Born: Roehampton, 18 May 2000
Position: Left back; left winger
Signed: Fulham academy, 2008
Fulham debut: Leyton Orient 2-3 Fulham, 9 August 2016
Fulham appearances: 120
Fulham goals: 25
Honours: EFL Championship play-off winner (2018).
Sold: 8 August 2019 to Tottenham Hotspur (£25m).
Ryan Sessegnon had been talked about in hushed tones around Motspur Park as a star of the future for many years, but nobody expected him to explode into senior football to such an extent when Slavisa Jokanovic promoted him to Fulham’s first team squad as a sixteen year-old in 2016. His mature displays at left back were already attracting attention before he showed an eye for goal, becoming the first professional player born in the 2000s to score in England, when he found the net against Cardiff. He then became one of the youngest scorers in the history of the FA Cup after settling Fulham’s third round tie against the same opposition in January 2017.
Sessegnon’s stock soared when Jokanovic moved into the left wing role and he scored a brilliant brace at league leaders Newcastle in March. He only improved in the 2017/2018 campaign – scoring a superb hat-trick at Sheffield United – as Fulham won promotion via the play-offs, setting up the winner for Tom Cairney in the final against Aston Villa. He struggled in the top flight, not helped by Fulham’s turnover of managers and being scapegoated by Claudio Ranieri for the club’s poor performances. It was no surprise when he became the club’s record transfer sale, joining Tottenham for £25m in August 2019 – but Sessegnon has spoken about his love for Fulham subsequently, saying they made him the player he has become through their innovative academy approach.
