Parker injects new blood to give Fulham fighting chance
Hpolicy of investing in young players desperate to improve is starting to pay off and provide hope of avoiding relegation
The champagne on the Wembley pitch had not yet gone flat when Fulham’s recruitment team swung into action last summer. While the players and coaching staff were still celebrating their play-off victory over Brentford, and their immediate return to the top flight, the club’s executives were already plotting a way to keep them there.
It was a joyful moment for the club, but it was also a delicate time for their leaders. Fulham had less than six weeks to prepare for the Premier League season, finances were tight and the coronavirus-affected transfer market was moving slowly. They were also acutely aware that there could be no repeat of the gruelling 2018-19 season, when they invested heavily but finished 19th and were relegated.
In his post-match press conference that night, head coach Scott Parker spoke of avoiding the mistakes of their previous season in the top flight. “We need to learn from that,” he said. That did not mean Fulham were not planning to spend, though. They had to strengthen the side, especially the defence, and more shrewdly than before.
Six months down the line, Fulham again look an entirely different team to the one promoted. This time, however, they are unquestionably a better side for it. If their recruitment process was blamed for the relegation of 2019, at times unfairly, then it is only right it now receives credit for the obvious improvements Fulham have made this season.
In the past three months, Fulham have been a far stronger team than the league table suggests. Since the end of November they have lost only four league matches, all against the current top-four sides. And in the past 14 games they have conceded just 13 goals, a defensive record bettered only by Burnley and Manchester City.
Their issue has been scoring goals, but the signs are encouraging on that front, too. On his full debut last weekend, striker Josh Maja struck twice in a fully deserved victory at Everton.
If Parker’s side win at Burnley tonight, they will move to within four points of safety. Survival is now a genuine possibility, which in itself is an achievement given their start to the campaign, when they shipped 10 goals in their opening three matches.
The scale of the transformation can be seen in the fact that only one player who started the first match of the season, against Arsenal, also began at Everton. That was Harrison Reed, who signed permanently in the summer.
Across the rest of the team there are new faces, from Maja in attack to the superb Joachim Andersen at the back. The crucial difference is that, unlike two seasons ago, almost all of the summer arrivals have had a significant impact, making Fulham a better and more competitive outfit once they had settled.
This season there is a hunger within the new recruits that was not always present before. Andersen, Tosin Adarabioyo, Ademola Lookman, Antonee Robinson, Ola Aina, Kenny Tete and Ruben Loftus-cheek are all 25 or under, and they are all driving the team forward.
Parker worked closely with vicechairman Tony Khan and chief executive Alistair Mackintosh on the club’s recruitment in the summer, and he insisted they needed players with a genuine desire to improve.
The signings of Andersen, on loan from Lyon, and Adarabioyo, plucked from Manchester City for just £2 million, represent perhaps two of the most impressive deals across the division. Andersen was made stand-in captain after four games, with Parker describing his impact as “incredible”. Adarabioyo, meanwhile, must already be worth at least five times what Fulham paid for him.
The only complaint from Fulham’s supporters was that the two centre-backs were not signed sooner. They both arrived on deadline day in October, after Fulham had lost their opening four matches. But the Andersen deal was not possible earlier in the window – it is understood that, until 36 hours from the deadline, the only way Fulham could sign him was by paying €30million (£26.1million). They ultimately loaned him for just €1million, with another €1million due if they stay up. Sometimes, it can pay to be patient.
Mario Lemina came in as part of a package with Reed from Southampton, while goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has been dependable since joining on loan from Paris St-germain.
The resurgence of Andre-frank Zambo Anguissa, a £25 million arrival in 2018, has been particularly satisfactory. Anguissa was barely used in his first campaign in England, and was loaned to Villarreal last season.
Such was Anguissa’s success in La Liga that the Spanish side lodged a considerable offer for him in the summer, believed to be close to £25 million. The approach was rejected because Fulham still believed he would ultimately come good. He has since started all but four league games, becoming one of Parker’s most dynamic players. Naturally, none of these signings will be considered true success stories if Fulham go down. But the fact remains Parker’s side are on an unmistakably upward trajectory. Rather than being undermined by their recruitment, they are now being powered by it.