With Fulham fans already bracing themselves for the departures of Aleksandar Mitrovic, Alphonse Areola, Tosin Adarabioyo and Joachim Andersen, the last thing they needed to hear was Leeds United are making a move for Harrison Reed.
According to the Daily Mail, Marcelo Bielsa plans to raid the Craven Cottage club for a man who joined Fulham on an £8 million deal from Southampton last summer following an impressive loan spell in west London.
And while Reed may not hog the headlines a la Mitrovic or Areola, the panicked reaction to his potential departure speaks volumes about the 26-year-old’s importance to Scott Parker’s side.
Steady rather than spectacular, energetic rather than enigmatic, Reed remains exactly the sort of reliable, seven-out-of-ten footballer every team needs.
Fulham’s best performances during their brief season back in the Premier League came when Reed was snapping into tackles and setting the tempo in the middle of the park. His irrepressible performance in November’s 2-0 win at Leicester City was one particular highlight.
Reed is hardly a prolific Championship goalscorer like Mitrovic or a top-class difference-maker like Areola, but finding a replacement for Fulham’s most reliable player will be easier said than done.
Here’s what some Fulham fans had to say on Twitter about the transfer speculation:
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