Marco Silva has made it clear that Fulham are looking to give their injury-prone defender some game time by arranging a loan before the end of the January transfer window and the clearest interest appears to be coming from the Eredivisie. Reports in the Dutch press this afternoon say several Dutch sides are open to taking the 27 year-old on loan for the remainder of the campaign.
Kongolo has made just two appearances since turning his loan move from Huddersfield Town, which was curtailed by a foot injury, into a permanent £4m transfer back in October 2020. The Dutch international has played four games for Fulham’s under 23 side but Fulham are now keen for him to prove his fitness with a consistent run of games. A move back home would appeal to Kongolo and his first club Feyenoord are thought to be at the top of the list of suitors.
The Athletic are reporting that former Fulham midfielder Matt O’Riley is set to join Celtic for a fee of around £1.5m.
The 21 year-old, who has scored seven goals and contributed six assists in 28 appearances for Milton Keynes this season, left Craven Cottage after turning down a new contract under Scott Parker last summer. Fulham are understood to be entitled to around half of any transfer fee, owing to a sell-on clause agreed between them and Milton Keynes as compensation for their part in O’Riley’s development.
The England youth international joined Fulham’s academy at the age of eight and was long considered one of the club’s brightest prospects. He starred when offered the opportunity to train with Fulham’s senior squad in the summer of 2017 and was handed a senior debut by Slavisa Jokanovic against Wycombe Wanderers in the League Cup. He scored two goals in 27 appearances for Fulham’s under 18 side, 11 in 57 games for the under 23s but managed just five first team appearances, being substituted by Parker having been brought off the bench for his league debut against Reading on New Year’s Day 2020.
Fulham captain Tom Cairney feels another emphatic win will have sent a message to their Championship promotion rivals.
The Whites scored six again as they put Birmingham City to the sword at Craven Cottage last night and Cairney believes the significance of that victory, which puts Marco Silva’s side five points clear at the top of the table, can’t be understated. He told FFCTV after the final whistle last night:
“It has been a good run of consecutive games after quite a big break after Christmas and New Year with the games getting cancelled. It is important that we’ve done what we’ve done – we’ve scored a lot of goals. To win when you’re top of the league is very important. It’s been a while since we’ve done that.”
Cairney still seemed a bit astonished by the fact that Fulham had scored six for the third game in succession, but believes Silva’s footballing philosophy always gives them a chance of grabbing goals.
“No, you can’t expect it. It is a very difficult, difficult league. We’re very good going forward, we always create chances and at the minute we’re putting them away. It’s delightful to play in.”
He was disappointed that Fulham let in Ivan Sunjic’s strike right on half time and felt the home side might have taken their foot of the gas at times during the second period.
“It is really disappointing to concede that goal just before half time. We could have made it a lot more comfortable for ourselves going in at 4-0. The boy scored a wonder goal – it is what it is. The second half was a bit cagey and it was a little bit tiring. It was the third game in a week. We got over the line in decent style at the end.”
The playmaker, still getting back to match sharpness after ten months on the sidelines with a serious knee injury, was pleased to get on the scoresheet again himself.
“Yeah, it was nice. It was nice hitting the back of the net. It’s always nice scoring at the Cottage. It was a great feeling. One of six – that was alright!”
Cairney knows that Stoke City, who are just four points off the play-off places, will pose a very different challenge on Saturday.
“It’s not going to be easy. It is another quick turnaround. Stoke won their last game, they’re playing decent. They are having a decent season – but I think we’ll go to any ground and try and win the game.”
Last night’s battering of Birmingham City produced another wave of ridiculous goalscoring numbers – which reflect Fulham’s renewed sense of adventure under Marco Silva. Here are just a few of the extraordinary stats:
Fulham have now scored 70 goals in 26 Championship matches this season. For reference, Slavisa Jokanovic’s 2017/2018 promotion winning team managed 79 in 46 regular season fixtures. Even when Jean Tigana’s side romped to the Division One title in 2000-01, they only scored 90 in 46 games.
Fulham are the first English second-tier side to score at least six goals in three consecutive league matches since Everton in February 1954.
They are the sixth side in English league history to score at least six three times in a row following in the footsteps of Small Heath (1893), Plymouth (1925), Everton (1954) and Chelsea (2010).
Fulham have scored nineteen goals in their last three matches. Barnsley have only scored sixteen all season.
It is the first time Fulham have scored at least six goals in three successive matches in the club’s history.
Fulham average a goal every fourteen minutes in 2022.
Fabio Carvalho has now scored seven goals this season. He is the second-highest goalscoring teenager in English league football – behind Swindon Town’s Tyreece Simpson, who is on eight.
Such a run of goalscoring will likely never be repeated – these are special times at Craven Cottage.
Fabio Carvalho enthused about the ‘fun’ he is having playing in Marco Silva’s Fulham side after bagging a brace as the Whites thumped Birmingham City 6-2 tonight.
The teenage playmaker doesn’t appear to be distracted by tabloid talk about his future as he followed up a fine individual goal against Bristol City on Saturday with two more against the Blues – the first a fine header and his second a trademark finish from the edge of the area just when Lee Bowyer’s side had inched their way back into the contest. Carvalho told FFCTV after the final whistle that has been delighted with the way the team have responded to their enforced festive break:
“It’s been a great start to the year. I feel like we’re starting how we started the season – strong, with confidence. We’ve been playing with such great style, like going forward, getting goals as well as being tidy at the back. That’s what the manager has been trying to drill into us and that’s how we’ve been performing.”
Carvalho highlighted the fact that he feels Fulham are able to shift through the gears and score goals when the opposition are making it hard for them – as evidenced in an eight-minute spell before half-time tonight.
“I feel we have it in us. When the game’s not really going the way we want it to go – in terms of scoring goals – at any moment we can just turn it on and switch. That’s a great attribute to have.”
He was delighted to find the net with his head tonight from a fine Antonee Robinson cross.
“It was good. The cross was just perfect. I’ve been trying to work on my heading because it is not one of my greatest attributes. Today, I just went for it – and it went in the goal. Something I’ve been working on and it was my first header in a long time.”
The young playmaker also felt his second goal was the culmination of hard work on the training ground – and he admitted he was relishing playing in such an attacking Fulham side.
“It’s just something I’ve been trying to add to my game. Even when I drift out to the left, come inside and try and find that corner like I’ve been doing – so hopefully I’ve get more goals like that. It is fun. Getting involved, not just the goals but playmaking. I’m having fun. It’s helping having a front four contributing, putting in a shift and it helps to have Mitro – he’s scoring half our goals at the moment!”
