The football sages say the second season is tougher. Fulham benefited from the element of surprise last summer having been by far the strongest – and most stylish side – in the Championship. The yo-yo jibes, the condescension and a continual underrating of Marco Silva’s managerial ability from the English media contributed to the pre-season predictions of a season of struggle at the wrong end of the table. Aleksandar Mitrovic couldn’t do it in the top flight, £10m was far too much to spend on Andreas Pereira and, in the words of one esteemed Athletic correspondent, signing Willian on a free transfer in September was hilarious.
The only hilarity was watching the talking heads walk back their hot takes. Fulham attacked the top flight, as Silva said they would, and survived comfortably. They might even have finished higher than tenth had it not been for those minutes of madness at Old Trafford. Silva, who took the Craven Cottage job to prove his Premier League coaching credentials, wanted the Whites to strengthen over the summer but the close season has been one of Saudi Arabian intrusion. The Public Investment Fund-backed clubs targeted Mitrovic and the head coach himself, whilst talkSPORT tried their best to secure Joao Palhinha’s services for West Ham – memorably inventing a release clause. Even when Silva intervened to ensure Willian committed his future to the club, the Brazilian winger was the subject of Saudi overtures – sowing seeds of doubt ahead of Fulham’s final pre-season friendly.
Silva has refused to sign a new contract until he is satisfied that the Fulham hierarchy’s ambition matches his own. But the Portuguese head coach, pivotal to the project of establishing London’s oldest professional club amongst the English elite again a decade after the devastating relegation at the end of the Khan family’s first season at the helm, set an example to his players by rebuffing the Saudi Arabian cash to stay at the Cottage. Like a succession of his predecessor, Silva has been disappointed by the slowness of Fulham’s transfer business: the club’s only two summer signings, Raul Jimenez and Calvin Bassey, only arrived midway through the pre-season tour of the United States. Continual investment is crucial in the Premier League – where standing still leads to clubs getting left behind – and the glacial pace of Fulham’s recruitment leaves Silva short of bodies again days before the big kick off.
The discord amongst long-suffering Fulham fans, who have been asked to dig deeper into their pockets after an inflation-busting 18.5% average rise in their season tickets, dissipated a little during Saturday’s final friendly win over Hoffenheim. Not only did Willian start, but Mitrovic was influential after coming off the bench whilst the goals came from Jimenez, who proved his poaching ability to score on his first start for his new employers, and Bassey. The former Rangers and Ajax centre back capped a commanding display with a thumping header from a corner and should slot seamlessly in alongside Issa Diop at Everton on Saturday, with Tim Ream still feeling his way back from a serious shoulder injury.
But beyond a first eleven, that probably won’t contained Palhinha or Cairney at Goodison Park, Silva’s squad seems threadbare. Fulham are still searching for replacement full backs, central midfielders to cover Palhinha and Harrison Reed and negotiations over potential details for Callum Hudson-Odoi and Demarai Gray have dragged on for weeks. Tosin Adarabioyo was nowhere to be seen at the weekend as he waits to see whether Monaco will match Fulham’s valuation and if the former Manchester City man departs that the Whites will need another centre back. However encouraging Luc de Fougerolles’ Summer Series was you can’t depend on a talented teenager as the main back-up in the top flight.
The summer feels like a missed opportunity to build on the brilliance of Fulham’s first season back in the big time. Their senseless summer splurge of 2018, when the recruitment felt akin to a kid being handed hundreds of pounds in a sweet shop, had finally dropped off the Financial Fair Play calculations opening up a window for sensible spending. Fulham’s penchant for sniffing out a bargain means they will do most of their shopping up against the deadline, but Silva – like the coaches who railed against the acquisition strategy before him – would have liked a few weeks to drill the new arrivals in fundamentals of his philosophy.
All of this means nobody quite knows what to expect. Fulham fans were mesmorised by the football that Silva’s side produced last season, having been starved out of any ambition and much hope during the Scott Parker years. The mark of a good coach is how much they improve the players already at their disposal. Ream’s remarkable year, that saw him play every minute of his first World Cup having been left out of Gregg Berhalter’s plans until the tournament itself, was proof enough that the Portuguese boss is indeed a genius – but the way he unlocked new elements of Reed’s running of the engine room, Antonee Robinson’s defending and Kenny Tete’s crossing reminded me of how Jean Tigana extended the careers of Rufus Brevett and Barry Hayles when the Whites made a triumphant return to the top division in 2001. Silva may have to work miracles again – and given what he’s already done in SW6, you wouldn’t bet against it.
What a negative article. Facts are as of now we still have our full squad and please name a team outside the giants who have had a better window. Palace lost Zaha, Wolves lost Neves, West Ham lost Rice & have signed no one. Sheffield United and Luton have done hardly any business. Brighton are weaker as well. Silva thankfully is progressing some of our academy which is what we need to do for our long-term future. We are a small club punching above our weight. Silva is now one of the longest serving managers of the Premier League clubs after only 2 years. 12 Clubs changed manager last year at least once. This is not Fantasy Football or a Computer management game but the real world.
I think it is a very difficult transfer market. Everyone including us want top dollar for their players. It is like a long game of polka but you must have the bucks with bang by the end game. I suspect 4 to 5 more new signings by end of August, probably in the last hours before the window closes.
Condensation? Perhaps we need some ‘extractor fans’ with season tickets!
I totally agree with David above. We have managed to keep the backbone of last year’s team while adding a much needed CB and a proven Forward. At the end of last season I predicted that if we managed to keep Leno and Pahlinha and squeeze another good season out of Willian we will be fine. As things stand, he have managed this and I am confident we will manage to sign another coup, or two. Let’s be positive, with a full squad at the gaffer’s disposal, i m sure we will surely punch above our weight, again.
We are by no means the only team to haggle over transfer fees. Just look at the laughably low offer that Spurs have made for Tosin. How long has that particular saga been dragging on? Only the really big clubs can get their business done early in the window and even they struggle sometimes. And of course there are always the agents ready to muddy the waters and unsettle the players.
‘Nil desperandum’ Chloe!
COYW
I don’t think this is negativity but just realism. Fulham’s squad is demonstrably weaker that last season – for instance Kebano, Solomon and James have all left and not been replaced.
Silva worked wonders with a threadbare squad last season and we are leaving it late to strengthen the squad again. I doubt Marco is happy about the situation.
THe Saudi Arabia bids for Mitro and Willian have clouded everything. Until the final outcome is clear what will happen at the club is very much in t he air. Unless Spurs or someone comes in with a realistic offer for Toshin, we are best to retain him, as squad numbers are low. Whilst I do expect a few more incoming late in the transfer window it certainly would help if we could get one or two over the line next week, Most important in all this is to make Marco Silva happen then maybe he will sign a new contract
If Mitro stays (I think it’s 50/50), one of Silva’s most difficult tasks will be to motivate him to play. I hope the fans don’t make that harder by showing Mitro that he’s not welcome here.
I’m closer to my view to Chloe than David. Yes, we have retained most of our players, but Willian and Mitro may well hold a grudge and sulk now. We lost three wingers and added none. Lost two CBs (with Tosin) and added one. We need quality backups across the midfield–Tom Cairney’s knees aren’t getting any younger and Palhinha will get suspensions, and while Lukic is getting better, he’s merely serviceable in the Premier League.
Had we simply paid the agreed 5.5 million for Solomon last year instead of taking advantage of Shakhtar’s misfortune, we would at least either still have him now or be able to cash in–karma comes around.
Yes, I expect we’ll get 2 or 3 signings right before the window closes, and I do think Silva will set up the team to compete well. I’m optimistic we’ll survive, but it’s frustrating that we never give ourselves the best chance to reach as high up as possible.
Agree with the piece. Rather than look at what is being done elsewhere, we can only look at what we have done in the marketplace. Two adds, and three departures, not including Tosin. We are weaker than last season and based on the media’s speculation, we are only looking at three additions, which makes us net zero if that is how it all ends.
Is that strengthening the squad? Is that showing ambition or survival?
Let’s hope by the end of the window, net zero doesn’t reflect the score.
It was the same this time last year with Marco lamenting the threadbare nature of our squad. From memory most of the new arrivals came in at the last minute. Plus ca change……..
A well measured piece Chloe. I see both sides. One thing for sure..with Marco at the helm we are in safe hands
A fair article. We know what Marco can do with players- the difference he can make.
He stated clearly that he wanted players as arly as possible in the window in order to work with them away from the pressure of preparing for the ‘next match’.
Alas, this, once again, does not appear to have happened.
We, including TK, need to value the man, value his ‘team’, value that skill set we have working hard with players to achieve results and give him what he has asked for.
I fear that during this season, if a Premier or top European team come in for him, MS & Co will be off in a flash in a vehicle powered by exasperation and a certainty that no window will ever be different.
Far too much pessimism here guys!
Squad is marginally weaker, starting 11 is the same or potentially even stronger. We have kept (so far) Robinson and Paulinha who had people sniffing around so for a mid table (and apparently over achieving) side not to have lost any keys players (yet, I know) is pretty good going.
There are still three weeks until the end of the window and as long as we can keep Mitro, Willian & Leno as well as adding 3/4 players (which it seems we will with Gray and Hudson-Odoi appearing imminent as well as a host of others linked), we could well enter September in far, far better shape than we ended last season!
I always thought clubs had to agree a fee before they could speak to a player under contract clearly not the case with Mitro or Willian . Also if the rumours are true we agrees terms with about 6 players but have only signed one of them.
It’s remarkable how often people translate realism as negativity. If reality is negative, which right now it is, then it’s OK to say so. The trap is mistaking blind worship with fandom. It is quite the opposite. Being a fan means caring enough to recognise, and getting suitably upset about, what’s wrong as well as celebrate what’s right. Not just accepting things in the spirit of “support”.
Reality is that we’ve been criminally (as every year) slow in the transfer market, and are constantly quibbling over a couple of million here or there on asking prices when, with 5 days to go until the season starts, we’ve got gaps which need addressing either in the starting team or on the bench at both full back positions, central midfield, both wings, centre forward, centre back, and keeper.
Calm down everyone Fulhams transfer policy in every window is never going to change whilst the Khans are running the show. We just have to get use to it as painful as it is and poor Marco cant work with new players pre -season. The Khans should recall the signing of Paulinho last summer was done very early sorted out by Marco and now that deal could be returned 5 fold. But they wont change!Look at the players people are upset about-Tosin and Kebano not wanted by Marco and both at best Championship players or less.Soloman was ok but someone messed up badly letting Spurs jump in.As for James only a Leeds loan and had only 1 good game Everton away. Key to everything is keeping Marco.We are not the only club having difficultiesthis time. COYW