Fulham will be hoping to build on yet another solid mid-table showing last season.
By Sam McGuire
Unless they’re active in the final few weeks of the transfer window though, they might be a bit of a challenge for Marco Silva’s men.
What happened last season?
The Cottagers finished 13th on 47 points, a five-point drop on what they posted during the 2022/23 campaign. Despite their inconsistent form, they weren’t ever in any danger of being dragged into a relegation battle.
Fulham’s longest unbeaten run all season was three games and they won back-to-back games on just two occasions.
They beat Manchester United, Spurs and Arsenal but dropped points against Sheffield United and Burnley, two of the relegated sides. This was a snapshot of Fulham’s 2023/24 campaign. Capable of upsetting the big teams but couldn’t always see out matches against the struggling sides.
Silva’s side kept 10 clean sheets but conceded 61 goals. When a clean sheet wasn’t kept, they were conceding, on average, 2.2 goals per 90. The defence was an issue. They also struggled in attack too. Only one team created fewer than their 35 big chances in the Premier League. And perhaps more worryingly, Fulham missed all 35 of their big chances.
Rodrigo Muniz did make a name for himself though. The 23-year-old scored nine goals in 26 outings, fully making the most of the first-team opportunities afforded to him following the departure of Carlos Vinícius and the injury to Raúl Jiménez. The Brazilian is expected to have a key role this season after being given the No. 9 jersey at Craven Cottage.
Antonee Robinson also had a fine season for Fulham, finishing the campaign the highest FotMob rating (7.17). The left-back earned rave reviews for his performances and the Cottagers have done a good job to retain his services despite links with a move elsewhere.
What has happened during the summer?
Fulham have lost some of their key players during this transfer window.
The Cottagers managed to keep hold of João Palhinha for an extra 12 months but he’s now, finally, a Bayern Munich player. The German giants paid £47million for the 29-year-old. His departure is going to be a huge one for Fulham, he was one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League last season. He finished the campaign with an average FotMob rating of 7.15.
Tosin Adarabioyo also left the club. The centre-back, courted by a number of clubs due to his contract situation, signed for Chelsea on a free transfer. Only Tom Cairney played more successful passes than the centre-back for Fulham last term on a per 90 basis. Adarabioyo also made the most clearances and blocks for the Cottagers.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid joined Leicester on a free transfer. He scored six goals and chipped in with two assists last term across his 1,424 minutes. He wasn’t a regular starter but the 31-year-old was still important to Silva and his team.
Fulham have broken their transfer record to sign Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal. Jorge Cuenca arrived from Villarreal and will likely fill the void left by Adarabioyo. Ryan Sessegnon returned to the club on a free transfer.
All three are good signings, but is it enough to catapult them up the table? Are they going to be more defensively resilient? Doubtful. Are they going to be more of a threat going forward? It is putting a lot of pressure on Smith Rowe.
What they should be aiming for next season?
First off, they’ll want to avoid a relegation battle. There’s a chance of freefall with this Fulham side, especially if they get off to a tough start to the season.
If they’re able to get points on the board early on though, the next aim for them should be consistent results. An unbeaten run. A winning run. Just something to breed confidence. If they struggle to do that, they might struggle overall.
Prediction: 16th
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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