Fulham started the 2017/18 season slowly, but picked up their form at just the right time to nail down a playoff place. The Cottagers secured their Premier League spot with a 1-0 playoff final win over Aston Villa back in May and they have wasted no time in strengthening in their quest to consolidate a Premier League spot. After a four-year hiatus from England’s top tier, Fulham will be confident of staving off relegation this time around.
One to Watch - Tom Cairney
Fulham have a number of players to keep an eye and while there has been plenty of focus on Ryan Sessegnon, Tom Cairney is key cog in this XI. Everything goes through the Scotland international in the middle of the park and having made just 10 Premier League appearances during his last stint in England’s top tier, he’ll be keen to make up for lost time. The 27-year-old scored six and assisted five in the Championship last season and Fulham fans will be looking for him to make the step up this time around.
Best Signing - Jean Michael Seri
While Fulham have secured the services of Andre Schurrle, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Maxime Le Marchand, Jean Michael Seri is the stand out capture at Craven Cottage. The Ivorian, who has previously been courted by Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea, is one of the coups of the campaign with Seri establishing himself as one of the best ball-playing midfielders in Europe during his time in Nice. Fulham fans have every reason to be excited about his arrival and he’ll look to quickly establish himself as a midfield lynchpin in Slavisa Jokanovic’s 4-3-3 setup
🖊️ It’s official…
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) July 12, 2018
Jean Michaël Seri is a #FFC player! ⚫️⚪️
Read 👉 https://t.co/QRbk5MjNIn pic.twitter.com/bvYM5MAcdx
Area of Weakness
One of the unheralded stars of Fulham’s successful promotion campaign was Matt Targett, with the left-back impressing during his loan stint from Southampton. The west London side have been linked with a permanent move for the Saints ace, while Celtic’s Kieran Tierney is also a rumoured target for the capital outfit. Either way, Fulham need to sign a left-back before the close of the transfer window. Failure to do so would see either Le Marchand feature here in defence or Sessegnon drop back into left-back, robbing them of one of their key attacking threats.
Prediction / Best Bet
Fulham have tied Sessegnon down to a new deal, while star forward Mitrovic has returned on a permanent deal. With Seri, Le Marchand and Schurrle also making the move to London, and Targett and Alfie Mawson set to follow suit, Jokanovic has assembled a squad more than capable of staving off the drop and then some. If they can land a left-back, which remains a priority, then a top half finish shouldn’t be ruled out, with Fulham out at 7s to finish in the top-10 in the coming campaign.
