West Ham United want to take Ryan Fredericks to the Premier League when his contract at Fulham expires.
Fulham fans will have to wait to see the best of Cyrus Christie, but they got a reassuring image of life without Ryan Fredericks in Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw away to promotion rivals Bristol City.
The Republic of Ireland international moved to Craven Cottage from Middlesbrough on transfer deadline day and made his debut at Ashton Gate. And, while he looked a little suspect defensively at times, it was his outstanding assist that laid the opening goal on a plate for Newcastle United loanee Aleksandar Mitrovic.
This was a promising sign for Fulham. Try as they might to tie him down to a new deal, the rampaging right-back Fredericks looks set to leave in the summer when his contract expires.
And the sight of Christie performing impressively in Fredericks’ place against Lee Johnson’s hosts should give West Ham hope that Fulham will perhaps be more willing to accept the 25-year-old’s departure at the end of the season.
Like Fredericks, Christie is a powerful and pacey full-back who offers so much attacking intent and can be a real outlet on the wing when required.
He is, in many ways, a like-for-like replacement for Fredericks. And if Christie builds on this impressive start, it could make West Ham’s hopes of bringing his potential predecessor to the London Stadium a little easier.
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