Fulham lose Joao Palhinha and Tosin Adarabioyo but marquee signings could star in brand new XI to gatecrash Europe
07/26/2024 12:47 PM
Fulham are yet to make a signing this summer but could become the Premier League’s new surprise package.
The Cottagers finished 13th last season and are now building towards their fourth campaign with Marco Silva at the helm.
Early transfer activity saw centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo leave at the end of his contract and join west London rivals Chelsea for free.
They then lost star midfielder Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich in a reported deal that could reach £46.5million.
However, talkSPORT understands Fulham are confident of signing Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal in what would be a big addition.
Ryan Sessegnon has also been linked with a return to the club, and talkSPORT.com has looked at how Silva’s starting XI could look next season.
Bernd Leno looks set to remain as their first-choice goalkeeper after starting all 38 of their Premier League matches and keeping ten clean sheets last season.
At left-back, Antonee Robinson enjoyed another strong campaign for Fulham as he amassed seven assists in all competitions.
He was named as the club’s Player of the Season and featured for the United States at the Copa America, assisting one goal.
Although Adarabioyo may prove to be a big miss, Calvin Bassey’s 32 appearances last season were the most out of any Fulham centre-back.
The Nigerian international joined from Ajax last summer and helped keep seven clean sheets in his first year at Craven Cottage.
He could well be joined by Issa Diop at the heart of their defence, a combination that has featured 11 times under Silva.
Timothy Castagne has started 29 of Fulham’s matches at right-back since he joined from Leicester last August and is likely to stay ahead of fellow 28-year-old Kenny Tete.
Palhinha’s departure is a huge blow to Fulham’s midfield, with the Portuguese international making the most tackles in the Premier League last season with 152.
However, they are reportedly closing in on the singing of Andre from Brazilian side Fluminense, a move in excess of £20m that talkSPORT revealed in December.
The 23-year-old has made 189 appearances for his club and earned five caps for Brazil, and could be set play alongside Tom Cairney.
After first signing for Fulham in 2015, Cairney is the club’s longest-serving player and captain, so his experience and leadership is likely to be key to their success.
Fulham’s attacking midfield could see the arrival of one of the summer’s most interesting signings in Smith Rowe from Arsenal.
They are close to agreeing what will be a club-record £35m deal for the 23-year-old, who has struggled for consistent game time at the Emirates Stadium over the past two seasons.
Smith Rowe is likely to battle for a starting spot with Andreas Pereira, who made the joint-most appearances in the previous campaign with Robinson on 44 and amassed 12 goal contributions.
The duo could also form an attacking midfield partnership in front of either Andre or Cairney, although potential new man Smith Rowe may have the edge.
Willian has enjoyed a lot of success on the left of Fulham’s attack with ten goals and seven assists to his name over two seasons.
However at the age of 35, Silva could opt for a younger option in the form of Sessegnon, with reports saying he is close to a return.
The 24-year-old left in 2019 for Tottenham as a rising star but has been released following an unfortunate injury-ridden spell.
Sessegnon was training with Crystal Palace earlier in the summer but may well be heading back to Craven Cottage, where he previously made 120 appearances and scored 25 goals.
On the opposite flank, Harry Wilson provided the most combined goals and assists last season for Fulham – five and nine respectively.
Willian and Alex Iwobi could provide him with competition there but Wilson may be Silva’s go-to choice, especially now Bobby De Cordova-Reid has joined Leicester.
Finally up front, Silva looks set to repay his faith in Rodrigo Muniz after an excellent second-half of the season saw him finish as their top scorer with ten goals.
