Neil Warnock is poised to offer Marcus Bettinelli some precious first-team football as he prepares to table a loan bid for the Fulham goalkeeper.
The former England under-21 international has endured a frustrating few months at Craven Cottage as deputy to summer signing David Button – and was even overlooked in favour of fellow academy graduate Jesse Joronen during Fulham’s EFL Cup campaign. Bettinelli’s wages will be covered by Cardiff, according to a report in the Sun, as Warnock is desperate to replace the under-par Ben Amos in the Bluebirds’ goal.
The 24 year-old goalkeeper has been at Fulham since he was fourteen and signed professional terms with the club in 2011. He enjoyed impressive loan spells with Dartford and Accrington Stanley before making his Fulham debut in their 1-0 win at Brentford in the League Cup in September 2014. Bettinelli eventually established himself as the club’s senior goalkeeper under Kit Symons and made 31 appearances last season, having recovered from a serious knee injury. Bettinelli, who made his England under-21 debut against the Czech Republic in November 2014, has made 57 senior appearances for the Whites.
Slavisa Jokanovic brought in Button from Brentford over the summer and much will depend on whether the Serbian head coach decides to stick with the former Tottenham goalkeeper as his number one after some iffy performances in recent weeks. Bettinelli could be line for a recall in the Boxing Day clash against Ipswich Town at Portman Road, but if he remains on the sidelines the goalkeeper could be set for a move to Fulham’s FA Cup third round opponents.
