Saturday Fulham Stuff - 10/10/20...

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Leon Cort reveals how he and Loftus-Cheek learned they were brothers after 15 years

Leon Cort's story at Crystal Palace is incredible enough in itself.

When Ruben Loftus-Cheek joined the Eagles on loan in 2017/18, however, Cort's links with Palace grew even deeper and even more fascinating.

In the second edition of 90+7, Crystal Palace's innovative digital magazine which you can read here, Cort delves not only into the remarkably harsh dressing room which damaged on-pitch performances in 2006/07, but also the incredible tale of how he and England international Loftus-Cheek discovered they were related.

"It's crazy," Cort says in a staggering understatement. "I'd actually seen him play when he was much younger but I didn't even know he was my brother.

"I was just watching the game in the crowd like anyone else, saw this guy and thought: 'He's a good player. He's going to go far,' not knowing he was related to me."

Cort's discovery came in remarkable circumstances, and he and brother Carl grew close to Loftus-Cheek over time. Cort reveals the pair discussed Palace and explains what he told Loftus-Cheek when he joined the Eagles and how the on-loan No.8 found his time at the club.

You can read it all and more in 90+7, which is easy to buy and read on mobile by clicking here. Gold, Junior Gold and International Members, you can enjoy everything inside at no extra cost as part of your package!

Issue 2 of 90+7 also features Dave Bassett's feature-length inside story of his spell in south London, Mark Hudson explaining how he missed the play-off final and Chloe Morgan detailing her remarkably busy life as a lawyer, goalkeeper and sporting ambassador.



https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/2020/october/leon-cort-reveals-how-he-and-ruben-loftus-cheek-found-out-they-were-brothers/

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Euro Progress For Mitro & Rody

Marek Rodák was the hero for Slovakia in their penalty shoot-out victory over the Republic of Ireland on Thursday.

After a goalless 120 minutes, Rodák denied Preston North End's Alan Browne from 12 yards before Matt Doherty smashed his kick against the crossbar to send Slovakia through to the European Championship Play-Off Final.

Rodák had already made a good save from Browne in normal time to maintain his clean sheet, and his performance won praise from national broadsheet SME, who rated him a game high 9/10, and his coach.

"A big stone fell from my heart," Pavel Hapal said. "I've had experience with two penalty shootouts before and lost both. Our goalkeeper was great, concentrated. He played well also in Israel last month."

"We advanced, which is wonderful. But it is just the first half. I am glad that I have got a chance. I don't feel like a hero, but I am happy we won."

Marek Rodák

Slovakia will now meet Northern Ireland on Thursday 12th November for a place at next summer's Euros.

Serbia and Aleksandar Mitrović also progressed to their Play-Off Final, defeating Stefan Johansen's Norway 2-1 after extra-time to set up a meeting with Scotland in a month's time.

Johansen began the game as captain but had been replaced by the time Mitro set up the opening goal in the 82nd minute. Holding off his marker to get on the end of a deep free-kick, the big man squared the ball for Sergej Milinković-Savić to tap in.

And after Mathias Normann had forced extra-time, Mitrović was again key in restoring Serbia's advantage, leading a breakaway which culminated in a sublime chip from Milinković-Savić.

https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/october/Euro-Progress-For-Mitro-Rody/

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Aleksandar Mitrovic sounds Scotland battle cry as Serbia striker makes 'no doubt' declaration

The Fulham man is confident his side can progress to Euro 2020 next month.


(Image: NTB/AFP via Getty Images)

Serbia striker Aleksandar Mitrovic believes his side will have too much for Scotland if they perform at their best next month.

Thursday's win over Israel ensured Steve Clarke 's side will face a one-off tie in Belgrade as they bid to end a 22 year absence from a major tournament.

A strong Serbia side stand between them and Euro 2020 though, with the Balkan state defeating Norway in extra time.

The likes of Luka Jovic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Aleksandar Kolarov and Dusan Tadic are experienced at the very highest level and Mitrovic is prolific up-front.

The Fulham striker has 35 goals in 58 caps and at the age of 26 needs just four more to become his nation's all-time top goalscorer.

Mitrovic said after the Norway game: "We deserved that. We gave so much over 120 minutes in what was an incredibly hard match.

"In all honesty, we should have won by more goals, but that's football. We wanted it more. The important thing is we qualified.

"I don't think we lost a 50-50 challenge. We fought for every ball and our desire to win.

"Now it's important to beat Scotland. There's no point beating Norway if we lose to the Scots. If we play the same way as we did in Oslo, we qualify, no doubt."

And Serbia boss Ljubisa Tumbakovic revealed he will immediately go to work now and study Scotland, after shutting up his critics.

The 68-year-old manager was infuriated before the game at being asked whether he would resign if they lost in Norway, but he insisted he never had any doubts over his side.

He said: "That game in Oslo was the culmination in seven months of hard work, since the original game was postponed.

"We have spent every day of that time looking at Norway. Now we will spend all our time looking at Scotland.

"Perhaps we should have won it in normal time because I think it was obvious we had more quality than them.

"We scouted every single aspect of Norway - the way they played and we worked on cutting out the service to their strikers.

"We were disciplined, showed fighting spirit and desire. From tomorrow, I will watch Scotland.

"Our goal has always been to qualify for the Euros and we are in a position now to do that."



https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aleksandar-mitrovic-sounds-scotland-battle-22817979

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NEW FOF'cast 🎙🎧 The absolute 'Cheek' of it

In this episode of FOF'cast, we are joined by regular guests Owen Smith and Gerry Pimm, along with serial Tweeter and Friends of Fulham poster Mike Gregg as we discuss the following topics:

The Wolves Game – We break down and discuss the narrow 1-0 defeat at the Molineux Stadium.

Wolves MOTM – Based on the Friends of Fulham Poll, Areola won it with 28.1% of votes, Anguissa was not to far behind in 2nd, and Lookman in 3rd.

Transfer deadline day – We look at the arrival of Andersen, Adarabioyo and Loftus-Cheek.

Rest of the Season – How we see it panning out for Fulham, and where we see us ending up.

Less topics this week, but more guests, which means more to discuss ..

Once again, thanks for listening, and your feedback is always appreciated to help improve future shows.



http://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/?p=1440

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Loftus-Cheek must make Fulham loan count to retain Chelsea future

At 12:36am on Tuesday, over an hour and a half after the transfer window had closed, Fulham confirmed the loan signing of Ruben Loftus-Cheek from Chelsea. It was the final completed deal of deadline day as Fulham brought in three new faces. Joachim Andersen and Tosin Adarabioyo both strengthen the defence, coming in from Lyon and Manchester City respectively, but it's the arrival of Loftus-Cheek that has caught the eye.

"With this manager, I think I can get back to my best football. That's the main thing for me," Loftus-Cheek said upon his arrival at Craven Cottage. Fulham currently foot the Premier League after four matches, losing all four and shipping 11 goals in the process; only West Brom (13) have conceded more. At the other end of the pitch, only Sheffield United (1) have scored fewer goals than the Cottagers (3) and Loftus-Cheek will be aware he can play a key role in improving both returns.

And getting back to playing regular football is understandably high on the 24-year-old's agenda. Injuries have limited Loftus-Cheek to just eight Premier League appearances since the start of the 2019/20 season, but, when fit, the England international is a top performing midfielder that will aid Fulham in their push to avoid a repeat of the 2018/19 campaign, where they were relegated along with Huddersfield and Cardiff having conceded more goals (81) than any other side.

What's important for Loftus-Cheek and his need to settle to his new surroundings is that he has been in this position before. Having registered just six league appearances in 2016/17, totalling 31 minutes of action, Loftus-Cheek left west London for Crystal Palace. Both player and club benefited from the move to Selhurst Park as Palace ended the season 11th; only once has that finish been bettered when they finished 10th in 2014/15. 

In that campain, Loftus-Cheek made 24 appearances, starting 21 of those. It was a welcome change to a lack of regular first team action at Stamford Bridge and an opportunity that the midfielder grabbed with both hands. Indeed, Loftus-Cheek's performances saw him secure a 2018 World Cup berth as he evidently did enough to force his way into Gareth Southgate's plans and start three games in Russia for England.

Palace improved as a result of his inclusion in the first team with their points per game rising from 0.88 to 1.38 when he started. Meanwhile, goals scored per game increased (1.43, up from 0.88), while goals conceded per game dropped (1.33, down from 1.59) in the matches Loftus-Cheek featured in from the off. Fulham will be hoping he can have the same effect.

It wasn't his work off the ball that saw him surge in Southgate's good books, but rather his ball carrying qualities that endeared him to Palace fans and allowed him to glide through the midfield. Indeed, of those to make 20 or more appearances in the 2017/18 Premier League season, Loftus-Cheeks return of 3.5 successful dribbles per 90 was more than any other central midfielder and the fifth best in England's top tier.

Yet while his ability to ghost past an opponent has rarely been called into question, the fact is Scott Parker will now have two impressive ball carriers at his disposal for the season. Fulham are averaging more successful dribbles per game (14.5) than any other team in England's top tier this term, while only Adama Traore (7.9) is averaging more dribbles per 90 than Loftus-Cheek's new Fulham teammate Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (5.5) of those to start at least one Premier League match in 2020/21.

Having options in central midfield to carry out a specific duty is no bad thing, and an increase in competition will ensure the pair don't drop their performance levels with the risk of being ousted from the XI. And considering Loftus-Cheek's chequered injury history, Parker will be thankful to have two midfielders at his disposal that are able to play a certain role in the middle of the park.

For Loftus-Cheek, though, it is the ideal position to be in. He immediately improves Parker's options in the middle of the park given his top-flight, European and international experience, and the role he played for Palace in 2017/18 cannot be overstated as a reference point for the possible impact he can make at Craven Cottage. Injuries are the only problem that have stopped the midfielder from pushing on and if he can remain fit and firing on all cylinders, then he'll be a huge asset for Fulham in the next 34 league games of the season. 

Frank Lampard clearly has high hopes for Loftus-Cheek still even with Chelsea's summer splurge on attackers. He started the opening game of the season and while Loftus-Cheek failed to have the desired effect in the final third, lasting just 61 minutes and returning a WhoScored rating of 6.23 in the 3-1 win at Brighton, the Blues boss must be hoping the young midfielder can grasp the chance to build up form and fitness at Craven Cottage, just as he did with Palace three seasons ago.

Given their huge level of spending in the market, Loftus-Cheek needs to make this move work in order to retain a Chelsea future. Lampard's side may not be overstocked in central midfielders, but that can quickly change, so a repeat of his stint with Palace in 2017/18 would go a long way to ensuring he remains in the Blues' plans. One wouldn't go as far as to say that Loftus-Cheek's career is at a crossroads, yet a failure to maximise his time at Craven Cottage would increase of chances of the player needing to depart Stamford Bridge permanently in order to realy fulfill his immense potential.

"I think I can get back to my best football," is the key takeaway from Loftus-Cheeks comments following his move to Fulham. Injuries have very much dented his development at a key time in his career. That said, used in the correct way by Parker, and Fulham will see a repeat of his 2017/18 spell, which would not only vastly increase the Cottagers' chances of staying up, but boost Loftus-Cheek's chances of returning to Chelsea upon the culmination of his loan spell with the real possibility of finally establishing himself as a first team regular for the west London outfit.



https://www.whoscored.com/Articles/xCNHRY4qdEmcQLOaiFMCDA/Show/Loftus-Cheek-must-make-Fulham-loan-count-to-retain-Chelsea-future

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Premier League announces pay-per-view fixtures in October

Pay-per-view games will generate some revenue in light of no matchday income for clubs, with the continued absence of fans in stadia

The Premier League has announced that additional non-televised fixtures in October will be made available via pay-per-view in order to ensure fans of each club can continue to watch their team, and also to generate some revenue in light of no matchday income for clubs, with the continued absence of fans in stadia.

The 20 clubs came to the interim decision after a meeting on Friday in order to "enable all fans to continue to watch their teams live".

The decision follows Government-imposed restrictions on supporters attending matches, which mean all games currently take place behind closed doors.

Under the new agreement, current live matches selected for TV will remain in place and be broadcast as normal. In addition, the other five matches not selected will be made available to fans on a pay-per-view basis accessed via Sky Sports and BT Sport's existing Box Office platforms.

It will be reviewed in line with any decisions regarding the return of fans to stadiums, the Premier League said.

"Football is not the same without supporters at matches," a statement read. "The Premier League and our clubs remain committed to the safe return of fans as soon as possible."

The decision will mean that at least three of the remaining matches from each match round in October will be shown live on Sky Sports Box Office. These matches will be additional to the over 140 shown on Sky Sports this season for Sky Sports customers.

Fans can purchase each match for £14.95/€16.95 via Sky Sports Box Office, channel 491 on the Sky box. Sky subscribers on third party platforms can contact their service provider for more information on how to purchase these matches.

Manchester United's trip to Newcastle United will be the first game to be show on pay-per-view, with the game kicking off at 8pm (Saturday October 17). The following day Sky Sports Box Office will be at the King Power Stadium for Leicester City vs Aston Villa at 7.15pm (Sunday October 18), and the final pay-per-view offering from round five of the Premier League will be West Bromwich Albion vs Burnley, kicking off at 5.30pm (Monday October 19).

The new broadcasting arrangement is planned for matches in October - and will then be reviewed by the Premier League.

Sky Sports Managing Director Rob Webster said: "Through this exceptionally challenging year we have done everything we can to be the best partner for sport.

"The Premier League has come to this decision with its clubs to provide a service for supporters who are no longer to able attend and to generate matchday revenue. We are happy to support them with this interim solution - and we share their desire to get fans back into grounds as soon as it is safe to do so.

"Our Sky subscribers still get more than 140 of the very best matches, while supporters of individual clubs won't have to miss out on any games during this period."
Over 140 games exclusively on Sky Sports

Sky Sports subscribers will see over 140 matches exclusively live this season including more of the matches that matter.

Sky will have the first pick fixture each weekend including Manchester City vs Arsenal on Saturday October 17 and Manchester United vs Chelsea on Saturday October 24

You can watch match highlights and clips for free via the Sky Sports App and YouTube channel. Around-the-clock news, views, exclusive interviews and features can be found on SkySports.com as well as Sky Sports digital and social platforms.
Premier League round five games on Sky Sports Box office

Sat Oct 17: Newcastle vs Manchester United - Kick-Off 8pm

Sun Oct 18: Leicester City vs Aston Villa - Kick-Off 7.15pm

Mon Oct 19: West Brom vs Burnley - Kick-Off 5.30pm

FREE MATCH HIGHLIGHTS ON SKY SPORTS DIGITAL

It couldn't be simpler: we'll have free-to-watch match highlights of every Premier League games on the Sky Sports website, app and the Sky Sports YouTube channel shortly after full-time of every fixture.

In addition, Sky subscribers will also be able to enjoy in-game clips from Sky Sports matches in our Digital match blogs.



https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/12099870/premier-league-announces-pay-per-view-fixtures-in-october

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Bundesliga side were close to deal for Fulham man – 'Legal subtleties' ended up ruining transfer

Borussia Dortmund were close to a move for Fulham youngster Timmy Abraham, brother of Chelsea's Tammy Abraham.

That's according to Ruhr Nachrichten, who say that the deal ended up failing due to 'legal subtleties'.

The newspaper explain that Dortmund were in agreement with the Fulham youngster, who has four goals for their youth team.

The plan was for him to join Dortmund's Under 23 team, becoming the fourth Englishman to join the club after Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens – where he could 'promote' himself to the senior side.

The club are said to appreciate the striker for his 'robust manner and speed' while U23 squad chief Ingo Preuß was impressed with his character after an 'intensive exchange of views'.

However, they failed to get the deal over the line, and it's now uncertain whether they will return for him in January.

That has not been 'conclusively clarified' at this point, but it will depend heavily on the current U23 squad.

Moritz Broschinski is expected to be fully fit again soon after suffering a metatarsal fracture at the end of August, and Dortmund chiefs have high hopes for the 20-year-old. If he can bounce back, there would be little need for Abraham.

Still the interest is there in the Fulham man, and Dortmund had even tried to get a purchase option on him, although that was nowhere near the €2.2m reported elsewhere.

Ultimately a move never happened, but it would not be surprising to see his name associated with the Bundesliga side in the near future.



http://sportwitness.co.uk/fulham-timmy-abraham-transfer-borussia-dortmund/

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The Sheffield United players in danger of Chris Wilder's axe for Fulham and who could feature

The Blades boss says there could be changes for United's next Premier League encounter

Manager Chris Wilder says he is thinking of making changes for United's next Premier League encounter after opening the campaign with four straight defeats.

The Blades boss watched his go down 2-1 at the Emirates on Sunday amid more refereeing controversy as Lee Mason missed David Luiz's clear tug on Oliver Burke after just five minutes.

It could well have seen the Brazilian sent off and the hosts reduced to 10 men, but in the end the 11 men of Arsenal proved too strong despite a spirited attempt at a late fightback.

After that match, Wilder admitted the international break will give him the chance to assess his options for the Fulham clash at Bramall Lane on Saturday, October 17.

"When you lose games it does open up," Wilder said.

"We have some players who are knocking on the door and I have to make sure I pick the right team against Fulham.

"That's going to be a challenge at the moment.

"There's a lot of spirit in the group but a lot of players who are not playing as well as they possibly should be with the standards they have reached.

"There are some good players who are not playing at the moment."

So who are the players in danger of losing their place and who could feature?

Enda Stevens was excellent last season and really showed how well he had made the transition from Championship to Premier League with a string of excellent performances.

He was central to United's success down the flanks, but so far during this campaign he is one of a few players who have not reached those heights again.

George Baldock is another who is behind last season's form.

He had a difficult afternoon at the Emirates on Sunday, playing Hector Bellerin onside for the opening goal and then losing his man, Bukayo Saka, who headed in unmarked.

Wilder admitted that 'Max Lowe and Jayden Bogle are knocking on the door as well', which could mean that both or one of either Baldock and Stevens could be in danger of finding themselves out of the starting XI.

As well as players being below the standards we have become familiar with, Wilder also has another problem.

United are missing some of the creative flair that served them so well during their top 10 finish of the last campaign, something Wilder touched on after the Arsenal defeat.

He added: "We're not playing with that flow and confidence we've showed in the Premier League, which is understandable, I suppose."

With that in mind, there could be a tweak to the midfield personnel.

Oliver Norwood started the season against Wolves but has only featured in the league as a 64th minute sub against Leeds since then.

Sander Berge has been excellent in the holding midfielder role but there's no denying what Norwood's 'ping' can bring to the team.



https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/football/news/sheffield-united-team-news-fulham-19078067

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Fulham FIFA Ratings

On the day of FIFA 21's official release, we take a look at how the Fulham squad has been ranked in the game.

Alphonse Areola is our highest ranked player with a rating of 82, making him the only man in our squad with a figure north of 80. We're not quite sure who Josh Onomah has upset at EA Sports, as he is our lowest rated First Team player with an absurdly harsh 67!

We have plenty of lads who are not far off that esteemed 80. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is second in the list on 78, while Aleksandar Mitrović, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Mario Lemina, Jean Michaël Seri and Kenny Tete are all rated 77.

Captain Tom Cairney has a respectable rating of 76, as does our new boy at the back Joachim Andersen. Our other new arrivals have been given figures of 74 (Ademola Lookman), 73 (Ola Aina & Antonee Robinson), and 70 (Tosin Adarabioyo).

In terms of speed, the makers of FIFA deem Robinson to be our fastest individual, giving him an 87 for pace, putting him just ahead of Aboubakar Kamara (84) and Lookman (82).

Seri has the best passing statistic, with his 79 putting him above Cairney (77) and Loftus- Cheek (76).

You can personalise your FIFA game case or phone background by downloading the Fulham club pack here.
Fulham FIFA ratings:

82 Areola

78 Loftus-Cheek

77 Anguissa, Mitrović, Lemina, Seri, Tete

76 Andersen, Cairney

75 Cavaleiro

74 Bryan, Fabri, Knockaert, Lookman, Rodák

73 Aina, Reed, Robinson

72 De Cordova-Reid, Hector, Johansen

71 McDonald, Odoi

70 Adarabioyo, Kamara, Kebano, Le Marchand, Ream

67 Onomah



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/october/Fulham-FIFA-Ratings/

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BT Sport confirm Sheffield United vs Fulham moved and to be shown on pay-per-view

The clash at Bramall Lane has been moved to Sunday, October 18

Sky Sports and BT have confirmed the first matches that will be shown live as part of the Premier League's new pay-per-view plans, with Sheffield United vs Fulham available for £14.95 and moved to Sunday, October 18.

The Premier League confirmed on Friday that matches outside of the designated TV selections will be shown live to enable supporters to watch their teams in action, at any extra cost.

BT Sport have confirmed that these games will be priced at £14.95 each, with all profits going to Premier League clubs to support their loss of matchday revenue, with the matches available for purchase to everyone, regardless of any BT subscribers.

These initial plans have faced fierce criticism from supporters, who are being charged even more money to watch their teams from home, despite Premier League clubs spending £1.2billion in the summer transfer window.

Following the resumption of the 2019/20 Premier League season in June, every match was made available on TV for supporters through Sky Sports, BT Sport, Amazon Prime and the BBC, with a portion of matches made free-to-air.

With these plans coming into fruition after the international break BT have confirmed the matches that will be shown at an additional cost throughout October, with Sky also revealing the extra matches available on the weekend commencing October 17.

Live matches available on PPV:

October 17

Chelsea v Southampton (3pm) - BT Sport Box Office

Newcastle United vs Manchester United (8pm) - Sky Sports Box Office

October 18

Sheffield United v Fulham (12pm) - BT Sport Box Office

Leicester City vs Aston Villa (7:15pm) - Sky Sports Box Office

October 19

West Brom vs Burnley (5:30pm) - Sky Sports Box Office

Friday 23 October

Aston Villa v Leeds United (8pm) - BT Sport Box Office

Saturday 24 October

Fulham v Crystal Palace (3pm) - BT Sport Box Office

Friday 30 October

Wolves v Crystal Palace (8pm) - BT Sport Box Office

Saturday 31 October

Burnley v Chelsea (3pm) - BT Sport Box Office



https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/football/news/bt-sheffield-united-fulham-ppv-19080370

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Free Worldwide Delivery This Weekend

Get free worldwide delivery from the Online Store this weekend!

Available on all FFC merchandise, fans can visit shop.fulhamfc.com to take advantage of free worldwide delivery from Saturday 11th October up until 11.59pm on Sunday 12th October.

Fulham supporters can get kitted out ahead of next weekend's Premier League action by getting their hands on the all new 2020/21 Kit and Training collections, or settle in for a relaxed weekend with our 2019/20 season review DVD highlighting all the best bits from last season's triumphant campaign.

SHOP NOW



T&C's

    Available in the UK and overseas from Saturday 10th October until Sunday 11th October 11.59pm.
    Valid on online purchases only at shop.fulhamfc.com



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/october/Free-Worldwide-Delivery-This-Weekend/

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Brewster set to play a 'prominent role' against Fulham and why he withdrew from the U21s

Sheffield United club record signing, Rhian Brewster, is set to play a "prominent role" against Fulham – according to The Sheffield Star.

The Blades host the newly promoted side on October 17 in their first Premier League game back after the international break.

Both sides have lost all four of their league matches so far this season. They  make up the bottom two of the table.

United have scored just once during that time. Which is one of the main reasons the club sanctioned a £23.5m (BBC Sport) deal to sign Brewster from Liverpool.

The striker wasn't registered in time to play in the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal. Yet manager Chris Wilder wants him to be heavily involved when the Cottagers visit Bramall Lane in a little over a week's time.

Barring injury or illness concerns, Brewster will play against the West London side. Whether that is from the start or off the bench, remains to be seen.

Brewster should be ready for Fulham

Brewster was meant to currently be away with the England Under-21s, but was withdrawn from the squad. It wasn't because of fitness issues, but so the 20-year-old could get up to speed with the Blades' tactics.

Wilder agreed this with U21s boss Aidy Boothroyd and will have had a fortnight with his new signing by the time domestic football returns.

The 53-year-old was keen for Brewster to understand the 3-5-2 system that has become synonymous with the team since their promotion from the Championship in 2019.

Wilder plays with two upfront, but has been lacking an out-and-out number nine so far this term. It's a role that would normally be occupied by Lys Mousset. However, he is currently sidelined with a foot injury.

Oli McBurnie and Billy Sharp started the opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers. But since then David McGoldrick has partnered Oli Burke in attack.

McGoldrick scored that only league goal to date at the Emirates Stadium, but is very much the linkup man. Burke has impressed, but as a winger is having to learn the role of a striker.

Which is where Brewster comes in, who impressed on loan at Swansea City last term by scoring 11 goals in 22 games.



https://www.sheffieldunited.news/match-preview/brewster-set-to-play-a-prominent-role-against-fulham-and-why-he-withdrew-from-the-u21s/

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Fulham may finally have their Mousa Dembele replacement

Fulham's last Premier League campaign ended in abject failure as the Whites were relegated at the first time of asking, and one reason for that was undoubtedly their lack of quality in the midfield.

Jean Michael Seri and Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa were named amongst the worst signings of the season at the end of that campaign, while Tom Cairney's Championship form didn't carry through as many would have hoped as he scored just one goal and contributed one assist.

Luckily, that may not be such an issue this time around.

Anguissa looks like a new man fresh from his loan spell with Villarreal that caught Real Madrid's attention, while the deadline day addition of Ruben Loftus-Cheek could add something that Fulham have missed for almost a decade.

Indeed, nobody has come close to matching what Mousa Dembele brought to Fulham's midfield in the eight years since he joined Tottenham, but Loftus-Cheek could finally bring what Dembele once did.

The above infographic compares Loftus-Cheek's season at Crystal Palace, a term in which he was a starter for a team tipped to struggle, to Dembele's final full season at Craven Cottage.

There are obvious physical similarities between the pair with both Loftus-Cheek and Dembele being stocky and imposing midfielders, but their statistical makeup is also alarmingly similar.

Despite Dembele being considered as one of the league's best dribblers during his stay in England, the Chelsea man may actually be a better ball carrier, averaging more dribbles per game than the left-footer did in his final season at Fulham.

The Belgian just about edges the key passes and shots on goal statistics, but that is to be expected as he was still transitioning from being a striker, appearing often as a second striker or a number 10, while his younger counterpart was playing a deeper role for Palace.

Despite Dembele having more key passes and shots, Loftus-Cheek was actually more productive, having more goal contributions during the two seasons we're comparing.

The one startling difference is the pair's defensive output, with Dembele averaging over three tackles per game during that season at Fulham, while the England international averaged less than 1, but with Harrison Reed and Anguissa likely to have more defensive responsibility than Danny Murphy did back in the day, this shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Fingers crossed Loftus-Cheek can be just as good as Dembele was for Fulham.



https://www.footballfancast.com/fulham-fc-news/dembele-fulham-replacement-reed-anguissa-cairney-rlc

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Fixture Changes

Fulham's next three fixtures have been amended as follows:

    Sheffield United away - now Sunday 18th October 12pm (previously Saturday 17th October) - Live on BT Sport Box Office
    Crystal Palace home - still Saturday 24th October 3pm - Live on BT Sport Box Office
    West Bromwich albion home - now Monday 2nd November 5.30pm (previously Saturday 31st October) - Live on Sky Sports Box Office

Follow this link to read the Premier League's statement regarding televising matches.



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/october/Fixture-Changes/

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Premier League Statement

The Premier League today confirmed all fixtures until the end of October will continue to be made available to fans to watch live in the UK.

Under these new arrangements, the current live match selections will remain in place and will be broadcast as normal. In addition, the five matches per round not already selected will be made available to supporters on a pay-per-view basis, accessed via BT Sport Box Office and Sky Sports Box Office platforms.

Clubs today agreed this solution to enable all fans to continue to watch their teams live while they are unable to attend matches in person. The Premier League has worked closely with Sky Sports and BT Sport to enable this arrangement and is grateful for their support. The agreement will be reviewed in line with any decisions made by Government regarding the return of spectators to stadiums.

Football is not the same without supporters at matches. The Premier League and our clubs remain committed to the safe return of fans as soon as possible.

An updated broadcast list of matches will be announced later today.



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/october/Premier-League-Statement/

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Free agent XI: The out-of-contract stars that can still be signed

Despite the international transfer window closing on Monday, there is still a host of players looking for clubs for the new season

Monday marked the end of the international transfer window, with Premier League clubs maing their final big splashes of the summer.

The domestic window remains open until Friday (October 16) meaning that top-flight clubs can buy from the EFL and vice versa.

But to all intents and purposes, managers now have their players in place for the 2020/21 season.

Despite the window being closed however, those bosses performing on a shoestring budget could look at the growing pool of free agents availabe.

Those not attached to a club can be signed at any point during the season, although they may be impacted by the Premier League's registration deadline.

With that in mind, we've taken a look at those available on a free and tried to build the best possible XI available:


The free agents still remaining after the international window closed on Monday

GK: Danijel Subasic

Two years removed from starting in a World Cup final, Subasic is now without a club.

The Croatian international left Monaco in June, after spending eight-and-a-half-years with the provincial club.

During that time he won a Ligue 1 title, as well as helping Monaco to the Champions League semi final in 2017.

LB: Gael Clichy

After winning the Premier League three times during his stay in England, the former Arsenal and Man City defender left for Turkey and Istanbul Basasehir in 2017.

During his three years in the Turkish capital, he played more than 100 times, helping the club to their first ever league title in 2019/20.

Aged 35, the Frenchman could still have a few miles left on the clock.

CB: Ezequiel Garay

Coming off a four-year stint with Valenica, the Aregntina international is arguably the most high-profile member of the back-four.

The 33-year-old has 32 Argentina caps and despite being linked with a move to England for several years, he has never taken the plunge.

At the back end of his career, he could be an option for teams needing a reliable and experience central defender.

CB: Jozo Simunovic

The youngest player on the list, the 26-year-old was a surprise release by Celtic at the end of last season.

The defender won 12 trophies during his time in Glasgow and despite a series of injuries, he did impress Parkhead bosses Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon.

RB: Nathaniel Clyne

Clyne has endured two injury ravaged seasons and missed the entirety of Liverpool's Premier League winning seasons with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The Crystal Palace academy graduate has been training with his former club and could be snapped up by Roy Hodgson in the coming weeks.

CM: Jack Wilshere

His move across London from Arsenal to West Ham was supposed to finally signal the resurrection of the former England star's career.

However, injuries restricted him to just 18 appearances in two seasons with the Hammers.

His contract was terminated last week, but Wilshere is convinced he can still contribute in the Premier League.

He said: "Although I am of course frustrated that I was not able to full showcase what I am capable of at West Ham, I remain convinced I can still contribute at the very top of the game."

CM: Steven Defour

A brilliant start to his Burnley career was hampered by serious njuries. He layed just six times in his final season at Turf Moor, before returning to Belgium with Royal Antwerp last September.

It remains to be seen whether Defour can return to the form that earned him 52 Belgium caps, but if he can, it's a risk worth taking.

CM: Yohan Cabaye

The 34-year-old has more than 150 Premier League appearances during his spells with Newcastle and Palace.

His form at Newcastle was that good, he earned himself a move to French giants PSG in 2013.

That didn't really work out, but when fit he is a player that's proved his worth at the top level.

LW: Danny Welbeck

After spells with Manchester United and Arsenal, Welbeck was hoping his move to Watford would provide him regular first-team opportunities.

Unfortunately, he could only manage 18 appearances as the Hornets were relegated.

His hefty wages meant the Championship club were forced to terminate his contract earlier this week.

On his day, Welbeck has proved he is a capable top-flight forward and will more than likely be snapped up before too long.

CF: Mario Mandzukic

Another of Croatia's 2018 World Cup squad, Mandzukic is on the lookout for a new club after leaving Qatar and Al-Duhail.

His final season with Juve saw him score 10 times in all competitions and before that, he has enjoyed almost a decade at the top level of European football.

RW: Daniel Sturridge

Available to play after his ban for breaching betting rules ended, Sturridge is looking for a Premier League return.

The former Liveprool striker enjoyed a positive start with Trabzonspor in Turkey before having his contract cancelled.

Despite being linked with a number of clubs across the world, Sturridge has yet to decide his next move as he holds out for a move to the English top-flight.

He said: "I believe I've got a lot to give to the Premier League and I would say that's my first choice.

"I do feel I have unfinished business so I would like to go back and play there."



https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/free-agent-xi-welbeck-wilshere-22806143