Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 01/02/23...

[WhiteJC]

Duffy makes Fulham move permanent
Brighton and Hove Albion have confirmed tonight that Shane Duffy has made his loan move to Fulham permanent.

The Republic of Ireland international has made five appearances since moving to Craven Cottage in August and Fulham's decision to turn Duffy's loan into a permanent switch will allow them to use their second Premier League loan spot to sign Cedric Soares from Arsenal. That deal is expected to go through following the submission of a deal sheet to the Premier League.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2023/02/duffy-makes-fulham-move-permanent/

[WhiteJC]

Exeter City sign experienced midfielder Kevin McDonald

Former Scotland international joins Grecians on a permanent but short-term contract until the end of the 2022/23 season.


Kevin McDonald has signed for Exeter City

Exeter City have completed the signing of former Scotland international Kevin McDonald. He joins the Grecians on a permanent but short-term contract until the end of the 2022/23 season.

The 34-year-old midfielder joins the club having trained with the squad for a short period. He brings with him a wealth of experience from across the English and Scottish football leagues.

McDonald's career began at Dundee where he spent three years before a £250,000 move to Championship side Burnley in 2008. He spent a further two years at Sheffield United before signing a deal with Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he would go on to be named in the League One Team of the Year for 2013/14 season – the same year in which Wolves stormed to the third-tier title with a record 103 points.

McDonald joined then-Championship side Fulham in the summer of 2016, and was a stalwart in the side for the first two seasons, the second of which he gained promotion to the Premier League. He gained a second promotion to the top tier in 2020/21, but was absent from the team the following season following a kidney problem that eventually led to him receiving a transplant from his brother in April 2021.

He returned to playing action in January of last year, signing a short-term contract with Dundee United until the end of last season. On the international stage, McDonald made five appearances for the Tartan Army, making his debut against Costa Rica in March 2018.

Manager Gary Caldwell explained why he brought Kevin to the club, saying: "Kevin is someone I've known throughout my career so I know of his ability. He's been with us for a week and has also been in at other clubs over the last few months but felt the fit at Exeter was right for him.

"The project we sold to him is something that really appealed to him and we're delighted to have him. He has real character and the knowledge and expertise he can pass on to the other midfield players will be invaluable for us."



https://www.devonlive.com/sport/football/transfer-news/exeter-city-sign-experienced-midfielder-8096697

[WhiteJC]

Cedric joins Fulham on loan as Arsenal confirm seventh deadline day transfer

A busy transfer deadline day for Arsenal has continued with Cedric Soares' loan move to fellow Premier League outfit Fulham being officially confirmed

Cedric Soares has become the latest player to depart Arsenal on a busy transfer deadline day with his loan move to Fulham now complete.

Official confirmation of this deal came via both clubs' websites as the 31-year-old has swapped north London for west London - until the end of the season - and is reunited with Marco Silva whom he played under at Sporting CP as well as former Gunners teammates Bernd Leno and Willian.

As previously reported by football.london, the terms of this agreement is a straight loan. This means there is no obligation or option to buy at the end of the season, but where Arsenal will mostly benefit from this deal is with Fulham covering the defender's wages - which are estimated to be in the region of £100,000-per-week in full.

In addition to the north London outfit freeing up some money on the wage bill - even if it's only for a few months - Cedric has the chance to play regularly having been behind Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu in the pecking order this season, and the Cottagers gain an experienced player who offers versatility in both full-back positions.

North London ➡️ South West London.

Great to have you on board, @OficialCedric.#AcédIt ♠️ | #FFC

— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) February 1, 2023

A combination of fitness issues and the form of White at right-back has limited the Portuguese defender to just four appearances across all competitions this season for the Gunners. However, he has received praise for his professional conduct off the pitch.

"The competition is one (reason), the second one is because he was injured for a while and he had a recurring injury," Mikel Arteta told football.london when asked to explain his lack of game time. "Now he's fit, and he's a player who deserves to play. I want to give him the minutes because he deserves that."

Provided he's over the muscle problem that has kept him out of training in recent weeks, Cedric could make his Fulham debut as early as Friday night in the West London Derby against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

It's been a busy day for the Gunners thus far with Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nathan Butler Oyedeji, Omar Rekik and Marquinhos joining Crystal Palace, Accrington Stanley, Wigan Athletic and Norwich City on loan respectively whilst youngster Salah-Eddine Oulad M'hand has been recalled from his spell with Hull City.

Meanwhile, in terms of the Arsenal first-team squad, Arteta has bolstered his options in midfield with the signing of Jorginho from Chelsea to go along with deals for Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior that were completed earlier in the window for a combined fee of £42million.



https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/transfer-news/cedric-fulham-arsenal-transfer-breaking-26124486

[WhiteJC]

Cedric Soares joins Fulham on loan from Arsenal

Fulham have completed the signing of Arsenal right-back Cedric Soares on loan for the remainder of the season.

The 31-year-old featured just twice in the Premier League for Arsenal during the first half of the season, with Ben White emerging as Mikel Arteta's preferred right-back and Takehiro Tomiyasu returning from injury to provide competition.

Fulham pursued a deal for Cedric early in the transfer window and have now completed his arrival on a short-term deal.

"I feel great. I wanted this deal to happen, so we all pushed in the same direction, and I'm really happy and pleased to be here," Cedric told club media.

"Me and my family are really, really happy for this move. It's a great move and I can't wait to start."

Tony Khan added: "I'm excited to welcome Cédric Soares to Fulham on loan for the remainder of the season.

"Cedric has great experience against top competition, in international matches and in the Premier League. I'm pleased that we were able to reach an agreement with Arsenal to bring him to Fulham, and I'm excited for Cédric to flourish under the great coaching of Marco Silva!

"We're very happy with the work that we've done in this window, and look forward to the rest of the season ahead!

"Come on Fulham!"

Cedric becomes Fulham's 11th signing of the season and their second of Deadline Day, with Serbia midfielder Sasa Lukic completing an £8m move from Torino earlier in the day.

The veteran defender will offer competition for regular starter Kenny Tete alongside summer arrival Kevin Mbabu.



https://www.90min.com/posts/cedric-soares-joins-fulham-on-loan-from-arsenal

[WhiteJC]

Fulham complete Lukic deal and Soares joins on loan

Fulham completed the signing of Torino midfielder Sasa Lukic on deadline day and brought in right-back Cedric Soares from Arsenal on loan.

Lukic (pictured), a 26-year-old Serbian and an international team-mate of Whites striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, finalised his move on Tuesday evening for a fee of around £8m.

Lukic further boosts the midfield options the club bolstered during the summer.

Soares will spend the rest of the season at Craven Cottage, while defender Shane Duffy's loan from Brighton has been turned into a permanent move.

Meanwhile, Nathaniel Chalobah has completed a move to West Brom, signing an 18-month contract with the Midlands club, with Josh Onomah signing a six-month deal with Preston after his contract was terminated by mutual consent.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-lukic-soares-duffy-010223