Marco Silva is nothing if not consistent. When questioned about his immediate future at Craven Cottage, the Fulham head coach gives an answer as regular as clockwork. The club will announce any official update but he stresses the importance of building on a brilliant first season back in the Premier League by strengthening the squad. He has referred to ‘a big few months’ and ‘an important period’ in two press conferences in the next month.
Transfer business remains a touchy subject at Motspur Park. Slavisa Jokanovic, Claudio Ranieri and Scott Parker publicly pronounced on the pitfalls of Fulham’s player recruitment process, which demands a tick from director of football Tony Khan, and Silva demanded a greater say on acquisitions during his interview to become the club’s new head coach two summers ago. Last year, after a glorious canter to the Championship, he used his pre-match press availability to highlight the small size of Fulham’s first-team squad and urged the hierarchy to get on with signing players in a manner similar to how Jokanovic created unwelcome headlines after becoming frustrated with the glacial pace of transfer activity.
Fulham have preferred to find bargains at the end of the summer transfer window in the past but keeping a perfectionist like Silva will probably necessitate a switch in strategy. There are signs that the Portuguese head coach, nominated for the manager of the year award let us not forget, has some sway – especially if we remember that Joao Palhinha, without doubt the Premier League’s pound-for-pound signing of this season, arrived from Sporting in early July. But Silva’s long-term future in SW6 relies on the board backing him heavily both with funds and in time to work with high quality additions during pre-season. Shahid Khan referenced the Premier League Summer Series in America in his programme notes for yesterday’s game against Crystal Palace: the custodian could demonstrate his continued commitment to London’s oldest club by unveiling some marquee signings Stateside.
If there was any doubt where Fulham’s threadbare squad needs bolstering, then yesterday’s frustrating draw with Palace would have offered pertinent pointers. Tim Ream’s remarkable season has been brilliant, but even the ageless St. Louis native can’t keep going for ever. Shane Duffy isn’t an enduring solution either and, as Chloe wrote last night, Issa Diop looks half as -impressive when forced to operate at left centre back. The Whites will need a couple of centre backs, who are comfortable with the ball at their feet, if Silva wants to both remain as adventurous next term and reduce the number of times his side are rescued by either Joao Palhinha or Bernd Leno.
The Whites are short of top-notch understudies for both Palhinha and Harrison Reed, who has another superb season having become more of a box-to-box midfielder than he was under Parker. Sasa Lukic should start next season stronger having acclimatised to the physical and pure pace of life in the Premier League, but a pair of extra bodies in the engine room are a must. Tom Cairney has stepped into the shoes of Andreas Pereira with class, although his early withdrawal against the Eagles coincided with Fulham’s collapse in the final ten minutes. A new attacking midfielder, with the talented teenager Luke Harris still being nurtured carefully, will be vital as the timeframe for the Brazilian’s return from a terrible injury remains a little up in the air.
Other positions will need filling as well. Fulham have been fortunate to enjoy excellent campaigns from both first-choice full backs in Kenny Tete and Antonee Robinson, but they will need able deputies in time for the start of next season – especially as Joe Bryan nears an emotion return to Bristol City. There might well also be a hunt for a back-up centre forward. Aleksandar Mitrovic remains the main man and, although Carlos Vinicius has finished the campaign commendably, every manager desires another option to change things up off the bench. The long-term option will probably prove to be Jay Stansfield, who signed off so memorably at Exeter with a hat-trick, but a more seasoned striker could offer Silva more immediate tactical flexibility.
Fulham have enjoyed a fantastic campaign – one that is well worth celebrating. But elite football doesn’t stand still and Silva certainly won’t be resting on his laurels. This isn’t the time to take it easy over the summer: it is now that the Fulham hierarchy have to lay the foundations for the next stage of their ambitious project.
You’ve listed a need for seven first team capable additions and that isn’t going to happen because it’s unaffordable and would disrupt an excellent first team too much.
I think the priorities are a commanding ball playing CB, a strong versatile midfielder and a similarly versatile striker. A utility defender such as Aina would be a useful addition but I’d leave it at that .
Crucial that we lose no one of course and if bargains appear at the end of the window then go for it. It’s also important to remember that we won’t keep good kids unless they get first team opportunities.
I wouldn’t envisage either of the new full backs or central midfielders being immediate starters. The level of new signings is similar to what we ended up with this year and there is more flexibility under FFP this summer.
We have one of the smallest squads in the division – and that is unsustainable in the long-term. Agree with you about the youngsters but it is a lot easier to persuade the best talent to stay with the club if the first team is in the Premier League.
Our defence is our biggest priority we really need to strengthen in the next transfer window as we lack strength in numbers if we get injuries and suspensions, i agree with most of what Dan has said.
Unfortunately a lot of strength in depth problem was created within the club.When was the last time we made a profit on a player,I believe it was the reading winger.Most other players either stay till their too old to sell or they disappear into the sunset.With players being so expensive you have to buy and sell accordingly.Not like we have in the past with people like Ivor and kongolo with another year on high wages is ridiculous and now we have added a Swiss fullback to the list not wanted makes you question the so called scouting system from youth to grown ups till we get the club in order nothing will change we need to be on a sound footing to compete with the big boys we can’t even finish the stand to get maximum income.
I’m not sure what on earth you are talking about, Michael.
We sold Ryan Sessegnon for at least a £25m profit in 2019, which represents a serious success for the academy that you seem to malign. No one else in football would castigate Fulham for the creation of a category one set-up from scratch, for which Huw Jennings, Malcolm Elias and Steve Wigley deserve the immense gratitude of every fan.
That academy is now producing players who can go into the EFL and succeed (see the performances of Jay Stansfield, Kieron Bowie and Taye Ashby-Hammond this season). As Dan wrote in another thread, it is easier to persuade the best young talents to remain with a club that has a Premier League future and. fortunately, Luke Harris has committed himself to Fulham.
Add in Carvalho, Roberts, Elliott and Adeniran. The academy has raked in at least £50M over the last six or so years.
What is less impressive is that we’ve invariably made losses not profits on players bought in. Off hand only Aluko and Malone are exceptions and in the scheme of things we earned peanuts for them. Obviously we now have a significant number of players who could be sold at a profit. Let’s hope they’re not.
The academy is terrific value for money – especially when you consider that gave us one goalkeeper who made more than a hundred appearances (Bettinelli) and another (Rodak) who is nearly there for nothing.
To get £5.5m for Malone a season after swapping him for Jazz Richards probably felt like a good move. The almost £10m for Aluko is still a sensational sale.
I hope the days of entertaining the first reasonable offer for our players are over and we are in a good position this summer with our key players on long contracts.
Don’t think any reasonable fan could argue with the recruitment last summer, even with the odd dud; e.g. Kurzawa. Palhinha and Leno, in particularly, have been sensational. However, what we do need is a current version of the two H’s Hangeland and Hughes. Tosin has shown some potential and Diopp was good until switched the LHS. But good quality CDs are a top priority.