Tuesday Fulham Stuff - 26/04/22...

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Fulham eyeing Ekitike

Fulham are eyeing a summer move for French teenage forward Hugo Ekitike as they contemplate summer additions to their striking options ahead of a return to the top flight, according to the Daily Express.

The 19 year-old could be set to leave Reims this summer having scored nine goals in 22 Ligue 1 appearances. Ekitike came close to joining Newcastle United on transfer deadline day, but the French club claim that there is significant interest from across Europe in the young striker. Manchester United and Chelsea have been credited with interest in 6ft 2in centre forward, whilst Wolves and West Ham have sent scouts to watch the French under-20 international this season.

Fulham boss Marco Silva is believed to be keen to supplement his forward line for the Premier League, with only Rodrigo Muniz – who joined from Flamengo last summer – and Jay Stansfield as back-up for Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, whose 41 goals have powered the club's promotion push this season. But Reims are ready to begin a bidding war for their prized asset – with reports suggesting they will hold out for at least £30m.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2022/04/fulham-eyeing-ekitike/

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Fulham enter transfer race with Newcastle and West Ham for 9-goal striker

Championship promotion winners Fulham have entered the transfer race for Stade Reims starlet Hugo Ekitike, according to the Daily Express.

The Cottagers are set to strengthen their squad ahead of their return to the Premier League and in recent weeks have identified the likes of Dwight McNeil, Folarin Balogun and Arthur Masuaku as targets.

Fulham's transfer team have now set their sights on French forward Ekitike though, who has had a breakout season in Ligue 1 for Reims.

After making his debut last season, Ekitike has been a regular starter in 2021-22, scoring nine times in 21 league outings.

If Marco Silva wants Ekitike though then he faces a battle on his hands, with both Newcastle  and West Ham United also said to be monitoring the 19-year-old ahead of a potential switch.

The Magpies were reported to have had a bid of £25 million, rising to a potential £33 million, in late January, however a deal fell through as Ekitike decided he wanted to remain at Reims.

However club president Jean-Pierre Caillot has declared that Ekitike will likely depart this summer as the wonderkid would be 'wasting time' if he stayed where he currently is.

The Verdict

There won't be many clubs who have money that aren't interested in Ekitike this summer.

He's shown to know where the back of the net is in his first full season at a good level and he also has really good pace.

That means he would offer something different to Aleksandar Mitrovic, although moving to the Premier League is a different challenge in itself.

If Fulham want Ekitike though then they will have to pay a big price – however they may lose out anyway with the other clubs involved, so it's an ambitious interest all the same.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fulham-enter-transfer-race-with-newcastle-and-west-ham-for-9-goal-striker/

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Fulham vs Nottingham Forest team news and predicted XI

Nottingham Forest news from NottinghamshireLive as Steve Cooper's men prepare to take on Fulham at Craven Cottage

Nottingham Forest are back in Championship action tonight (Tuesday) with a massive game against league leaders Fulham.

Forest take on Marco Silva's side at Craven Cottage (7.45pm kick-off) as they bid to continue their push for promotion. Fulham have already secured their return to the Premier League and are now looking to clinch the title.

Steve Cooper's Reds, meanwhile, can secure a play-off place with a point in West London, though will be keen to get the win to keep their outside chances of automatic promotion alive. They are currently five points behind second-placed Bournemouth, who visit Swansea City this evening.

Fulham boss Silva is expected to select from an unchanged squad for the visit of Forest, having reported no new injury worries after Saturday's 1-1 draw at Bournemouth - but is likely to make one or two changes to his starting line-up.

Antonee Robinson, Jean Michael Seri, Nathaniel Chalobah and Bobby De Cordova-Reid are among those pushing for recalls.

Aleksandar Mitrovic scored his 41st goal of the season at Bournemouth and needs two more to surpass Guy Whittingham's 42-goal haul from a 46-game second-tier season for Portsmouth in 1992-93.

Forest have injury concerns over striker Lewis Grabban, who was withdrawn 15 minutes after stepping off the bench in Saturday's win at Peterborough United.

Grabban, who had missed the previous home win against West Brom through illness, looks set to miss out and Sam Surridge is expected to retain his starting place up front.

Aston Villa loanee Keinan Davis (hamstring) is not likely to be available until the play-offs and Max Lowe (groin) is still out.

With Davis out and Grabban a doubt, Sam Surridge will almost certainly lead the line once again after scoring the winner against Peterborough.

Here is our Forest predicted XI to face Fulham: Samba; Worrall, Figueiredo, McKenna; Spence, Yates, Garner, Colback; Zinckernagel; Johnson, Surridge.



https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/football-news/fulham-nottingham-forest-team-news-7002853

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How Fulham's average attendance this season compares to recent seasons

Fulham have had a largely successful season under the management of Marco Silva this year, which has seen them regain promotion to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

The Cottagers have already had their promotion back to the top flight confirmed with 87 points at the top of the league, and they will be hoping to break the 90 points barrier in their final three games of the season.

Not only have they picked up points but their top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored 41 goals this season making them an unbeatable force in front of goal.

With it being the first season fans have been back allowed into stadiums alongside their success on the pitch, Fulham have had an average attendance of 16,776 this season with Craven Cottage having a capacity of 25,700.

Their average attendance this season unsurprisingly is much higher than last season's average attendance of 235 given the restrictions imposed by Covid-19.

However, in comparison to the 2019/20 season where Fulham were in the Championship, this season's attendances have been higher with the average in that season 15,137.

That being said, it is clear that being in the top flight of football has a big impact on the attendances at Craven Cottage.

The last time they were in the Premier League, prior to the pandemic was in the 2018/19 season where their average number of supporters was 24,371 therefore significantly higher to what the attendances they get in the Championship.

Furthermore, looking at the number of spectators in the Premier League they saw 463,051 whilst this year they have had 352,289 so far.

Interestingly though, their attendances this season have not been as high as they have previously experienced in the Championship.

In the 2017/18 season they averaged 19,896 whilst they averaged 19,199 in the 2016/17 season.

This could be an impact of the pandemic but it could also suggest that fans are starting to get tired of the yo-yo between the Premier League and the Championship.

However, there is no doubt that Fulham will see their attendances rise significantly next season as they return to the Premier League.

They key for the Cottagers now is to secure their place in the top flight as this will help them keep attendances higher.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/how-fulhams-average-attendance-this-season-compares-to-recent-seasons/

The author of this article researched many key statistics, but missed out on the single most important detail: the redevelopment of Riverside. Standard abysmal quality for that website.