Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 17/05/23...

[WhiteJC]

West Ham, Fulham and Burnley all 'hot' for signing – 22 goal contributions, PL move 'likely' in summer

West Ham United, Fulham and Burnley are chasing Union Berlin star Sheraldo Becker in the summer.

That's according to Sky Deutschland, who state the two London clubs and the Clarets are 'hot' for the 28-year-old.

The forward has been in fine form for the Bundesliga side this season, scoring 12 goals and registering 10 assists from 46 games.

His displays have not gone unnoticed in England, where West Ham, Fulham and Burnley are all 'looking to sign' him in the summer.

Becker will have a year left on his deal after this season. With the three English clubs in the picture to sign the Suriname international, the report states a move to the Premier League is 'likely' in the summer window.

Sky add the Bundesliga side seem to be ready to sanction his sale for a fee of around €15m.

That's all the report has to say about the English trio, without specifying who among West Ham, Marco Silva's side or the Clarets are leading the transfer race.



http://sportwitness.co.uk/west-ham-fulham-and-burnley-all-hot-for-signing-star-with-22-goal-contributions-pl-move-likely-in-summer/

[WhiteJC]

Picnic on the Pitch: Ticket Update

Tickets for Picnic on the Pitch have now sold out to Season Ticket Holders! Thank you for your support.

A limited number of tickets will go on sale to 2022/23 Official Members at 10am on Thursday 18th May.

Picnic On The Pitch is an all ticket event, priced at £2 with all funds from sales donated to Fulham FC Foundation, who celebrate their 20th Anniversary this season.

Supporters must bring their tickets with them in order to gain entry to the event, irrespective of age.

Official Members will be able to book their space online at tickets.fulhamfc.com, by calling 0203 871 0810 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) or in person from the Fulham FC Ticket Office (Mon-Fri, 9.30am-4.30pm).



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2023/may/16/picnic-on-the-pitch-update/

[WhiteJC]

Burnley, Fulham And West Ham Boosted In Sheraldo Becker Pursuit

Sheraldo Becker is open to a move to England in the summer, amid interest from Burnley, Fulham and West Ham United, it has been claimed in Germany.

Union Berlin have been one of the surprise packages of the Bundesliga this season and Becker has been a key player for the capital club.

The attacker has scored 12 times and has laid on ten assists in all competitions this season and only has a year left on his contract.

His performances for Union Berlin have led to interest from the Premier League where West Ham, Fulham and Burnley are eyeing a move for him in the approaching summer transfer window.

And in a boost for the English sides, according to German broadcaster Sky Deutschland, Becker is open to moving to England in the summer transfer window.

With only a year left on his contract, the forward is open to a fresh challenge and a move to England appeals to him.

Union Berlin are also ready to accept an offer for him if they receive a fee in the region of €15m to €20m this summer.

West Ham and Fulham are in the market for a forward in the summer as they want to add more goals to their squad.

Vincent Kompany is also aware of the need to add more attacking impetus to his Burnley squad that won promotion to the Premier League by dominating the Championship.



https://insidefutbol.com/2023/05/16/burnley-fulham-and-west-ham-boosted-in-sheraldo-becker-pursuit/603325/

[WhiteJC]

Goal of the Month Result: April

Harry Wilson's unstoppable volley against Leeds United has been voted Fulham's Goal of the Month for April.

The move started with a brilliant run down the centre of the pitch by Antonee Robinson, who had sprinted half the length of the turf with the ball before feeding Willian to his left.

The Brazilian's first time cross had Illan Meslier in a flap, with the Leeds goalkeeper only able to palm the ball in the direction of Wilson, who adjusted his body positioning in an instant to crash a beautiful strike in off the crossbar.



It was wonderful technique from the winger, who made sure he got his body over the ball to control his strike, with the power and precision of the shot leaving Meslier with no chance whatsoever.

"It fell lovely for me," Wilson said after the game. "It was a good team move. It came back off the 'keeper and it just sat up nicely for me, so it was all about getting a good connection on it, and thankfully I did that."

Wilson was involved in each of the top-three goals in April's vote. His winning strike claimed 31.7 per cent, with his effort at Everton taking third with 12.4. Those two sandwiched Carlos Vinicius' brilliant snapshot against Manchester City (28.1%) which was set up by Wilson's cushioned touch.



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2023/may/16/goal-of-the-month-result-april/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham 'looking' to snap up 12-goal attacker and promising midfielder

Latest Fulham transfer news and rumours as they prepare for their next Premier League clash

Fulham are believed to be keen on Union Berlin attacker Sheraldo Becker and Sao Paulo midfielder Pablo Maia ahead of next season. The Cottagers will look to freshen up their ranks this summer following their impressive Premier League campaign.

According to Sky Germany, Marco Silva's side are 'looking' to lure Becker to London in the next transfer window. He has caught the eye in the Bundesliga this term and is also said to be on the radar of West Ham and Burnley.

Fulham could see the 28-year-old as someone to compete with Aleksandar Mitrovic up top. He has been with his current club since 2019 and has chipped in with 21 goals in 120 games in all competitions.

Prior to his switch to Union Berlin, Becker played for Ajax, PEC Zwolle and ADO Den Haag in Holland. The Amsterdam-born man represents Suriname at international level and has made six caps to date.

Fulham were linked with Sao Paulo's Maia this past winter but he ended up staying put in Brazil. However, reporter Andre Hernan now suggests that he has emerged back on Silva's shortlist.

The 21-year-old would be a useful long-term option for the Whites to provide competition and depth to current options like Joao Palhinha, Harrison Reed and Tom Cairney. He has made 84 appearances in all competitions during his time at Estádio do Morumbi and has scored five goals. His contract expires in 2027 meaning it would require a fee to bring him over to Europe.

Fulham got their recruitment spot on following their promotion from the Championship and will look to make some shrewd additions this time around as well, with both incomings and some outgoings likely too. They have two more games to get through this season against Crystal Palace and Manchester United.



https://www.londonworld.com/sport/football/fulham/fulham-looking-to-snap-up-12-goal-attacker-and-promising-midfielder-4144025

[WhiteJC]

Manager and player behaviour towards referees 'not good enough', says Howard Webb

Jurgen Klopp was furious at the awarding of a free-kick which led to an equaliser for Tottenham and ran to celebrate Liverpool's winner in front of the fourth official

The behaviour of managers and players towards match officials this season "has not been good enough", says referees' chief Howard Webb.

A number of Premier League managers including Jurgen Klopp, Marco Silva and Roberto di Zerbi have served touchline bans after being sent off.

Webb says a "stronger" approach is needed to try and address the issue.

"We need everybody in the game supporting a movement towards a more respectful environment," he said.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, the chief refereeing officer of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited added: "It's clear it has not been good enough. Everybody acknowledges we need to be stronger in dealing with behaviours not at the acceptable level.

"I think for a long time referees have taken a conciliatory approach, I did it as well. I didn't want to overreact and ruin the game in the moment.

"But that's not fared well in the bigger picture and we need to collectively look at ways we can change the trend - and it does need changing. We all accept that."

The issue of manager and player behaviour towards officials has been brought into focus this season after a number of high-profile incidents.

Liverpool boss Klopp was given a one-match ban after he was sent off against Manchester City in October for berating the referee's assistant. The German is also waiting for the result of a Football Association charge for comments he made about referee Paul Tierney after a game against Tottenham last month.

Fulham manager Silva has served two separate touchline bans, including for an incident during the Cottagers' FA Cup defeat at Manchester United in March that also saw striker Aleksandar Mitrovic banned for eight games for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh.

Brighton boss Di Zerbi has been sent off twice - including for a melee that also saw then interim Tottenham manager Cristian Stellini dismissed - and served one touchline ban.

Webb says there is a desire from all parties to tackle the problem and is hopeful changes implemented over the summer will have a positive impact.

"For quite some time now there's been a group of people from all aspects of the game coming together to look at participant behaviour and come up with some steps that we think will make a difference and those will be implemented during the close season," added Webb.

"We will be speaking to the clubs, the managers, the players, the media, everybody involved, to lay out what those look like.

"I get the sense there is a stronger desire now than before for this to happen. We have a great product and a great league and we don't need some of the behaviour we have seen to continue."



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65609045

[WhiteJC]

Bristol City confident of signing Fulham man – deal for Scot also agreed

Bristol City are confident of wrapping up a deal to sign Joe Bryan in the coming weeks, Bristol Live has reported.

Bristol City were among the sides linked with a swoop for left-back Bryan early this month. It was claimed that the Robins were best placed to sign their former player despite rival interest as he nears the end of his contract with Premier League side Fulham.

Blackburn Rovers and Millwall were both said keen, as were Stoke and Welsh duo Swansea City and Cardiff City.

Now though, as claimed by Bristol Live, a return to Ashton Gate looks to be on the cards for Bryan.

They say that Bristol City are confident that they have signed Bryan ahead of the five Championship sides who were also linked. The hope is that the deal can be announced in the coming weeks as he becomes Nigel Pearson's first signing of the window.

Not only that, but Aberdeen utility man Ross McCrorie has also agreed a move worth around £2m plus add-ons, though the Scottish Premiership season is yet to be completed. He's another player the club are confident of signing, making for an encouraging start to summer business for the Robins.

Getting business done...
While the hope would've been that City could finish higher, it has to be said that Pearson has the Robins on the right track. There is work to be done if they're to push back towards the top-end of the table and news of two possible early deals will be music to the ears of the Ashton Gate faithful.

Bryan was a huge hit during his first stay with his hometown club and will be a popular returnee.

McCrorie looks like a promising signing too, with his well-rounded game meaning he can operate in a number of defensive or midfield roles, providing some real versatility for Pearson ahead of next season.



https://the72.co.uk/2023/05/16/bristol-city-confident-of-signing-blackburn-rovers-and-millwall-target-deal-for-scot-also-agreed/

[WhiteJC]

Play On The Cottage Pitch!

On Thursday 25th May, you can have your chance to play on Fulham FC's famous Craven Cottage turf!

Your day in the life of a Fulham FC player will see you arrive at Craven Cottage at 7pm, with kick-off at 7.45pm.

You will be making up part of the Fulham FC Foundation team, which will have 11 players and four substitutes, who will be rotated evenly over the 90 minute fixture.

Once your game has ended, you will then have the opportunity to come into the Cottage for a celebratory (or consolatory) drink!

register here

Tickets for this unique opportunity are offered on a first-come-first-served basis, so don't delay!

As part of this fixture you will receive a full playing kit, which includes socks, shorts and a match shirt. Match officials will also be provided to ensure a safe and competitive level of play. Fulham FC Foundation would like all participants to bring and wear shin pads and football boots.
A general view of Craven Cottage

This amazing opportunity to play at Craven Cottage is in aid of Fulham FC Foundation, the official charity of Fulham FC. The proceeds that are generated by Playing on the Pitch will be hugely influential for Fulham FC Foundation to make strides towards our mission of building better lives through sport.

If you play on the pitch at Craven Cottage, you will provide direct funding that will help support our 25 different programmes that stretch across eight core themes. Play on the pitch this May so that Fulham FC Foundation can continue to help thousands of people across South West London every year!

Register here

Your opposition for this fixture will be Beder FC – a football club that is open to all with the core aim of raising awareness around mental health and suicide prevention through playing football!

Learn More About Beder FC

This one in a lifetime opportunity to play at London's oldest professional football club – do you have what it takes to score the winner?

(Please email [email protected] to secure a spectator's ticket.)



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2023/may/16/play-on-the-cottage-pitch/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham working hard to finalise new Marco Silva contract

Fulham are hopeful of finalising a new contract for Marco Silva in the near future, 90min understands.

Silva has enjoyed a terrific two-year spell at Craven Cottage, first leading the club to a runaway Championship title win before securing a top-half Premier League finish despite being tipped by many to be relegated.

The Cottagers have registered 51 points with two games of the season remaining - they have only achieved that points haul twice in their 16 seasons as a Premier League outfit - and have one of the division's most feared strikers in Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Fulham could potentially have achieved more had the Serbian not missed a chunk of games through injury and suspension, which adds further weight to the impressive work done by Silva - who has caught the eye of West Ham and Tottenham - and his staff in west London.

Silva signed a three-year contract when he succeeded Scott Parker as manager in July 2021 and has won over half of the 92 games he has taken charge of - better than his record at any of the three other English clubs he has managed; Hull City, Watford and Everton.

Talks have been ongoing over an extension to his deal with Fulham keen to reward his outstanding work, and 90min understands that there's optimism over an agreement being finalised in the coming weeks.

Fulham's intention is to reward Silva with a new long-term contract, which would ward off growing interest in his services from a number of other Premier League clubs.

Sources have confirmed to 90min that West Ham have identified Silva as a potential successor to David Moyes, should there be a parting of ways at the end of the season, while Tottenham remain admirers of the 45-year-old and are still looking for a permanent head coach to replace Antonio Conte.

Silva has also managed Sporting CP and Olympiacos during his managerial career, after starting out with a three-year stint at Estoril in his native Portugal.



https://www.90min.com/posts/fulham-working-hard-to-finalise-new-marco-silva-contract

[WhiteJC]

'Are you crazy?': Attacker says his family thought he was insane for leaving Arsenal

Willian has opened up on his departure from Arsenal, and he says that his family thought he was crazy for leaving the Gunners.

Speaking on The Fulham Fix Podcast, the winger touched on his departure from the Emirates and he said that he had to leave Arsenal because he wasn't happy.

Willian, famously, left the Gunners without a penny's worth of compensation, leaving behind two years of his contract on a reported wage of £220,000-a-week.

As you can imagine, his family were a bit miffed by the idea of leaving over £20m on the table in wages, but the Brazilian, quite rightly, said that money isn't everything.

Willian's family weren't happy
The winger spoke about his departure from Arsenal.

"I decided to leave because I didn't get pleasure and I didn't feel happy. It was difficult," Willian said.

"People say that to me, 'are you crazy? You're going to leave this money?' But money is not the first thing, you have to be happy where you are and go into training with a smile on your face. People in my family and people close to me would say 'are you crazy, are you going to leave this money there?" Willian said.

Says a lot
The decision to leave Arsenal for the grand total of £0 says a lot about Willian and the way he thinks about football.

This isn't a man who is in it for the money, he genuinely plays for the love of the game, and you're seeing that now at Fulham.

He's improved massively at Fulham, and that's because he's been put into a team that trusts him under a manager who has confidence in him.

You could say that Willian was silly to leave Arsenal, but at the end of the day, happiness matters more than money.



https://tbrfootball.com/are-you-crazy-attacker-says-his-family-thought-he-was-insane-for-leaving-arsenal/

[WhiteJC]

Celebrate with us this Saturday!

Bring your support to Craven Cottage for Fulham's final home match of the season!

Marco Silva's Fulham side have made a historic return to the Premier League this season, with a number of Club records broken and the team on the cusp of a highest-ever Premier League points-tally.

The Whites take to the Craven Cottage turf for one last time in 2022/23, with London rivals Crystal Palace visiting on Saturday 20th May, kick-off 3pm.

With our place in the Premier League already secured for the 2023/24 campaign, Saturday promises to be a fun-filled afternoon for Fulham supporters; with entertainment and giveaways in and around the ground, as we come together to celebrate a fantastic season!

There's still time to secure your place – a limited number of seats remain available, with Season Ticket Holders able to buy an additional four tickets, whilst Members and supporters with a booking history can also purchase up to four tickets. 

Fans can now secure their seats online now at tickets.fulhamfc.com or by calling the Fulham FC Ticket Office on 0203 871 0810.

JOIN THE CELEBRATION

Please note, supporters will need to ensure they are logged in to their OneFulham Account and have linked their ticketing account in order to purchase online. For more information on the OneFulham Account, please click here.



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2023/may/16/celebrate-with-us-this-saturday/

[WhiteJC]

'One of the best': Willian says 45-year-old manager Tottenham want is right up there with Mikel Arteta

Willian has named Marco Silva as one of the best managers he's ever worked with amid a backdrop of interest from Tottenham.

Speaking on The Fulham Fix Podcast, Willian has been speaking incredibly highly of his current boss, claiming that he's one of the best managers he has worked with in his entire career.

As we all know, Willian has worked with some top-class managers during his playing days for Chelsea, Arsenal and Brazil such as Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Luiz Filipe Scolari and Mikel Arteta.

Despite playing under some of the modern game's greatest managers, Willian says that Silva is right up there with the best of them.

Silva one of the best
Willian spoke highly of his current gaffer.

"I think every year this club can fight for something special and Marco Silva has been brilliant this season and last season as well. I think I can say that he is one of the best managers I have worked with in my whole career, and it has been great to work with him," Willian said.

Fulham will want him to stay
Willian speaking highly of Silva just goes to show how highly rated the Portuguese gaffer is at Fulham, and the Whites will be desperate for their manager to stay.

However, as he enters the final year of his contract, the 45-year-old is being sounded out for various managerial moves.

Tottenham are supposedly admirers, while West Ham are also said to be keen on the former Everton manager.

As Silva showed when he entered talks with Everton during his time at Watford, he's not necessarily the most loyal coach around, and perhaps Fulham do need to be worried about losing their manager.

As Willian says, Silva is one of the best around, and Fulham need to do all they can to keep him at the club.



https://tbrfootball.com/one-of-the-best-willian-says-45-year-old-manager-tottenham-want-is-right-up-there-with-mikel-arteta/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham offer Marco Silva new long-term contract as West Ham United consider David Moyes replacement candidates

West Ham have been dealt a blow in their bid to replace David Moyes as manager this summer after Marco Silva was offered a new long-term deal at Fulham.

The Hammers are expected to part ways with Moyes at the end of the season after battling against relegation, although he could yet stay on if the club win the Europa Conference League.

But according to 90min Fulham boss Silva is a target should they decide to move on from Moyes, but the west London club have moved to tie him down to a long-term contract in order to steer away interested parties.

"Fulham's intention is to reward Silva with a new long-term contract, which would ward off growing interest in his services from a number of other Premier League clubs," they wrote (16 May).

"Sources have confirmed to 90min that West Ham have identified Silva as a potential successor to David Moyes, should there be a parting of ways at the end of the season, while Tottenham remain admirers of the 45-year-old and are still looking for a permanent head coach to replace Antonio Conte."

Move quickly
The Hammers seemingly are yet to actually make a decision on the future of Moyes which is clearly a big issue.

It seemed guaranteed that he would be gone not too long ago, but since then the form of the team has turned around well and their Premier League status is now secured ahead of next season.

But with Moyes' future still undecided they are now running the risk of missing out on potential targets by not moving quickly to get a deal done.

Fulham will want to keep Silva by any means necessary because of the season he has had this year, and they have moved to show him that.

West Ham are yet to make their move and the longer they wait the more likely they are to miss out on the targets they want both managerially and in the transfer window.

Silva looks an unlikely appointment at this stage, and it could well be that Moyes sticks around.



https://www.westhamzone.com/boardroom/fulham-offer-marco-silva-new-long-term-contract-as-west-ham-united-consider-david-moyes-replacement-candidates/

[filham]

Nice to hear what Willian has to say above but will be even better to read that he has signed fo us again next season.

He must now be an attractive signing for one or two big clubs on a free.

[WindyCity]

Gotta love Willian and his attitude and approach to football.  Terrific guy, terrific player.

I would tread cautiously regards attacker Becker from Union Berlin which apparently is player FFC interested in.  As others have pointed out, he has really only had one outstanding season, this one.  Previous seasons he has been mediocre at best.  Scouting staff need to do their homework.

[hovewhite]

Nice to hear what Willian has to say above but will be even better to read that he has signed fo us again next season.

He must now be an attractive signing for one or two big clubs on a free.

must do all we can to keep him at Fulham as superb player still.

[F(f)CUK]

Nice to hear what Willian has to say above but will be even better to read that he has signed fo us again next season.

He must now be an attractive signing for one or two big clubs on a free.

You would like to think that his view that his happiness above money should mean that we have more chance of keeping him.