Can Marco Silva's Fulham survive their first season back in the Premier League?
What happened last year?
To put it bluntly, Marco Silva’s side absolutely romped the division and broke plenty of scoring records. The ‘Cottagers’ scored an average of 2.30 goals per game whilst conceding fewer than one per match - a combination conducive to success.
They were a little shaky towards the end of the campaign as they lost five of their last 10 games of the season but they can be forgiven as their place in the automatic promotion spots looked all but guaranteed.
They were simply phenomenal at Craven Cottage last season as they won 14 of their 23 league fixtures, drawing four and losing five. But they were always relentless in trying to score and would be surprising if they decided to go with a different approach ahead of the new Premier League season.
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Key signings?
Andreas Pereira
The side from the capital have parted with almost £9million to bring the Brazilian to Craven Cottage on a permanent basis and it’s a move that makes sense for all involved. Fulham welcomes a player who has a point to prove and who possesses talent and guile, meanwhile Manchester United earn a decent amount for a midfielder who didn’t feature in Erik Ten Hag’s plans.
Pereira spent last season on loan to Flamengo in the Brazilian Serie A but now he has an opportunity to impress and ply his trade in the Premier League once again. If his attitude and work ethic is spot on, Fulham may have one of the bargains of the summer so far.
João Palhinha
Fulham also dipped into the market to bring a defensive-minded midfielder in the shape of Palhinha from Portuguese outfit Sporting Lisbon. He’s a player who possesses real quality and can be the glue in Marco Silva’s side. He’s excellent at reading and preempting opposition passing lines and he’s extremely tough in a challenge.
Palhinha has all the attributes required to take to the Premier League like a duck to water and the Fulham faithful will hope he can do just that.
And who’s out?
André Zambo Anguissa
After spending last season out on loan to Serie A outfit Napoli, the Italians have now opted to make the move a permanent one and from Napoli’s point of view, it’s an absolute bargain as they land a player worth closer to £30million for a cut down price of £13.5million. However, it was a move that made sense and Marco Silvas will be happy to have him off the books. He won’t be such a huge loss but the money received for him can be focused on other areas of the squad.
Fábio Carvalho
The 19-year-old was exceptional for Fulham last season, registering 18 goal involvements in 36 appearances. However, it was always likely that he was going to move away and a move to Anfield had long been on the cards.
The youngster possesses talent in abundance and is the kind of player who once he gets on the ball and starts attacking, fans will get off of their seats in unison to see what he will produce. He’ll be a big loss for the ‘Cottagers’ but nobody will have begrudged him his move to Liverpool.
Jean Michaël Seri
Many eyebrows were raised when Fulham loosed their purse strings and paid £27million to bring Seri to London from Nice. It showed a statement of intent and that they wanted to dine at the top table for transfers. Unfortunately, it’s not worked out the way they would’ve hoped and a series of loans to the likes of Galatasaray and Bordeaux would suggest he’s been surplus to requirements for some time. His free transfer to Hull City certainly does not come as a surprise.
Who is their star man?
Alexander Mitrovic is by far the most crucial player for the newly promoted outfit. He was instrumental to their success last season as he scored 43 goals in just 44 league games as well as registered seven assists.
The Serbian is an absolute nightmare to defend against and if the ball is in the air and going in the direction of his head, you’re in trouble. He will need to translate his goalscoring prowess to the Premier League but he won’t struggle with the physicality. He may need to relax a little bit as last season he saw on average a yellow card every 4.4 appearances; discipline is paramount if Fulham want to have a successful season.
What can we expect from them in 2022/23?
It seems highly unlikely that they will be challenging for a top half place. At the time of writing, they have made a couple of excellent signings, but they have been to replace certain outgoings. They need to add a little bit more quality to their starting 11 and for them to make an impact if they’re to cause any upsets.
Overall, Marco Silva would likely be happy if his side can finish around midtable in their first season back in the top flight.
Where do the odds project them to finish?
The ‘Cottagers’ are actually the third favourites to be relegated alongside the two other newly promoted sides. However, they’re nowhere near odds on and the price of 13/2 on them to be relegated doesn’t necessarily make appeal but according to the odds, Fulham are one of the most likely teams to fall back into the Championship.
Any recommended bets?
I was looking at the top promoted club but unsurprisingly Fulham are considered the favourites in that market at the best price of 6/5. That’s not in the slightest bit tempting, so I may leave things for now and keep an eye on those odds leading up to the start of the campaign, particularly with Nottingham Forest making some interesting moves.
