Slavisa Jokanovic is prepared to give youth a chance at Premier League newcomers Fulham.
No newly promoted side in the history of the Premier League had ever spent over £100 million in preparation for life in the top flight. Until Fulham, that is.
Slavisa Jokanovic’s side embarked on a remarkable summer splurge after beating Aston Villa in the play-off final at Wembley, signing the likes of Jean Michel Seri, Andre Schurrle, Aleksandr Mitrovic and Andre-Franck Zambo-Anguissa.
But that does not mean that youngsters and academy graduates will not get their chance. Ryan Sessegnon remains one of Fulham’s key players after winning the Championship Player of the Year award aged just 17 back in April.
It seems Jokanovic is keen to keep an eye on the academy, even if owner Shahid Khan is willing to spend big and bring established stars to Craven Cottage.
According to Football London, three highly-rated academy prospects were given the chance to train with Fulham’s first-team during a warm weather training camp in Spain over the recent international break.
Harvey Elliott, Francois Tyrese and Matt O’Riley, who made his debut against Wycombe in the EFL Cup last year, were all given the chance to prove themselves by Jokanovic. And, of the three, Elliott is perhaps the most exciting.
“The kid is talented, I don’t treat him like a kid – he showed the quality,” the manager said.
“He’s a great project of the football, a huge time is ahead of him and in general it’s not question about my opinion, the club believe he can have a great future.”
The Standard claimed at the start of September that Barcelona, Manchester City and Fulham’s West London rivals Chelsea were tracking 15-year-old Elliott.
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