Fulham will next season return to the Premier League, and unlike previous years, the Cottagers will be hoping to stay in the division beyond their first year back in the top flight.
The west London side have yo-yoed between the Championship and Premier League since 2018, and under Marco Silva’s management, there’s a strong chance that Fulham could actually stay up this season if they get their summer plan bang on.
One factor that has largely played into Fulham’s last two relegations from the Premier League has been the incredible amount of change the Cottagers experience to the playing squad, with 28 first-team players being signed across the two seasons the club were last in the division.
If Silva is to flourish, this excessive spending has to stop, and here are five players Fulham must trust next season if they are to succeed in the Premier League next season.
Marek Rodak
A goalkeeper who has been instrumental in Fulham’s last three promotions to the Premier League, it’s somewhat disrespectful that Marek Rodak has only ever played two top-flight games in his entire career.
The Slovakian international was dropped to the bench for Alphonso Areola in the 2019/20 season, yet after the campaign that has just unfolded, Rodak more than deserves a shot as Fulham’s number one, with Paulo Gazzaniga sufficient backup in the Premier League if needed.
Tosin Adarabioyo
Named in the Championship Team of the Season, Tosin Adarabioyo has come a long way under Silva in the past nine months, and the former Manchester City defender could be a star for Fulham in the Premier League in the coming months.
The 24-year-old was one of the best centre-backs in the Championship last season, and with reported interest from Premier League sides, Adarabioyo’s form and performances in England’s best division could make a huge difference if the Cottagers are to stay up.
Antonee Robinson
Another defender that was named in the Championship Team of the Season is USA international Antonee Robinson, who has been one of Fulham’s best signings in recent memory and was in fine form for the majority of the year under Silva.
Also 24-years-old, the defender already has a decent amount of Premier League experience from Fulham’s last participation in the division, and since that doomed season, Robinson has blossomed into a fine fullback and a player who can make a big impact in the top flight.
Harry Wilson
After years of promise in the Championship and the Premier League, Harry Wilson left the confides of Liverpool for good last summer as the Merseyside academy graduate joined Fulham on a £12m deal, and the Wales international was simply brilliant.
Ten goals and an astonishing 20 assists marked Wilson’s best season to date, and in the Premier League, the winger must be one of Fulham’s most important players if he is to build from this incredible year in the Championship, with the 25-year-old only likely to get better from here.
Aleksandar Mitrovic
Aleksandar Mitrovic has often been labelled as a striker who can only deliver in the Championship, but after the Serbian’s historic and quite outrageous 43-goal season, the 27-year-old is just simply way too good to be left on the bench for another Premier League campaign.
The former Newcastle United star is coming off the best season any attacker has ever had in the second-tier this century, and for Mitrovic, he will be eager to silence the critics next season with Silva set to hand the attacker a starring role in the attack that is so richly deserved.
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