When asked last weekend if he felt Fulham were ‘ready’ for the Premier League’s big kick off, head coach Marco Silva said what everyone in this particular corner in West London were thinking after a rather rollercoaster window.
“No.We, as a squad, we are not ready,” Silva sighed. “I want to be clear with you; Now, we have 16 senior players in our squad. No-one competes at this level with 16 senior players in your squad.
“I’m really happy with this group of players that we have. But everyone that understands football can see we need at least five or six more players.”
A repeat of 2020, when Fulham made a flurry of signings late in the window after losing all four of their top-flight openers, feels distinctly possible. But at least some movements are being made, albeit belatedly so.
Here are five players Fulham could – or perhaps should – sign before the month is out.
Justin Kluivert – Roma
There is a chance that a spring-heeled winger labelled Europe’s most exciting young talent back in 2018 – yes, ahead of Gigi Donnarumma, Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho – will officially be a Fulham player before Saturday’s curtain-raiser with Liverpool. A pretty good chance at that.
23-year-old Kluivert is crying out for a fresh start after falling out of favour under Jose Mourinho at Roma. And, according to Tuttomercatoweb, Fulham are now ‘very close’ to agreeing a cut-price £9 million deal.
The former Ajax wonderkid, once likened to Neymar due to his sparkling footwork and eye for goal, could offset the loss of Harry Wilson through injury.
Joshua Zirkzee – Bayern Munich
Comparisons can certainly be drawn between Kluivert and Zirkzee; Two players who burst onto the scene as teenagers at a European giant, only to fall short of those now-sky high standards over the next couple of seasons.
Zirkzee did, at least, breathe some fresh life into his spluttering reputation on loan at Anderlecht, scoring 18 times under Vincent Kompany last term.
Labelled ‘deadly’ by Joshua Kimmich and a ‘crazy’ talent by Manuel Neuer, Bayern Munich will not stand in Zirkzee’s way as Fulham open talks over a potential £10 million deal.
According to The Standard, the one-time Everton target prefers the Cottagers over Southampton and Bournemouth.
Nat Phillips – Liverpool
According to The Athletic, Fulham had bids on the table for no fewer than four central defenders at the start of August. One of those, Chelsea’s Malang Sarr, now appears to be on his way to Monaco. Issa Diop, meanwhile, could be stuck at West Ham for the time being after Nayef Aguerd underwent surgery following an ankle injury.
But Liverpool’s Nat Phillips feels, at least, attainable.
Jurgen Klopp is not one to keep a seldom-seen player against his will. And Phillips – who played just one senior game for the Reds last term and marked it with a Cruyff turn that left Zlatan Ibrahimovic bamboozled – has spoken openly about his desire to play regular Premier League football at the age of 25.
According to Goal, Fulham will face competition form Phillips’ old employers Bournemouth.
Ludovic Ajorque – Strasbourg
It seems a rather strange complaint to make. Especially given Aleksandr Mitrovic scored 43 times last season. But the lack of goals elsewhere in Marco Silva’s squad is a cause for real concern. Last term’s second-highest goalscorer, Fabio Carvalho, is now at Liverpool. Wilson, meanwhile, is out of action for the time being.
The £18 million-rated Ajorque – scouted by Fulham over the weeked, according to Sky Sports – would therefore ease the burden on Mitrovic’s mile-wide shoulders. At 6ft 6ins, the addition of another old-school targetman would allow Silva to rest his Serbian talisman without needing to dramatically alter Fulham’s game plan.
Issa Diop – West Ham United
Yes, as we pointed out earlier, talks between Fulham and West Ham hit the buffers after Aguerd injury a couple of weeks ago. But the Morrocco international should only miss the first few weeks of the new season, meaning a deal for Diop could be revisited late in the window.
According to FootMercato, Fulham have already agreed terms with Diop. The former Toulouse captain would likely take Tim Ream’s place as the left-sided centre-half at Craven Cottage.
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