enough game time to attract Southgate's attention before the European Championship next summer, and the England boss says a return to the Three Lions squad can follow if the 24-year-old starts playing again.

"Whenever I speak to players about these sorts of situations, first and foremost they've got to do what's right for their career," said Southgate. "England is a consequence of that further down the line.

"When you're making career decisions, you want to be playing football first and foremost and if there is more likelihood of playing football more regularly at Fulham, given the amount of football that Ruben has unfortunately missed with various injuries, then for his own development and his own enjoyment of his career then I think that is key.

"Then if he can play well, getting back in the England team gets on the radar. But he's missed nearly 18 months.


The last of Ruben Loftus-Cheek's 10 senior England international caps came back in 2018 (Getty Images)

"Really unfortunate to get the injury, he was having a super spell with Chelsea going into the latter stages of the Europa League, misses nearly a year and then just as he is getting back to fitness we have the pandemic so he's missed a huge chunk.

"We know that talent that he has, we know what he is capable of. Hopefully he can get back to playing regularly with Fulham and then he can go from there."



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/gareth-southgate-opens-door-ruben-loftus-cheek-england-return-chelsea-loanee-regains-form-fulham-a4566146.html

[WhiteJC]

Why John Fleck has to return for Sheffield United in place of Ben Osborn against Fulham

Sheffield United face a massive game against Fulham next weekend in a fixture some fans are already dubbing a 'must-win' encounter at The Lane.

To think we are already using that sort of terminology just four games in is quite worrying in itself. But, that is the stark and blunt situation we find ourselves in after four losses from four this season.

Fulham will also come to Sheffield in the same boat. They'll be desperate for a first win themselves and will come bolstered with a few new signings from deadline day, including Chelsea and England man, Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

So in such a big game so early in the season, Blades boss Chris Wilder has a few big selection decisions to make. Rhian Brewster is in the building and could start, Oliver Burke has a knock from Scotland duty, while the midfield has lacked any sort of creativity of late. Add to that we've yet to bring anyone in for Jack O'Connell, and Wilder has big calls on his hands.

Midfield changes

One of the key areas that needs addressing from the last two performances is the midfield three. Wilder has opted with Sander Berge deeper, with John Lundstram and Ben Osborn flanking him. That's meant no place for Oliver Norwood and John Fleck, two regulars during the rise under Wilder.

And it's the left-hand side which Wilder needs to change for the Fulham game. Despite Osborn's 110% attitude and commitment to the cause, there is no denying that the Blades miss the creativity and drive of Fleck from midfield.

A quick look back to last season, where Fleck scored five and assisted a further two, shows how important he can be on the most basic level. But the Scot is so much more than that when he is on song.

Best player

Most Blades fans would concur that, on his day, John Fleck is our best player. Certainly in an attacking sense, he's our driving force from midfield.

We are missing it massively. Yes, he wasn't on song in the opening two games and it does appear he is carrying a knock. But we are being nullified out wide, something we were so good at last season, meaning we need that bit extra from the middle.

With Fleck, you only have to look at displays last season against Man U, Arsenal, and Burnley, to see how good he can be. Weirdly, United lost just one of the eight games the Scot didn't feature in last season. But beyond that, it's so clear we need him in the midfield.

If United are to push on in the coming weeks, we need our best players in their stride and performing. Unless he is injured, John Fleck has to be the first name on the team-sheet.



https://www.sheffieldunited.news/opinion/why-john-fleck-has-to-return-for-sheffield-united-in-place-of-ben-osborn-against-fulham/

[WhiteJC]

One winner and one loser if Nottingham Forest secure deal for Premier League player

Nottingham Forest are reportedly interested in signing Anthony Knockaert on loan from Fulham, as Chris Hughton prepares to get his feet under the table at the City Ground.

It has been a busy summer for the Reds, with 13 new players arriving at the City Ground to add to what was already a relatively large playing squad.

Hughton, who has recently replaced Sabri Lamouchi at the helm after a poor start to the season, will be looking to get to work with the players, but it seems as if he still wants to bring in another.

According to The Athletic, Forest are keen on bringing in Anthony Knockaert on loan from Fulham – a player who has won promotion from the Championship three times in his career.

Knockaert is likely to be a big player for Forest if he signs – the winger has flourished under Chris Hughton before, scoring 15 goals and registering nine assists in 2016/17.

That form saw him win the Championship Player of the Season award as Brighton won automatic promotion, so he is a player who has clearly lit up the division before.

Here, we take a look at one potential winner and loser if he arrived on Trentside...

Winner: Lewis Grabban

It has been a disappointing season for Grabban thus far, with the striker yet to open his account for the season.

The striker, who scored 20 goals last term, has wasted a number of big chances this season, particularly against Queens Park Rangers on the opening day of the season.

Competition has been brought in over the course of the window with Lyle Taylor arriving from Charlton Athletic, so he will know that he has to be at the top of his game.

Bringing in a creative player like Knockaert could enhance Grabban's chances of finding the net, though. Knockaert always creates chances for his teammates, and a poacher like Grabban should benefit.

Loser: Alex Mighten

Mighten is arguably Forest's most exciting youngster at the club, and he made his first league start for the Reds in the 2-1 defeat to Bristol City on Saturday.

The young winger is a real talent, and could have found the net after only two minutes when he struck the crossbar from close-range.

It remains to be seen, though, whether Mighten's chances of regular game time will decrease if Knockaert arrives, with Joe Lolley also close to returning from injury.

He will be desperate to keep his place in the first-team set-up under Hughton.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/one-winner-and-one-loser-if-nottingham-forest-secure-deal-for-premier-league-player/

[WhiteJC]

Assessing Fulham's Transfer Window

Given the global pandemic, the window that slammed shut on Monday has been one of the strangest yet. Given the financial constraints that clubs around the country are facing because of a lack of fans it's no surprise that the overall spending of clubs in the Premier League was down from last year. However the pandemic certainly hasn't stopped some clubs from spending huge amounts of money to improve their squads. Chelsea were the big spenders with £222m spent, with Leeds United, Aston Villa and Everton all among the clubs splashing the cash for players.

For Fulham, we were promised that the club wouldn't be making the same mistakes as last time in the Premier League. Promised that we wouldn't essentially throw aside the players who got us up for a bunch of over-priced mercenaries. To be fair to Khan and co, we certainly didn't overspend, but rather than make the same mistakes we just made a whole load of new ones. It may have come good in the end with the two centre backs that we craved so much coming through the Motspur Park doors on Deadline Day, but Tony Khan certainly hasn't gotten it all right this time around. I doubt any Fulham fan out there was confident in our defence going into the new season. Denis Odoi and Tim Ream are both excellent servants to the club, but they weren't up to Premier League standard two seasons ago so upgrades were needed – and badly. And unfortunately Hector doesn't seem up to it either, but I'm still hoping that he will come good. He maybe just needs someone confident around him. The truth of the matter is that these deals should have been done a lot earlier than they were. Our season has started in disastrous form and this is because our squad was not ready for the opener against Arsenal. While I don't doubt that the team behind the scenes were working to bring people in, there just seems to have been too many mistakes there that have resulted in deals being completed too late.

Tony Khan has also had to go against some of his earlier summer quotes in bringing in a lot of players on loan without any sort of 'option to buy' clause. He made a big thing at the start of the window of saying that he isn't in the business of developing other teams players when they don't have the space for them regarding Ryan Sessegnon yet he has brought in a number of players including Ruben Loftus Cheek, Ademola Lookman and Joachim Andersen all on loan but with no options to buy. That said, those three players undoubtably bring a heck load of quality to the squad and I'm buzzing to have them at the club. It's just a shame that we are doing exactly what Tony said he didn't want to do in developing other players that teams don't have time for currently.

However, it's not all doom and gloom. The business that we have finally gotten over the line seems to be very positive. We have recruited in the areas that we desperately needed too alongside giving the squad much more depth and quality in other areas. Speaking to a Manchester City fan today it's clear that many of them are fuming that City have let Tosin Adaraboiyo go on a permanent with no buy-back clause and for such a small sum of money. That could prove to be a fantastic piece of business in years to come. We have also brought in the heavily sought after Antonee Robinson, Kenny Tete and the already mentioned Andersen in defence while Alphonso Areola and Marek Rodak will have a competitive battle over the number one jersey between the sticks.

Our midfield was probably the place that needed the least work but it has also been upgraded considerably. Frank Zambo-Anguissa has developed greatly after his time at Villarreal and adds some real quality to that box-to-box position so it looks to be a wise decision to keep him on. Harrison Reed was brilliant for us at the end of last season so the £8million spent on him for me was worth it. Mario Lemina and Ruben Loftus-Cheek both come with real Premier League quality and as for Jean Michael Seri, we'll have to wait and see what he really contributes to the side. He clearly has quality but there have always been question marks over whether he really wants to be in West London.

Another worrying aspect of our squad was our wingers. Unfortunately Cavaleiro and Knockaert don't look like they will have much of an impact this year. They, alongside Aboubakar Kamara and Neeskens Kebano, aren't really much more than squad players. They so far haven't been able to provide much support for Mitrovic up front which has been a worry. But while those players can provide decent enough options off the bench we really needed someone who would come in and take a game by the scruff of the neck. Someone with proven quality but who has a real thirst top prove himself in England. Enter Ademola Lookman. How good has he looked in both cameos so far? He changed the game against Wolves on Sunday and provided a chance that Kamara should have finished off. Lookman looks like someone who could really flourish at Fulham and I'd have him starting every week if he is fit enough.

So all in all I'd say that our transfer window has been positive in terms of who has come through the door, but just poorly executed in terms of timings. I'll give Tony credit for the players who have been brought in, but none whatsoever when it comes to having this squad ready for the start of the season. The worry is that the positive signings that have been brought in, players who could really make a difference, have come too late. We are four games into the season and have no points. Tony will practically be praying that he didn't move too late. Let's hope that he didn't.

#COYW



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2020/10/assessing-fulhams-transfer-window-2/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham midfielder Josh Onomah's role could be in danger

At the beginning of the summer, Tony Khan made it clear that Fulham wouldn't be bringing in that many players and that he wanted the team to line-up similarly to how it did in the Championship.

Here we are a couple of months later and nine players who weren't at Craven Cottage last season have been added to the squad, and as you can imagine, that has left us wondering about what the future holds for some of Fulham's promotion heroes.

One man whose future we are slightly concerned about is Josh Onomah.

The former Spurs man seemed to be making his mark at Fulham towards the end of last season, starting each of the Whites' playoff games, netting a vital goal against Cardiff to kickstart the club's post-season run.

He's not quite taken to the Premier League as he would have hoped, averaging a WhoScored rating of just 5.96 in his first two appearances, losing his starting spot to Bobby Decordova-Reid after just 133 minutes of action.

What's even more worrying is that he may have just fallen further down the Whites' pecking order, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek, a man who is more than capable of playing as a number 10, joining on deadline day from Chelsea.

Onomah is unlikely to get in ahead of the England international, and with the midfield roles being so competitive at Craven Cottage these days, it's hard to see how he gets consistent game time at Fulham this season.

It's not as if the 23-year-old isn't rated at the club. Tony Khan said a few months ago that his data analysis has him down as being just as good as Ryan Sessegnon, a player the Whites sold last summer for £25m.

"In my statistical system, I actually rated Josh Onomah equally with Sessegnon," Khan said in his interview with The Times, but despite this, it seems as though he's already fallen down the pecking order at Craven Cottage.

It's sad to say it, but Onomah's dream of being a Premier League regular with Fulham this season seems to have ended almost as quickly as it started, and it may be best for all parties if he's sent out on loan before the end of the domestic window.



https://www.footballfancast.com/fulham-fc-news/onomah-parker-khan-rlc-sessegnon

[WhiteJC]

Southgate holds England gate conditionally open for Loftus-Cheek for Euro 2020
Regain form, regain the spot

Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been battling expectations and injuries throughout his young career, but just as he looked to have the former beaten, the latter struck again. Seventeen months after rupturing his Achilles, he's still trying to come back. He may be "fit as a fiddle" in the words of Frank Lampard, but on the pitch that has not been too evident.

Leaving Chelsea on loan on deadline day to little surprise, the 24-year old will now look to regain his old form at local rivals Fulham, who were just promoted from the Championship. The timing of the move is similar to his previous loan, to Crystal Palace, which he leveraged into not only a spot at Chelsea the following season, but also a call-up to England's 2018 World Cup squad.

England boss Gareth Southgate, who also worked with RLC as Three Lions' U21 head coach, isn't ruling out a similar scenario playing out this season. If Ruben can recover his form, a spot on the England team could yet follow.

"Whenever I speak to players about these sorts of situations, first and foremost they've got to do what's right for their career. England is a consequence of that further down the line.

"When you're making career decisions, you want to be playing football first and foremost and if there is more likelihood of playing football more regularly at Fulham, given the amount of football that Ruben has unfortunately missed with various injuries, then for his own development and his own enjoyment of his career then I think that is key.

"Then if he can play well, getting back in the England team gets on the radar. But he's missed nearly 18 months.

"Really unfortunate to get the injury, he was having a super spell with Chelsea going into the latter stages of the Europa League, misses nearly a year and then just as he is getting back to fitness we have the pandemic so he's missed a huge chunk."

"We know that talent that he has, we know what he is capable of. Hopefully he can get back to playing regularly with Fulham and then he can go from there."

-Gareth Southgate; Source: Evening Standard

We can only hope that RLC does indeed recover from this latest injury, and can get back to fulfilling his tremendous potential, for both club and country.



https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2020/10/8/21507378/playing-well-is-key-for-ruben-loftus-cheek-to-return-to-england-national-team-gareth-southgate

[WhiteJC]

Terence Kongolo transfer latest: Return to training, Fulham and Sheffield United look elsewhere

The centre-back has been linked with a move away from the John Smith's Stadium

The first transfer deadline has already passed, which means there will be no international move on the cards for Terence Kongolo.

But Huddersfield Town can still trade with fellow English clubs - might there be something on the cards there with Fulham and Sheffield United both having previously expressed an interest

Here's a round-up of what we know so far.

Who is interested in a move for Kongolo?
Fulham were. They took him on loan from Huddersfield Town earlier this year, only for him to break his foot less than ten minutes into his second appearance for them. Sheffield United are also confirmed to have made a serious enquiry as to the Dutchman's availability.

However, both those trails have now run cold with Scott Parker's side having picked on Tosin Adarabioyo from Manchester City on a permanent deal before the intra-Premier League window closed on Monday.

Meanwhile Sheffield United have reportedly been put off by Kongolo's injury status, with rumours suggesting he may have failed a medical with the Blades.

What is Kongolo's injury status?
Terriers head coach Carlos Corberan has indicated that Kongolo has spent the summer working on an individual rehab programme to help him recover from the two surgeries he had on that broken foot.

Fellow possible departure Karlan Grant has also been training separately from the squad while he waits to see if a move to West Brom - or any other Premier League club - is going to go through.

However, a video released by Town on Wednesday evening showed that Kongolo was not only back doing at least some ball work, but that he is now mixing in with other members of the first team squad who are returning from injury.

However, no timescale has yet been provided as to when Kongolo is expected to be back available for competitive action.

Would Town be happy for him to leave?
Terriers head coach Carlos Corberan has indicated as much, saying: "I think he is going to be one of the players that has options to not stay with us in the next year."

Kongolo is believed to be on pretty substantial wages at Town and his current deal runs to 2022, so getting him off the wage bill would take a fairly hefty commitment off their financial projections.

Even with Kongolo gone Town would have plenty of options at centre-back with Christopher Schindler, Richard Stearman, Tommy Elphick, Naby Sarr, plus youngsters Rarmani Edmonds-Green and Romoney Crichlow all on the books.

Though the club and Corberan alike insist every player has a clean slate under the new boss, it is also worth mentioning that Kongolo fell out of favour under former boss Danny Cowley last season after some poor performances, hence his move to Craven Cottage in January.

On top of all that, new signing Sarr is left-footed - like Kongolo - and Corberan has said he would ideally like to have a centre-back pairing of one right footer and one left footer.

Why do Sheffield United want a centre-back?
The long and short of it is that Jack O'Connell is likely to miss the rest of the season after suffering a serious knee injury.

That means the Blades are now on the lookout for a replacement as they look to get back to the excellent defensive form that saw them challenge for a European qualification spot last season.

Chris Wilder likes his defenders to be confident and capable on the ball and willing to get forward - something we know Kongolo can do having also previously played both at left-back and in a back three.

But our own Sheffield United writer Nathan Hemmingham indicates that Kongolo is no longer on the Blades' radar (Bladar) and they have shifted their attentions elsewhere.

Is a deal likely to be done and what happens if it's not?
We are not aware of any active interest in Kongolo as it stands and the fact he is back working with the rest of the squad could be taken as a suggestion that the club are looking to reintegrate him into their plans.

As with Grant, we are told that if Kongolo doesn't move then he will be expected to compete for a place in Corberan's side.

With so much competition that will be a bit of a challenge for the defender regardless of his transfer fee or wages.

Do Town want to sort out a permanent move or another loan?
We understand both Fulham and Sheffield United expressed interest in a permanent transfer and we suspect that would be Town's preference.

The Dutchman remains Town's record signing having arrived at the club for a reported £17.5m fee in 2018 and any money they can recoup on that investment would be a welcome addition to the club coffers.

But as we've said they are also keen to reduce their wage bill and have plenty of other centre-back options, so a loan deal would not be without its appeal.



https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/terence-kongolo-transfer-huddersfield-training-18985059

[WhiteJC]

Chris Hughton linked with Knockaert at Nottingham Forest

Former Albion boss Chris Hughton has offered a guarded response to claims he is set to reunite with Anthony Knockaert.

The manager who took the Seagulls to the Premier League has signed a two-year deal aa boss of Nottingham Forest.

His former Seagulls assistant Paul Trollope will work with him at the City Ground.

The third member of the old management team at Albion, Paul Nevin, is now a coach at West Ham.

Forest are being linked with a move for Knockaert, who is struggling to make an impact at Fulham.

Hughton said: "Of course the obvious way of linking is somebody I've managed before. I think that's quite obvious.

"But all of these are always speculation."

Hughton took charge of Albion when they were struggling in the Championship.

But, asked whether the Forrest job represented his biggest challenge yet, he replied: "Possibly, with the timing. It's been a difficult start to the season and a very difficult end to last season.

"First and foremost, it's about getting enough good results and it's certainly in at the deep end with seven games in 22 days.

"But it's a big job and I am really up for this challenge."



https://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/18781204.chris-hughton-linked-knockaert-nottingham-forest/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham's double swoop for this talented defensive starlets is a sensible move after disaster start

Why Fulham signing Adarabioyo and Andersen could make a big difference

As confirmed via Fulham's official website, Premier League newcomers Fulham have completed the signing of Danish international centre-back Joachim Andersen on a season-long loan deal from French giants Lyon.

The 24-year-old has expressed his delight after securing a temporary move to Craven Cottage, insisting that it was always his dream to play in the Premier League one day. Club owner Tony Khan also confirmed that Andersen had been one of Fulham's top targets for the summer. (h/t Fulham official)

Meanwhile, Manchester City have taken to their official website to confirm the departure of centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo to Fulham on a permanent deal. The 23-year-old has put pen to paper on a 3-year contract with the West London outfit, who hold the option of extending his stay by a further 12 months.

Profile
Joachim Andersen started his professional career with FC Twente in the Netherlands after completing his development at Copenhagen and Midtjylland in Denmark. He made 50 appearances for Twente in all competitions before moving across the continent to join Sampdoria in the Italian Serie A.

Having played a bit-part role in his debut season in Italy, Andersen eventually established himself as a regular starter for Sampdoria during the 2018-19 campaign, featuring 34 times in all competitions.

The 24-year-old completed a move to Lyon last summer. He went on to make 32 appearances in all competitions last season, playing a key role as Lyon went all the way through to the semi-final of the Champions League.

Elsewhere, Tosin Adarabioyo made 8 first-team appearances for Man City after coming through the club's youth system. He subsequently went on to enjoy productive loan spells at West Brom and Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, making a total of 79 appearances.

Fulham desperately needed more quality at the back
Fulham have endured a nightmarish start to life back in the Premier League, with the Cottagers suffering defeats in all of their four league outings so far. Scott Parker's side have failed to score in three of those four games while their defensive frailties have been brutally exposed.
6 Things to Know About Arsenal, Tottenham & Man Utd Target Joachim Andersen | 90min

The West London outfit currently find themselves rock bottom of the standings after scoring just three goals and conceding as many as 11 so far. Writing them off too early might be unfair but it goes without saying that Fulham need more quality at both ends of the pitch if they are to beat the drop.

The acquisition of Joachim Andersen and Tosin Adarabioyo comes as a welcome boost to Fulham's tottering campaign in the Premier League. The existing set of defenders at the club just hasn't been able to stem the inflow of goals in the top-flight and the door certainly remains open for the new arrivals to cement their places in the starting XI.

The arrival of Andersen, in particular, should create more buzz and excitement among the fans. Standing at 6ft 4in with a towering frame, the Dane showed his quality in the Champions League last season while he also boasts of top-flight experience in France, Italy, and Holland.

Adarabioyo, on the other hand, ticks the box as a top-quality homegrown talent, who also played in the Champions League for Man City earlier in his career. The 23-year-old hasn't played in the Premier League before but his impressive displays while on loan in the Championship clearly suggest that the 6ft 5in giant is ready to make the step up to the top-flight.

Verdict

Suffice to say, the arrivals of Tosin Adarabioyo and Joachim Andersen will certainly ensure more competition for places at the heart of Fulham's defence. Both are quality young centre-backs with a lot of potential.

All in all, Fulham's double swoop for these two quality players could be quite useful as they prepare to fight relegation in the Premier League this season.



https://www.mediareferee.com/2020/10/09/fulhams-double-swoop-for-this-talented-defensive-starlets-is-a-sensible-move-after-disaster-start/

[WhiteJC]

Sheffield United boss identifies a big problem with his team's preparations for crucial Premier League clash
Chris Wilder, the Sheffield United manager, has admitted efforts to address the issues which have contributed to his squad's poor start to the new Premier League season have been hampered by the number of international call-ups at Bramall Lane.

Nine players expected to feature against Fulham next Saturday - a match United must win to avoid a fifth straight defeat - are missing training this week after being selected by their respective countries, although Oliver Burke has returned to South Yorkshire after suffering an injury on Scotland duty.

Although Wilder apportioned some of the blame for United's disappointing results to poor refereeing decisions, such as the one which saw Arsenal's David Luiz escape an obvious red card during last Sunday's meeting between the two sides, he also conceded his team must "up their game" in "all areas" following the match in London.

However, attempts to iron out those faults before Scott Parker's side make the journey north have been affected by the fact the likes of John Egan, Enda Stevens, John Fleck and David McGoldrick are unlikely to report back to the Steelphalt Academy until Thursday - leaving coaching staff with only 48 hours to work on the adjustments they been planning.

"I'm not going to pretend, in this instance, it's great to lose them," Wilder said. "It does alter what we can do because, without stating the obvious, the lads who have gone away are clearly all important players for us. They wouldn't be international otherwise, would they."

"Listen, I'm glad to see them go away and I'm proud, for them and for us, that they're representing their countries," he continued. "I'd never stand in anyone's way to do that, and nor should anyone else. But equally, it does change how we can work on things and the amount of time we've got to do it.

"We clearly can't do everything we'd like to be doing. But we'll get round it and face the challenge head on, the same as we always have done."

United are combining their preparations for the clash with Fulham, who are also without a point this term, with discussions about how best to cope with defender Jack O'Connell, as the 26-year-old recovers from knee surgery. Although Wilder had initially planned to draft in a replacement - Huddersfield Town's Terence Kongolo being his preferred option, sources confirm coaching staff are now working on a plan to proceed without re-entering the transfer market amid concerns about the former Monaco and Feyenoord centre-half's fitness and the on-going financial chaos caused by government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kongolo, who has been he can leave The John Smith's Stadium, spent the second half of last season on loan at Craven Cottage but his time in the capital was cut short by a broken foot, which also forced him to go under the knife. Danny Cowley, who was sacked by Town over the summer, confirmed Kongolo's rehabilitation programme had become more complex than initially thought before leaving West Yorkshire.



https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-united/sheffield-united-boss-identifies-big-problem-his-teams-preparations-crucial-premier-league-clash-2997321

[WhiteJC]

Scott Parker has a tough task in managing six loan signings

Fulham didn't spend anything close to the £100m they spent back in 2018/19 this summer.

The Whites instead opted to save a lot of cash by dealing primarily with loan deals, spending less than £15m this summer despite adding 9 new players to their squad, while also spending an additional £16m on making Harrison Reed and Anthony Knockaert's loan moves permanent.

Their recruitment drive this summer saw six new players join on loan, and while a number of those are incredibly exciting players, they won't all be able to play at the same time.

Premier League rules state that you're only allowed five loanees in a matchday squad, so Fulham will have to leave one of these men out each week, and that leaves Scott Parker with 34 tough choices to make between now and the end of the season.

Of course, this could all have been avoided if Tony Khan got his chequebook out and spent more freely on permanent transfers, but as things stand, Parker needs to make some cut-throat decisions.

It seems unlikely that Alphonse Areola, Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Joachim Andersen will miss out, with the trio being marquee signings from clubs that regularly compete in the Champions League, so that means that one of Ola Aina, Mario Lemina or Ademola Lookman will likely miss out each week.

Aina is Fulham's starting right-back at the moment due to Kenny Tete's calf tear, and we don't yet have a return date for him, so Aina will likely be in the squad for the foreseeable future, while Ademola Lookman was a rare bright spark in Fulham's 1-0 loss to Wolves at the weekend, and we've previously tipped him to earn a starting berth in the near future.

That just leaves Mario Lemina, and to be honest, it makes sense if he's the one who misses out due to how much competition there is in the midfield.

Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa seems to be a nailed-on starter these days and he's a £30m club-record signing, Loftus-Cheek has just arrived on big wages from Chelsea, Tom Cairney is the club captain, while £25m-man Jean Michael Seri also remains at the club.

Lemina may have only just arrived, but his position in the matchday squad may already be at risk due to Fulham's over-reliance on loan deals.

It will certainly be interesting to see how Parker navigates these rules.



https://www.footballfancast.com/fulham-fc-transfer-rumours/parker-khan-loans

[blingo]

Assessing Fulham's Transfer Window

Given the global pandemic, the window that slammed shut on Monday has been one of the strangest yet. Given the financial constraints that clubs around the country are facing because of a lack of fans it's no surprise that the overall spending of clubs in the Premier League was down from last year. However the pandemic certainly hasn't stopped some clubs from spending huge amounts of money to improve their squads. Chelsea were the big spenders with £222m spent, with Leeds United, Aston Villa and Everton all among the clubs splashing the cash for players.

For Fulham, we were promised that the club wouldn't be making the same mistakes as last time in the Premier League. Promised that we wouldn't essentially throw aside the players who got us up for a bunch of over-priced mercenaries. To be fair to Khan and co, we certainly didn't overspend, but rather than make the same mistakes we just made a whole load of new ones. It may have come good in the end with the two centre backs that we craved so much coming through the Motspur Park doors on Deadline Day, but Tony Khan certainly hasn't gotten it all right this time around. I doubt any Fulham fan out there was confident in our defence going into the new season. Denis Odoi and Tim Ream are both excellent servants to the club, but they weren't up to Premier League standard two seasons ago so upgrades were needed – and badly. And unfortunately Hector doesn't seem up to it either, but I'm still hoping that he will come good. He maybe just needs someone confident around him. The truth of the matter is that these deals should have been done a lot earlier than they were. Our season has started in disastrous form and this is because our squad was not ready for the opener against Arsenal. While I don't doubt that the team behind the scenes were working to bring people in, there just seems to have been too many mistakes there that have resulted in deals being completed too late.

Tony Khan has also had to go against some of his earlier summer quotes in bringing in a lot of players on loan without any sort of 'option to buy' clause. He made a big thing at the start of the window of saying that he isn't in the business of developing other teams players when they don't have the space for them regarding Ryan Sessegnon yet he has brought in a number of players including Ruben Loftus Cheek, Ademola Lookman and Joachim Andersen all on loan but with no options to buy. That said, those three players undoubtably bring a heck load of quality to the squad and I'm buzzing to have them at the club. It's just a shame that we are doing exactly what Tony said he didn't want to do in developing other players that teams don't have time for currently.

However, it's not all doom and gloom. The business that we have finally gotten over the line seems to be very positive. We have recruited in the areas that we desperately needed too alongside giving the squad much more depth and quality in other areas. Speaking to a Manchester City fan today it's clear that many of them are fuming that City have let Tosin Adaraboiyo go on a permanent with no buy-back clause and for such a small sum of money. That could prove to be a fantastic piece of business in years to come. We have also brought in the heavily sought after Antonee Robinson, Kenny Tete and the already mentioned Andersen in defence while Alphonso Areola and Marek Rodak will have a competitive battle over the number one jersey between the sticks.

Our midfield was probably the place that needed the least work but it has also been upgraded considerably. Frank Zambo-Anguissa has developed greatly after his time at Villarreal and adds some real quality to that box-to-box position so it looks to be a wise decision to keep him on. Harrison Reed was brilliant for us at the end of last season so the £8million spent on him for me was worth it. Mario Lemina and Ruben Loftus-Cheek both come with real Premier League quality and as for Jean Michael Seri, we'll have to wait and see what he really contributes to the side. He clearly has quality but there have always been question marks over whether he really wants to be in West London.

Another worrying aspect of our squad was our wingers. Unfortunately Cavaleiro and Knockaert don't look like they will have much of an impact this year. They, alongside Aboubakar Kamara and Neeskens Kebano, aren't really much more than squad players. They so far haven't been able to provide much support for Mitrovic up front which has been a worry. But while those players can provide decent enough options off the bench we really needed someone who would come in and take a game by the scruff of the neck. Someone with proven quality but who has a real thirst top prove himself in England. Enter Ademola Lookman. How good has he looked in both cameos so far? He changed the game against Wolves on Sunday and provided a chance that Kamara should have finished off. Lookman looks like someone who could really flourish at Fulham and I'd have him starting every week if he is fit enough.

So all in all I'd say that our transfer window has been positive in terms of who has come through the door, but just poorly executed in terms of timings. I'll give Tony credit for the players who have been brought in, but none whatsoever when it comes to having this squad ready for the start of the season. The worry is that the positive signings that have been brought in, players who could really make a difference, have come too late. We are four games into the season and have no points. Tony will practically be praying that he didn't move too late. Let's hope that he didn't.

#COYW



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2020/10/assessing-fulhams-transfer-window-2/

Sums it up perfectly.