Monday Fulham Stuff - 21/08/23...

[WhiteJC]

Fulham: Cottagers eyeing move for Riccardo Orsolini
Marco Silva is still reportedly seeking reinforcements at Craven Cottage...

Following the departure of Aleksandar Mitrovic to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal, Fulham have been left without a goal scorer, and could yet welcome more reinforcements before the end of the summer transfer window.

So far this summer, Marco Silva has welcomed three players, in the form of Adama Traore, Raul Jimenez, and Calvin Bassey. Now, they are reportedly eyeing a move for a forward.

What's the latest on Riccardo Orsolini to Fulham?
Fulham's search for a forward has taken them to Italy and Bologna forward Riccardo Orsolini, according to Calcio Mercato, who have reported that the Cottagers are eyeing a move for the striker, whose contract comes to an end next summer, with first contacts seemingly made over a possible transfer.

The Premier League side will have to act fast if they are to push on for a move, however, given that Lazio showed interest in Orsolini in July, and Fiorentina and Sassuolo are also keen on making a move this summer.

It remains to be seen just how much Bologna will demand for their forward, too. But, money should be no issue for Fulham, who recently received a reported £m for the departure of star man Mitrovic.

With the addition to their transfer funds, it appears as if they'll be an interesting club to keep an eye on late in the transfer window.

Should Fulham sign Riccardo Orsolini?
To say that replacing Mitrovic will be no easy task this summer would be an understatement, given that the Serbian found the back of the net a total of 14 times last season.

Orsolini, a left-footed winger and sponsored by Nike, would certainly represent a solid piece of business for those at Craven Cottage, however, with the forward scoring 11 goals in an impressive campaign for Bologna last season, whilst also assisting four goals to match Mitrovic's goal involvement.

When compared, too, the Italian even outperformed the former Fulham star in certain areas. As per FBref, Orsolini made more progressive passes, more progressive carries, and attempted more take-ons per 90.

So, whilst Mitrovic scored more goals last season, Orsolini would hand Fulham a different type of option; one that is perhaps more creative, and better at linking play.

Silva could benefit by welcoming the attacker, too, with his fluid play style suiting players who can link play well, and those who are more complete forwards.

Of course, it will be a difficult transition into life without Mitrovic, but signing Orsolini would go a long way in solving any issues that could arise without their star man. At 26, he may only get better with a move to the Premier League, too - potentially resulting in newfound stardom in the coming years of his prime.

Fulham initially got off to the perfect start by defeating Everton on the opening day of the Premier League season, but struggled without Mitrovic in their second game, suffering a 3-0 defeat against Brentford.

Eased past by the Bees, we got a first look at how important it is that the Cottagers get their next move right when it comes to replacing Mitrovic before the window slams shut. With Orsolini reportedly an option, it's certainly one to keep an eye on.



https://www.footballfancast.com/fulham-premier-league-transfer-news-riccardo-orsolini/

[WhiteJC]

Positives and negatives: Fulham 0-3 Brentford

Reluctantly, as he fires up the keyboard once more, Cam dismembers the good and the painful talking points from Saturday's damning loss to Hounslow bus station.

What a terrible, terrible day to be a Fulham fan. Our hapless defeat at the hand of Brentford has to be the worst outing since Coventry City on that miserable day in October 2021 and to top it all off, the club announced Aleksandar Mitrovic's departure with a frosty paragraph that screams petulance on the Serb's part.

Those hired actors cackling upon Stevenage Road, clad in newly purchased Fulham shirts (really weird and gimpy), the hammed up Freed From Desire, it was corny beyond comprehension and it boiled piss and blood simultaneously. We bent over willingly for those sport washing nerds and on the pitch, we reciprocated our submissive off-field stunts as Thomas Frank's Bees rightfully claimed three points. 19 August 2023, that is a day we ought to forget and for our sanity, we have to stiffen that upper lip and move on.

Positives
Flashes of Sasa's potential

Gradually, without question, Sasa Lukic is acclimatising to the stresses and strains Premier League football exerts and while we could all agree that he still has much to master, our last remaining Serbian stayed afloat, and his awareness is certainly developing. Lukic, for what it's worth, was our key performer on Saturday and I was personally impressed with his insistence to support his teammates at all costs.

He's an extra yard compared to his previous outings, there's room for improvement in certain aspects of his game but we're witnessing work-in-progress in the flesh, and his effort and output didn't go undetected. He meshed play together with sensibility, he slammed shoulders with opposing ball carriers and his composure, as it adapts even further, is going to be a big plus in the coming weeks and months.

We want our midfielders to be brave, to break lines with power and courage and though Sasa isn't typically domineering, he isn't at the peak of his powers just yet and the more he features, his displays will become pronounced as well as productive. I still believe we require another roaming midfielder, an 8 with an eye for creation but Lukic shouldn't be overlooked. He can be an integral member this season, and he showed flashes of the man he was at Torino in his second start of the season.

The return of Joao
Entering proceedings in the 67th minute to rapturous applause, Joao Palhinha's return to competitive dealings was extremely pleasing to the soul and almost instantaneously, he got back to what he does best: collecting cautions. Now, that may not be a positive on its own and I'm not suggesting it is, but there's something greatly satisfying about Joao's heavy-handedness and if there's one attribute our set-up's missed so dearly, it's his devotion to seek and destroy.

From where I was perched, Palhinha's yellow was anything but, and as referees have been drilled to clamp down on more or less anything and everything, the Portugal international is enemy número um. Still, hearing his very own rendition 'Tequila' ring down from the top of the Hammersmith End was soothing and before long – hopefully next weekend at the Emirates – we'll get to sound it from the off, especially after he snaps Thomas Partey's shins in two.

Negatives
Diop does a Diop

A brief breakdown of things Issa Diop cannot pass to the left: a dutchie, a box of all his belongings, a simple 10-yarder to Bernd Leno under minimal pressure. Heading into the break, Fulham were level with the Bees in what was predicted to be a relatively mind-numbing opening 45 but that wasn't going to be the case, not on Diop's shift.

We've had to familiarise ourselves with the Frenchman's casual nature at the back against our own will, we've conceded one too many times from Diop's sloppiness and in the 44th minute, the regrettable term "doing a Diop" was well and truly birthed. From morbidly obese first touches within crowdedness to botched lashes at thin air, the 26-year-old got it all and it always amounts to our detriment.

The perplexing thing is that I actually rate Diop despite his obvious deficiencies. There's definitely a decent defender in there, somewhere deep within, but his mistakes tend to be massively harmful rather than innocuous and he presented Brentford a defining leg-up on a silver platter. You'd probably swing the gravy to your nan on a Sunday afternoon with more conviction, so why does a professional footballer get the basics so terribly wrong, so often? Beggars belief.

Ream's unjust dismissal
No credible officiating board on the planet can tell me that Tim Ream's dismissal was advisable. That is a shocking decision from Darren Bond to give the American his marching orders and yet again, shock horror, the PGMOL and VAR have been thrust under the microscope for unflattering reasons. Yoane Wissa bought that penalty, he was already tumbling as Ream approached and the contact that was deemed illegal was engineered by the DR Congo international, not Tim.

Ream, as any centre-back would, was merely closing in on Wissa. No stray limbs, no excessive use of force, it was completely necessary defending and it's an insult that a second yellow was brandished for a supposed infringement that was clearly acceptable. Fulham could have pledged a late fightback hadn't the referee been so ill-advised and misinformed, but with then men, trailing by two, we were cut adrift by no real fault of our own and I fear that for every club that doesn't brand itself with a 'United' or 'City', these injustices will become a weekly occurrence and we will be even more powerless.

No bark, no bite
Moving forward, we didn't trouble Brentford and their flappy goalkeeper in the slightest and just as it was last season with Mitrovic up top, we didn't offer Raul Jimenez any worthwhile service. The opportunities Jimenez hacked at were sighters, none were clear-cut and that's because our intensity and imagination in the final third was non-existent.

Brentford set-up to absorb the Whites' detectable passing patterns, without incision, Fulham prodded possession from one flank to the other meaninglessly and the concept of overlaps out wide or darting spurts through central areas was lost in translation. We were containable, no bark, no bite and at home, against a local rival, that's inexcusable.

It's the second game of the season, rough edges will need to be ironed out, and they will be, but following a hard-fought victory on the road at Goodison Park, our artlessness in attack wasn't welcome and while we may have only played 180 minutes of football, we're struggling to invent purposeful opportunities, even with trusted playmakers such as Andreas Pereira and Harry Wilson in contention. In short, we have a lot of work to do and we have to use this defeat to our advantage, as illogical as it sounds, because in each department, not just in our attacking third, we were handed tough lessons and bitter pills that have to be swallowed.

Silva's starters and subs
Perhaps Fulham's lacklustre collective performance can be attributed to Silva's starting selections, then. Brentford may very well have been without their main focal point in Ivan Toney but they still has plenty of dangerous, quick attackers to subdue and I'd say that on this occasion, Marco got it wrong. We knew that Bryan Mbuemo's explosiveness needed to be restricted, we'd shelled out £20m on a left-sided defender that could definitely equal the Frenchman's physicality but a half-fit Ream was fielded over Calvin Bassey.

It makes very little sense to me, we bang on about setting up for each individual opponent uniquely however we failed to recognise the Bees' mobility on the break, and that stunted our momentum hugely. If Palhinha was prepared enough to be named on the bench, he could've started. We'd very little control and command in the middle of the park and Joao's omission from the first XI was telling.

These are only minor contributing factors although yet again, when we simply had to retaliate with a change of personnel, our substitutions were also deployed far too late in proceedings for them to have the remotest of impacts, and I'm talking about Willian and Adama Traore in particular. Willian has to begin games anyway, he sets the tempo along the left and his positioning is key but with 25 minutes or so to go, not even he could warm to the task at hand and 5 minutes for Traore just wasn't enough, and that's all there is to it.

Also, if you're seriously having to bring Rodrigo Muniz into Premier League matters, something's amiss and maybe that's one way Silva thought he could grab the Khans' attention, by throwing on a player that is nowhere near the required standard for top-flight football. Our squad's desperately thin, we need to sign at least 5 reinforcements with varying roles in the next fortnight and if Saturday's flat outing wasn't enough to convince the powers that be that action is crucial, we're in for a long, drawn-out slog for the remainder of the window.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2023-08-20-positives-and-negatives-fulham-0-3-brentford/

[WhiteJC]

Juventus Outcast Attract Interest from Sevilla and Fulham
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has omitted Moise Kean from his squad for the opening 2023/24 Serie A trip to Udinese. According to Calciomercato, Sevilla and Fulham have approached the record-time Italian champions with tangible proposals for the out-of-favor forward.

Kean had plenty of chances to prove his worth to Juventus last season. But his profligacy in front of goal never convinced Allegri, who is ready to sanction his departure. The 23-year-old's omission from the round-one fixture indicates his days at the Allianz Stadium are numbered.

Following an underwhelming experience at Everton, Kean could return to the Premier League. With Aleksandar Mitrovic set to complete his €52.6 million move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, Fulham have identified the Juventus outcast as a potential replacement.

Given a significant cash influx from Mitrovic's exit, money won't be a problem for the Cottagers. But they currently lag behind Sevilla. Los Rojiblancos have made a formal approach for Kean, offering to take him on a season-long loan with an option to buy at €20m. Juventus are evaluating the bid.

Kean's outright sale would be the best option for Juventus. His departure would unlock the club's pursuit of Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku. But Sevilla's financial turmoil means they cannot afford such a costly operation. It also means Fulham could move at the head of the queue after all.

Apart from Kean, Juventus may offload another forward, albeit on a temporary basis. Kaio Jorge has generated interest from newly-promoted Frosinone.



https://cultofcalcio.com/juventus-outcast-attract-interest-from-sevilla-and-fulham/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham looking to sign new striker after agreeing to sell Mitrovic to Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal
LONDON (AP) — Fulham manager Marco Silva is hoping to sign another striker in the transfer window after the club agreed to sell Aleksandar Mitrovic to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.

Mitrovic was left out of the team for Saturday's 3-0 loss against Brentford in the Premier League, and the club confirmed that the striker will join Al-Hilal for a reported fee of 50 million pounds ($64 million).

Fulham said it had "reluctantly accepted a revised offer as the player had consistently made his desire to leave known."

The deal leaves Fulham short of attacking options despite signing Raul Jimenez from Wolverhampton this offseason. And Silva is worried that time might be running out for the club to bring in reinforcements before the Sept. 1 transfer deadline.

"It's not just about replacing Mitrovic," Silva said. "We still have four or five players to sign ... the striker position and the striker market is not an easy one, as you know, because many clubs are also looking for the same.

"We have to find the right player to replace him and, if not, we are going to play in the Premier League with the players we have here."

Mitrovic will join former Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly and former Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves at Al-Hilal, continuing the exodus of players to the wealthy Saudi Arabian league.

The Serbian striker joined Fulham in 2018 from Newcastle, and scored 111 goals for the club — including 43 league goals in the 2021-22 season to help the team gain promotion from the Championship.



https://apnews.com/article/mitrovic-fulham-hilal-silva-025a9901077d17c186f2cb8a11f9ee6a

[WhiteJC]

Report: Bayern Munich looked at Bernd Leno to solve goalkeeper issue
Would Bernd Leno have been a good fit at Bayern Munich?

According to a report from Sport Bild journalists Christian Falk and Tobi Altschäffl (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern Munich considered bringing in a grizzled veteran of the Bundesliga, the Premier League, and the German national team to help stabilize things until Manuel Neuer was fully healthy — Bernd Leno.

Leno, who starred as a youth player for VfB Stuttgart before moving on professionally to play for Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal FC, and Fulham, would have been an option for the Bavarians if not for the required price tag and a questionable willingness to eventually sit behind Manuel Neuer:

    Bernd Leno was one of the names discussed at Bayern's transfer committee. But the problem was that he'd be significantly more expensive, while a loan deal with an option to buy was not the optimal solution for both parties.

Bayern Munich clearly was exploring all potential options to bring in, but it seems like Leno ultimately had a few things working against him.



https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2023/8/20/23836973/report-bayern-munich-looked-at-bernd-leno-to-solve-goalkeeper-issue-transfer-rumors-fulham-arsenal

[WhiteJC]

Fulham should take inspiration from Brentford - the Bees' success without Ivan Toney shows how they can cope after Aleksandar Mitrovic's departure

    Fulham have struggled to score in their opening two Premier League fixtures
    Aleksandar Mitrovic's departure has given Marco Silva a problem to solve

It is an odd thought, that Marco Silva might have taken solace from his side succumbing to something of a shellacking by their west London rivals.

While Fulham's toothless performance against Brentford will have added to the pain of losing Aleksandar Mitrovic to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, Silva only had to look to the team running riot in front of him for proof that such a blow does not need to be fatal.

Ivan Toney's suspension until January was meant to hobble Brentford, but instead they have hit the ground running this season.

What is more impressive still is that Thomas Frank has managed it without any summer additions up front, with the Bees' aggressive and direct style getting the best out of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, a pair who already have five goals to their name after two matches.

Three came here as Brentford strolled to victory. Wissa seized on a shocking error by Issa Diop to open the scoring, Mbeumo made it two from the penalty spot and then wrapped things up after a clinical counter-attack.

Silva admitted it may be a case of make do and mend when it comes to replacing Mitrovic's goals. That is worrying news for Fulham fans.

New No 9 Raul Jimenez has not scored in the league since March — 2022, that is — and never looked likely to change that here.

But Silva insisted he could restore the Mexican to former glories, just as he had done with Mitrovic.

'The striker market is not easy,' he said. 'I'm not sure if we are going to find the right replacement. We will do our best but if we can't, we will face the Premier League with the players we have here.

'When we arrived at this club, the season before Mitro had scored three goals in the Premier League. Half of that season he was on the bench.

'The season after, he scored 43 goals (in the Championship). He had been really down at this club. What we did with him, now we have to do with the players we have in our squad.'

That task looks daunting — and it is one Silva must pull off if Fulham are to stay out of trouble this year. But Brentford have at least proved it can be done.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-12427245/Fulham-inspiration-Brentford-Bees-success-without-Ivan-Toney-shows-cope-Aleksandar-Mitrovics-departure.html

[WhiteJC]

Premier League boss now wants his 'fast' player to join Tottenham
Fulham boss Marco Silva wants Tosin Adarabioyo to join Tottenham Hotspur with Eric Dier heading in the other direction.

Marco Silva is keen to bring Eric Dier to Fulham with Tosin Adarabioyo potentially moving the other way.

That is according to RMC Sport reporter Fabrice Hawkins, who claims that the battle for Adarabioyo is heating up.

Hawkins claims that Fulham centre back Adarabioyo wants to sign for Monaco this summer and he already has an agreement on personal terms.

However, Hawkins claims that Fulham and boss Marco Silva would actually like Adarabioyo to choose a move to Tottenham.

That's because Silva wants to land Eric Dier as part of the deal, taking the Spurs defender as part-exchange.

Of course, Fulham may be able to just sell Adarabioyo and then put the money towards a deal to sign Dier.

Fulham seemingly believe that a straight swap would be easier though, possibly because Tottenham may not want to offload Dier without a replacement.

Spurs have wanted Adarabioyo all summer but his preference seems to be Monaco, leaving Fulham's Dier chase in limbo.

Tosin Adarabioyo ticks the boxes for Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham have already signed one centre back this summer with Micky van de Ven arriving from Wolfsburg.

The Dutchman has partnered Cristian Romero in Tottenham's first two Premier League games this season.

Yet with Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez seemingly available, Tottenham have been exploring other options – such as Adarabioyo.

This may not be a hugely exciting pursuit for Tottenham but Adarabioyo does make sense for Spurs.

Adarabioyo is a huge presence at 6ft 5in tall and has also demonstrated a turn of pace.

Pep Guardiola was a fan of Adarabioyo at Manchester City, suggesting that he is fast, faster than people can believe.

The 25-year-old is also a homegrown talent, which is something Tottenham need, and he is now into the final year of his contract.

A swap with Dier seems to be the ideal move for all but Adarabioyo could leave Spurs frustrated by focusing on Monaco instead.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2023/08/21/premier-league-boss-now-wants-his-fast-player-to-join-tottenham/

[WhiteJC]

£13m player has agreement to join another side, but his club now want to sell him to Tottenham
Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo has an agreement to join Monaco, but Fulham want him to join Tottenham Hotspur instead.

Journalist Fabrice Hawkins has shared on social media more details about the centre-back's future.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou will be very pleased right now after their 2-0 win over Manchester United on Saturday.

It wasn't a perfect performance and a bit of luck was needed to avoid having a penalty given against them for a handball by Cristian Romero.

However, a clean sheet and a win against a top-six rival is the perfect way for the Australian to introduce himself to the home crowd.

With the end of the transfer window approaching, Postecoglou will know there's still work to be done on his squad.

Plenty of players need to move on, while he may still be eyeing a couple of additions as well.

Tottenham could sign one more defender and Tosin Adarabioyo could be that man despite his current agreement with Monaco.

Fulham are in a tough spot right now and are pushing for the 25-year-old to stay in London rather than head to Ligue 1.

But they're running out of time to make that happen before the transfer window closes.

Tosin future to be decided between Tottenham and Monaco
Posting on social media yesterday, Hawkins said: "Tosin Adarabioyo wants to sign for Monaco. The central defender has an agreement with ASM.

"Fulham and his coach Marco Silva prefer to sell him to Tottenham and recover Eric Dier."

Tottenham could kill two birds with one stone if they do hijack Monaco's move for the £13m defender.

Ange Postecoglou appears to have no interest in playing Eric Dier right now.

He's not been in either matchday squad this season and has been linked with an exit this summer.

Tottenham's interest in Tosin has subsided recently, especially after bringing in Micky Van de Ven.

Swap deals are notoriously difficult to do and so Fulham may struggle to get their way.

Monaco won't want to wait too long for an agreement to be reached for Tosin and may walk away with if Tottenham don't agree to Fulham's terms.

Marco Silva's side are playing a dangerous game but a resolution will be discovered sooner rather than later.



https://tbrfootball.com/13m-player-has-agreement-to-join-another-side-but-his-club-now-want-to-sell-him-to-tottenham/