Fulham summer 2018

Perhaps. Perhaps not. It’s difficult to judge the true nature of anything on paper. But...we’re back playing big boy football in the big boy league. And conceding a third after throwing on most of our first team in this scenario gives me pause. I’m no fan of Bobby Knight, but I understand his point when he said, “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.”
I think we’ve got some work to do.

 

Mission Accomplished?

Short video highlights were posted by Fulham. No commentary - unless you know Turkish and can understand the Fenerbahce fans sitting nearby. Not much to see either from a Fulham perspective since it is mostly the goals.
http://www.fulhamfc.com/first-team/2018_2019/friendly/fenerbahce#videohighlights

 

Looks like Fulham has gotten the keeper that they’ve been rumored to be searching for.

http://www.espnfc.com/soccer-transf...abri-confirms-hes-leaving-besiktas-for-fulham

 

Second straight drubbing in France. But I’m not worried, even though our current first team starters, for the most part, started this one.

Lyon 4-0 Fulham https://www.fulhamfc.com/first-team/2018_2019/friendly/lyon

 

We had trouble last season scoring without Mitrovic and we still have trouble scoring without Mitrovic. Third straight shut-out.

 

And it's official...
http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/july/24/fabri-confirmed

 

Some seem to have Fabri already penciled in ahead of Betts due to his experience and the notion that "you don't pay that big a transfer fee for someone to sit on the bench." I believe Marcus has earned the chance to stay No. 1, and it's his job to lose, period.
As for Schurrle possibly joining, I'm OK with that. I kind of always liked him, thought he did well at scum, was surprised when they shipped him off to Wolfsburg. Haven't seen him play much since he left the dog track, was surprised he didn't make Germany's World Cup squad this year (although it would seem they certainly could have used him). Did pretty well in '14, remember that cross that Gotze brought down and scored to beat Argentina in the final in extra time? When I first heard he might be joining us I thought, man, seems he's been around forever, must be in his 30's by now. Nope. Just 27.
Bring it on.

 

Not often I disagree with Master HD, but I'm all in favor of bringing in someone that can help get goals. I have full faith that Joka will figure out the lineup to get the people in the right place. Trying not to get alarmed by the lack of goals in the preseason.

 

I read somewhere that while he primarily has played on the left, he can play either wing and sometimes even centrally. I also think this would be a good acquisition. If anything, it will provide depth and coverage in case of injuries.

 

According to Sky, 2m pounds is the difference for Mitrovic now. I don't know the validity of this claim, but I certainly hope that Fulham don't lose Mitro over 2m pounds. That's such a small margin compared to the overall windfall of playing in the Premier League.

http://www.skysports.com/football/n...art-in-potential-deal-for-aleksandar-mitrovic

 

It is official - André Schürrle has signed - but only on a two-season loan. I didn't even know such an agreement existed! Regardless of the contract type, I'm pretty excited to have him on board.

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/july/25/andre-schurrle-signs

 

Since he's only 27, unless there's an injury issue, there's every chance he can regain the form he showed four years ago. This is a signing that has little down side from my perspective. If he tanks, he's a loanee and we should have options to terminate the agreement. If he pans out and regains his superior older form, or exceeds it, we should find our first year back in the Premiership more pleasant. The odds of this working in our favor are better than average. Worth the risk.

 

Which brings us to another question: What else do we need to do besides sign Mitrovic? Do we continue to pursue Targett? Kalas? Piazon? Do we need more cover for Ream and Odoi at the back? Do we deal away some of the part time and non starters? Ayite? Fonte? Woodrow (sorry Hatter)? Djalo? Cisse?
It would seem that there are a lot more player moves to make before the deadline, which is August 31st, 3 BLOODY MATCHES INTO THE SEASON! (I know, don't get me started).

Thoughts?

 

The deadline is August 9 to sign players to a permanent contract, just two weeks away. Players can still be signed to a loan until August 31. France, Germany, Italy, and Spain are still August 31 for everything.

https://www.efl.com/news/2018/february/earlier-closure-of-transfer-window-agreed-by-efl-clubs/

I agree that there is a lot more work to be done in the remaining time, although I'm pretty happy with what has happened so far. My biggest concern is on defense. We have what could pass for a starting back 4, but we don't have enough depth. And despite Odoi being a hero last season, I don't feel he has enough consistency and quality for a full campaign in the Premier League. Better options are needed at the back.

 

I agree, double M. Defense is my biggest concern as well. Attacking and scoring is the biggest difference between the Premiership and the Championship, in my opinion. And Denis's hero status could have easily been reversed had Villa scored after his red at Wembley. I am also thrilled at the business Tony K. has conducted so far. But all you have to do is look at our previous two transfer windows. This time last year, we brought in Fonte, Soares, Mollo and Ojo. We didn't get Mitro, Targett and Christie until January. So I'm trying not to get too worked up about this window. But I'm largely failing.
One thing we CAN say. Tony Khan and the club can't be accused of sitting on their hands. They're showing serious ambition, and they're putting their money where their mouth is. What's not to love?

 

I'll third the defensive concern. We really have no proven back-ups for any of the presumed starting four of Christie, Ream, Odoi, and Le Marchand. And to be honest, I'm slightly concerned about the ability of those four to handle Premier League quality. Some people have mentioned Christie as a like-for-like replacement of Fredericks, but there was a reason that Fredericks was starting over Christie. So Fulham have probably already lost a step there.

The other main concern is scoring, so either tie up Mitrovic or find someone comparable!