Ryan Sessegnon has been courted by Tottenham ever since his breakthrough into Fulham’s senior side.
Fulham icon Leroy Rosenior has told Bristol Live that Ryan Sessegnon must remain with the Championship promotion contenders for the time being, despite strong interest from Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur.
Still only 17 years of age, Sessegnon scooped the Championship Player of the Year trophy last week after scoring 15 goals in 47 league and cup outings for Fulham, beating teammate Tom Cairney and Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves.
The Telegraph claimed back in February that Spurs were readying a £35million offer for the England Under-21 international, as he continues to shine in Slavisa Jokanovic’s side.
But Rosenior, who turned out for Fulham in three different spells and has since become a pundit for BBC Sport, believes Sessegnon must stay at Craven Cottage and compared his situation to that of Dele Alli’s at MK Dons.
“I look at Sessegnon, who has won so many awards in recent weeks, and you can see that he wants to get into the Premier League with Fulham,” Rosenior said. “But this is his second full season with the club and he knows that the experience of playing is so much more important.
“You look at Dele Alli as an example. He had three or four good seasons at MK Dons before going to Spurs and hitting the ground running. There’s no reason that Ryan can’t do the same.”
Alli made his debut aged just 16 for MK Dons, before leaving in the summer of 2015 at the age of 19 after scoring 24 goals and providing 15 assists in 88 games for the League One side. Now, Alli has 13 goals and 17 assists for Spurs this term.
Sessegnon’s stats are marginally better at a younger age than Alli’s, especially considering Sessegnon has only recently moved to left wing from defence. In 77 games, the Fulham teen has 22 goals and 10 assists.
With three years left on his contract, this summer will be an interesting one in terms of Sessegnon’s future with Spurs likely to test Fulham’s resolve.
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