RAN MAKES SERI TAKE A STEP BACK
FULHAM bought Jean-michael Seri in the summer as a creative, attacking midfield player.
He was signed from Nice in a £25million combined deal with Maxime Le Marchand.
But new boss Claudio Ranieri believes the Ivory Coast man can help the Cottagers to safety in a deeper role.
Ranieri (above) played Seri alongside Calum Chambers as a defensive midfielder against Leicester and was pleased with the results.
“He’s a key player, because a lot of the play goes through him,” Ranieri said.
“This is very, very important, because he shows for the ball, plays with the ball, and is important for his team-mates.”
Ranieri was delighted and surprised that Seri (below, right) was at Craven Cottage when he replaced Slavisa Jokanovic last month.
“In Nice he played so well two years ago; he was fantastic,” he said. “In the Italian and French newspapers it said that
Barcelona wanted him.
“Maybe he stayed there in Nice and his confidence went down a little; maybe he wanted to go, but he stayed in Nice, and the second year was so-so. I think for this reason Fulham had the chance to buy him, and for me he’s a very, very important central midfielder.”
And Ranieri is sure he can make Seri and the rest of the Fulham team better. “For me it’s important he continues to play, because I believe he can improve more. If I improve all my players, I improve the team.”
And he has made sure that Seri knows he is key. “I give him a lot of confidence and him to his teammates.” Today’s trip to Old Trafford will test that confidence but a point could take Fulham off the foot of the table. “If you go off the bottom, confidence gets higher and we can do something more,” Ranieri
said.