Tim Ream insists there’s ‘no hangover’ from Fulham’s ‘awful’ relegation season as he targets an immediate return to the top flight.
The experienced American centre half, interviewed by Peter Rutzler in the Athletic this morning, pulls no punches in his assessment of Fulham’s failure to stay up.
“It was awful. There’s no getting around it. I’m honest. There were times when I just thought, ‘What are we doing?’ It was hard. It was difficult. It was unenjoyable. Listen, any time you are losing and you are not moving up the table, it’s unenjoyable. For me, it was doubly unenjoyable because you’re not playing, you feel like you’re not part of the team. You’re sitting on the bench, but you’re not really contributing.
“It’s a drag when you get a couple of results and you think we have a chance here and then you don’t take advantage. The guys who are playing, that wears on them. And the guys who aren’t playing, you’re thinking, ‘Man, these guys are struggling’. But at the same time, the whole team is mentally breaking down, because those are missed chances. You see it every year in every division. It’s tough to stay focused in the moment when you kind of think: ‘Where is this leading to?'”
Fulham’s move for Flamengo forward Rodrigo Muniz is close to completion, according to a report this morning from Brazilian journalist Vene Casagrande.
The striker has been told that his current club are now happy – having become concerned that official confirmation of Fulham’s intention to buy the 20 year-old had not arrived – and that he should prepare for the first part of his medical when he finishes his period of quarantine. Muniz contracting coronavirus added a further complication to what had already been protracted negotiations between the parties, but Casagrande writes that ‘finally this soap opera is going to end’.
Fulham and Flamengo reached a formal agreement over a revised transfer fee yesterday and it seems as though Marco Silva will soon have the man he had identified as his number one target to supplement his striking resources.
Marco Silva says he is seeking ‘stability’ in his managerial career and thinks he has found the right fit with Fulham.
The Portuguese head coach succeeded Scott Parker in the Craven Cottage hotseat earlier this summer having been desperate to return to England following his spells with Hull City, Watford and Everton. He told Sky Sports that he was hoping to put down roots in London with his new employers:
“Definitely, definitely. Three clubs, but three different situations. Of course, we knew when I joined Hull, it was in the middle of the season and we took a risk to come to the Premier League because the club was in a difficult situation. I can tell you that was a really good moment for us as a technical staff, even if the end was not good enough. We didn’t achieve that fantastic thing that we were really close to doing but the way people welcomed us in England. The Hull City fans, the city as well for us was something we will never forget.
“Of course, it was a matter of progress as well. We had some offers from Premier League and I went to Watford and Everton, but stability is something that I want for my career. I think I want it and Fulham needs some stability as well. We need as a technical staff to build something [for] longer than in the past and, for us, Fulham looks the right place to do it because they want to grow us a club. They want to do it. They are supporting us and the club needs some stability and some continuity as well. To be honest, I believe it is the right place to do it.”
The 19 year-old has made five first team appearances for Fulham but struggled to break into Scott Parker’s senior squad last season. He had an unsuccessful trial with Sheffield Wednesday earlier this summer and has signed for the U’s until January.
Jasper, who scored eight goals in sixteen appearances for Fulham’s under 23s last term, could be involved in Colchester’s opening day fixture at Carlisle United if the switch is cleared in time. The U’s director of football Tony Humes told his club’s official website:
“Sylvester is a player with bags of potential and is really hungry to do well here. We wanted to bring in a forward to supplement the quality we already have in the forward areas and we are looking forward to seeing Sylvester in action.”
Marlon Fossey is back at Fulham after failing to earn a loan move to Rotherham United following his trial, according to the Athletic’s Peter Rutzler.
The American defender, who has endured two years of injury hell, played in Rotherham’s pre-season friendly defeat by Middlesbrough last Friday night but manager Paul Warne has decided against keeping the full back in south Yorkshire on loan.
The 22 year-old, who signed a two-year contract extension earlier this summer, has returned to Motspur Park and Fulham will continue alternative options for Fossey, who had his loan spell at Shrewsbury cut short by injury last season, to get the regular football he needs.
Reports from Greece today claim that Fulham and Aris have finally agreed a fee for the permanent transfer of Aboubakar Kamara.
The Mauritanian international is expected in Greece imminently to finalise the deal, which could be announced within the next 24 hours. Previous talks between the parties had collapsed last month over the structure of a deal to take the 26 year-old forward to Thessaloniki, but today’s coverage suggests that an agreement has now been struck.
Kamara, signed from Amiens for around £5m in July 2017, has scored seventeen goals in 91 appearances for Fulham. He was part of two Championship promotion-winning teams but doesn’t appear to be in Marco Silva’s plans for the forthcoming campaign. His time at Craven Cottage wasn’t short of controversy. Kamara angered Claudio Ranieri after refusing to relinquish penalty taking duties to Aleksandar Mitrovic and missing a spot-kick against Huddersfield and was then involved in a scuffle with the Serbian during a yoga session.
He was loaned out to Turkish side Malatyaspor in January 2018 after being arrested on suspicion actual bodily harm and criminal damage after attacking a security guard as he sought to discuss his future with the club’s hierarchy at Motspur Park before Scott Parker reintegrated him into the first team squad.
