Tim Ream may not be a Fulham player any more, but the American centre back still holds a special place in the hearts of the Craven Cottage regulars. He should do, too, after nine years with the Whites – three promotions – and, remarkably, well into his thirties, helping Marco Silva re-establish the club in the top tier of English football after years of yo-yoing between the Premier League and the Championship.

Ream, who is now captain of MLS side Charlotte FC and likely to be part of the USA squad at a home World Cup next summer, has given a terrific interview to The Athletic’s Adam Crafton, where he dissects his game by reviewing moments from his career in detail. The whole piece is worth a read as Ream credits various Fulham coaches, including Stuart Gray, for helping him think through that anticipation that seemed like second nature to those of us watching.

He does, however, discuss the brilliant goal-line clearance to deny David Fofana at Stamford Bridge in 2023 after the striker had skipped round a stranded Bernd Leno – which is a moment that sticks in my memory. Ream explains why he shadows Fofana rather than following the ball as many defenders would have done:

“His [Fofana’s] touch is going on the outside. Now, I know Issa [Diop] well enough that he’s going to fully commit, even though he doesn’t have to. I slow down, just as he [Fofana] gets in the space. I’ve arced my run and said: ‘OK, I dare you to put it on the ground and beat me at the near post.’ I’ve thought: ‘If he chips it, well done.’ But I’m going to try to bait him into putting it there.”

As we all know, it worked and the Whites battled to a brilliant 0-0. Unfortunately, Crafton doesn’t touch on the fantastic win over the Blues at Craven Cottage the following year – where Ream was captain – but that snippet shows just how much thought went into his defending.

Ream’s reflections on the Premier League are that the English top flight showed him ‘how to reduce my mistakes, limit space, and be a really good team-mate.’ Thanks for everything, Tim.