Recent reports have linked the new Fulham boss with a move for his former midfielder, Chelsea’s Danny Drinkwater.
The Express recently reported that Fulham’s Claudio Ranieri would like to link back up with his former Leicester City midfielder, Danny Drinkwater.
The England international is now at Chelsea but very much struggling for games at Stamford Bridge, making the short move across West London very plausible.
It’s a move that could be a very effective one, too, considering the players already at Ranieri’s disposal.
Fulham added two very talented players to their midfield in the summer: Nice’s Jean Michael Seri and Marseille’s Andre Zambo Anguissa.
And considering the set of skills each player possesses, Drinkwater feels like the right fit – if Ranieri wants to go with a midfield three.
Anguissa’s ability to defend in midfield naturally gives any players alongside him a bit more freedom, and Seri’s play-making talents would certainly benefit from that.
But adding the work rate and box-to-box nature of Drinkwater would turn that midfield into one which can properly protect a defence, but he also has the passing ability to make the most of the front players.
And that could be Ranieri’s biggest test. Fulham’s defence is undoubtedly their biggest problem but he has to sort it out in a way that won’t stifle their biggest strength: the selection of attacking players.
Andre Schurrle, Luciano Vietto, and Aleksander Mitrovic are comfortably good enough to score goals in the Premier League and the midfield simply has to be set up in a way that solidifies the defence while linking the attack.
Signing Drinkwater may very well be the perfect way to do that.
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