Tuesday Fulham Stuff - 03/03/26...

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The £17.5m American star who could power up West Ham this summer - if Fulham don't get there first
Will Nuno Espirito Santo's side be strengthening in the summer transfer window for another Premier League campaign?

The best relegation battle in years has taken new twists in recent weeks with West Ham United's upturn in form and new managers in the dugout at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the City Ground.

From looking dead and buried in mid-January, seven points from safety with only three Premier League wins to their name, The Nuno Espirito Santo's side look like they could now pull off a great escape, condemning one of Spurs, Nottingham Forest or Leeds to the drop.

And that has a major impact on what until very recently looked set to be a depressing summer transfer window for Hammers fans.

What had seemed to be a spell that saw all of The Irons' best players depart the London Stadium, likely led by Jarrod Bowen, it now looks like West Ham could instead go on the offensive in the transfer market.

Obviously there are no shortage of areas to upgrade in a team who look set to finish in the bottom five for both goals scored and goals conceded even if they do survive, and one player who's long been linked with a move to east London is Yunus Musah.

West Ham were linked with the American last summer and were unsuccessful, but Sport Witness believe they could return for Musah in a few months' time - though they may have to battle Fulham for his signature.

Aged only 23, Musah used to be a regular feature in our Wonderkid Rankings and has bags of experience for his age, but what could he bring to the capital?

Yunus Musah - A vital Swiss Army knife or jack of all trades, master of none??
Musah first made waves at the Arsenal academy after moving from New York to London via Italy, and played for England from under-15 to U18 level, even after switching from Hale End to Valencia aged 16.

He racked up a remarkable century of appearances for Blanquinegros before his 21st birthday and became the youngest non-Spanish goalscorer for the club, showcasing the trait that remains his biggest strength today - his versatility.

Musah played in nine recognised positions, deployed as far up the pitch as second striker and as far back as full-back by Valencia, attracting the attention of AC Milan who brought him to the San Siro in 2023 and allowed him to take the iconic number 80 that was previously worn by Ronaldinho.

But Musah has been something of a jack-of-all trades, master of none in Milan and his career has stalled as a result. He's spent this season on loan at Atalanta - more on that later - and was an unused substitute in both legs of their recent Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund.

In three Serie A seasons, Musah has only started consecutive games in the same position 11 times and is now struggling for minutes in Bergamo. At his best he's capable of locking down an area of the pitch or producing a result-altering assist, but he can also go missing in games and struggle to nail down a specific role within the team. So what could that mean for West Ham or Fulham?

Will Musah transform West Ham or Fulham?
The first stumbling block is Atalanta do have an option to buy Musah at the end of this season - though given he's played less than 600 minutes so far this season then it's unlikely they will choose to trigger that.

With two years still remaining on the American's contract, Milan have reportedly reduced their asking price from €30 million to €20m (£26m to £17.5m) to try and get him off their books, which has increased interest.

Sports Witness believe Napoli are one party considering making a move for Musah while Besiktas are also linked with him, but Premier League bidders would be hard to turn down and that leaves West Ham and Fulham.

Only aged 23, there is still time for Musah to reignite his career and Fulham may have the greater need for him especially given they have the oldest squad in the Premier League - but West Ham have shown more consistent interest in someone who could become a genuine star at the London Stadium.

West Ham have plenty of midfield options in Soungoutou Magassa, Freddie Potts, Mateus Fernandes and Tomas Soucek - plus the exiled James Ward-Prowse - but they've struggled to fashion them into a functional unit for much of this season so the versatility of Musah could help to get more players into their best positions.

He'd also be a wide option in more defensive games for The Hammers (like this weekend's game against Liverpool) where the combination of his solidity out of possession and rapid pace would be well-suited to a counter-attacking gameplan.

Whether that is worth £17.5m remains to be seen - and if West Ham are relegated then Fulham would surely be his only English suitor - but Musah remains a young player who is capable of blossoming into a key Premier League player if given the right environment to thrive in.



https://www.3addedminutes.com/sport/football/west-ham-united/american-star-transfer-west-ham-fulham-5615027

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West Ham trio hold private meeting to save season but two could be axed for Fulham
Three key West Ham stars have held a private meeting in a bid to save the club from relegation but two of them may be dropped for the Fulham clash on Wednesday night.

After turning their season around and breathing hope into the battle for Premier League survival, West Ham showed old habits die hard in the strange 5-2 defeat at Liverpool.

The Hammers were arguably the better side in open play, recording more possession and a higher xG than Liverpool only to undo all their good work by conceding three goals from corners.

West Ham's deficiencies from set-pieces have been their Achilles heel all season long and the club are on course to break the unwelcome record of conceding the most in Premier League history if they ship another in the final 10 games.

The first of those sees the Irons travel across London to in-form Fulham, one of six games Nuno Espirito believes West Ham must win to survive.

Ahead of the London derby, three West Ham stars have held a private meeting to save their season but two of them could face the axe for Fulham.

West Ham know a win at Craven Cottage could see them climb out of the relegation zone for the first time since November and only the third time all season.

Hermansen, Disasi and Mavropanos meet to sort West Ham issues but two could be dropped
With 10 games to go, the Hammers are the most in-form team in the relegation mix which also includes Spurs, Nottingham Forest and Leeds.

Every time the Hammers have the chance to pile pressure on the sides above them they have flopped.

That's why beating Fulham, with Forest away at Man City, is so crucial.

West Ham cannot allow themselves to be undone so laughably at set plays.

To that end, goalkeeper Mads Hermansen and centre-backs Konstantinos Mavropanos and Axel Disasi held a meeting after the Liverpool defeat.

That's according to The Athletic who state Mavropanos, Disasi and Hermansen held a lengthy discussion between themselves after the loss at Anfield.

The report highlights that the trio have been key performers during West Ham's recent upturn and are 'hoping Liverpool was just a bump in the road'.

However, the shambolic nature of some of the defending means Nuno faces a major dilemma given what is at stake.To that end, goalkeeper Mads Hermansen and centre-backs Konstantinos Mavropanos and Axel Disasi held a meeting after the Liverpool defeat.

That's according to The Athletic who state Mavropanos, Disasi and Hermansen held a lengthy discussion between themselves after the loss at Anfield.

The report highlights that the trio have been key performers during West Ham's recent upturn and are 'hoping Liverpool was just a bump in the road'.

However, the shambolic nature of some of the defending means Nuno faces a major dilemma given what is at stake.

Jean-Clair Todibo had been putting in some of his best performances since joining West Ham until his red card at Chelsea saw him banned for three games.

Disasi has come in from Chelsea since and taken Todibo's spot and performed excellently, especially given he had not played a competitive game since last April.

Neither Disasi nor Mavropanos covered themselves in glory at set plays against Liverpool.

The same can be said of Hermansen, who came back into the side in place of Alphonse Areola in a surprise decision from Nuno following West Ham's 3-2 defeat at Chelsea.

Nuno has since revealed why Hermansen has replaced Areola, explaining that the Dane's superior footwork enables West Ham to play out from the back better.

Areola and Todibo could return for West Ham at Fulham
A large section of Hammers fans feel Areola was harshly dropped by Nuno.

And it has been argued that Areola would have made a better fist of stopping some of the goals West Ham conceded at Anfield.

So while Mavropanos, Disasi and Hermansen may have held a well-intended meeting about fixing West Ham's problems against Fulham, two of them could be replaced in the side.

There is a chance Nuno could change things again by bringing back Todibo for Mavropanos and Areola for Hermansen.

Nevertheless it is heartening to hear that West Ham's player care enough to hold such meetings in the first place.

It is that kind of commitment fans love to hear about and see – and that kind of commitment that could keep West Ham up.



https://www.hammers.news/news/west-ham-trio-hold-private-meeting-to-save-season-but-two-could-be-axed-for-fulham/

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Kevin provides Fulham return update after surgery on foot injury: 'Short break'
Winger was struck down during Sunderland win after hitting rich vein of form


On the mend: Kevin looks to be in high spirits after undergoing surgery
Instagram/_kev11nn

Fulham winger Kevin has confirmed that he has undergone surgery on a foot injury, saying he is facing a "short break" from playing.

The Brazilian, Fulham's club-record signing, started as the Cottagers beat Sunderland in late February but was withdrawn shortly before half-time with an injury.

Speaking after the match, Marco Silva said he was concerned the winger would be forced to undergo surgery.

"We're are waiting (to find out more)," he told reporters. "But he's probably going to have surgery and will be out for some weeks.

"It's a big blow for us, and for him personally. We're here to support him."

Now, in a post on his social media, Kevin has himself confirmed that he has undergone successful surgery on an injury to his fifth metatarsal.

He wrote: "As some people already know, in the game against Sunderland I ended up suffering an injury to the fifth metatarsal and I had to undergo surgery.

"Everything went well and I'm passing by to thank everyone for the messages of support!"

He added: "Just a short break..."

The post was accompanied by a photo of himself in a hospital bed flashing peace signs at the camera. He also included an image of himself receiving treatment pitchside at the Stadium of Light, and another of himself hobbling off the pitch under the aid of the club's trainers.

A fourth image in the carousel shows Kevin in training at Motspur Park, inlaid with the mantra: "To be strong you must keep going."

Kevin was replaced by Oscar Bobb as Fulham beat Tottenham 2-1 at Craven Cottage on Sunday. It was a first Premier League start for the Norwegian, who moved from Manchester City to west London in January.

Kevin has endured a difficult first campaign in England since signing from Shakhtar Donetsk late in the summer window.

He did not score his first goal for the club until January, but he has rather kicked on since then, taking his tally for the season to eight goals and five assists.



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/kevin-injury-latest-fulham-fc-b1273177.html