Schürrle, Seri, Sessegnon: Three ways Fulham could line up in 2018/19

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Fulham’s 1-0 victory over Aston Villa in May saw them return to the Premier League after four seasons away and with the new campaign a little more than two weeks away, the club’s hierarchy are working feverishly to bring in some fresh faces. 

Several standout signings have made their way through the door at Motspur Park, most notably Jean Michael Seri, the all-action midfielder who guided Nice to a third-place finish in 2016/17 and was reportedly on Barcelona’s radar last summer.

The arrival of goalkeeper Fabri brings Champions League pedigree, while Seri’s team-mate Maxime Le Marchand provides poise and positional awareness in defence.

With Andre Schurrle’s sensational arrival on a two-year loan deal from Borussia Dortmund, the squad is certainly being upgraded.

However, none of the six loanees who saw out last season have been retained, meaning the team is a bit light on numbers heading into what will be a series of daunting tests.

With the window now shutting on 9 August, before the season starts, time is of the essence.

Here are three ways Slavisa Jokanovic’s men could line up when they face Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage on the opening day.

Fulham 2018/18 line-up No.1: Stealers Wheel

Sessegnon to the left of me, Schurrle to the right, stuck in the middle Abou.

Ryan Sessegnon would have undoubtedly commanded a staggering transfer fee if Tony Khan and the board had decided to cash in now. However, they rightly recognise that the opportunity to nurture such an exciting talent does not come around very often, with the 18-year-old also content in his surroundings.

Sessegnon’s role on the left of the front three could well remain the same after netting 15 Championship goals last regular season and although Schurrle is also accustomed to that position, the former Chelsea man may finally be the answer to the ever-changing spot on the right.

Aleksandar Mitrovic is back on Tyneside after an explosive few months in SW6 and with Newcastle determined not to let him go without a fight, a key target could slip through the club’s fingers.

With that in mind, the player currently most likely to occupy the centre-forward berth is Aboubakar Kamara, who enjoyed an indifferent start to life in England before flourishing in the closing stages of the campaign as a marauding right winger capable of both the sublime and the ridiculous.

Fulham (4-3-3): Fabri; Christie, Odoi, Ream, Le Marchand; Seri, McDonald, Cairney; Schurrle, Kamara, Sessegnon.

Fulham 2018/19 line-up No.2: Inverted wingers

Jokanovic has experimented with using Sessegnon on the opposite side of an attacking three in pre-season. The teenager has previously not had the chance to cut inside when stationed in a left-sided role, but given his rapid rate of improvement over the last two seasons, it would be no surprise to see him take to this new requirement with relish.

One of the areas where the teenager needs to improve is being more effective on his weaker foot. A scorcher against Sheffield United last November tells you that last season’s PFA Young of the Player nominee is certainly not incapable of shifting the ball onto his right.

However, he has at times resorted to running inside on his left into traffic when confronted with a stubborn right-back.

Training videos on the club’s social media channels show that the England youth international is working hard on that aspect of his game and if he can continue to refine it, opposition full-backs will have nightmares guessing which way he is going to go.

Such a positional change would give Schurrle the chance to operate on the left, where he is most comfortable.

Despite Stefan Johansen’s sterling contributions in midfield, Seri’s arrival means that the chances of the Norwegian starting regularly are slim (barring injury to the new signing).

Tom Cairney and Kevin McDonald are key elements of Fulham’s attractive passing style and should still keep their places, with the former making more passes than any other player in the Championship, despite missing much of the autumn with a knee problem.

While it seems likely that Fabri will assume a starting spot from the off, Jokanovic may want to give last season’s number one Marcus Bettinelli a chance to continue the good form he displayed in England’s second tier.

Fulham (4-3-3): Bettinelli; Christie, Odoi, Ream, Le Marchand; Seri, McDonald, Cairney; Sessegnon, Kamara, Schurrle.

Fulham 2018/19 line-up No.3: Dream team

The encouraging thing for fans of the Whites is that while the squad looks a little threadbare at the moment, the club have been linked with enough players that at least a few more deals should be completed in time.

Mitrovic’s bullish nature, ability to bring others into play and his knack for sniffing out a goal meant he became a crowd favourite during what proved to be an all-too-brief spell on the Thames.

The other standout loan capture last season was Matt Targett, but it seems he will stay put at Southampton this summer.

The 22-year-old formed an intuitive understanding with Sessegnon and it remains to be seen whether Le Marchand can enjoy similar levels of success.

Many sides relegated to the Championship brace themselves for a flurry of sales and it appears there is also a chance of pinching Swansea’s prize asset Alfie Mawson.

The 24-year-old possesses a great range of passing and is not afraid of a challenge, making him the perfect partner for the imperious Tim Ream in central defence.

Kevin Mbabu is another name reportedly interesting the west Londoners, with the 23-year-old competing in the Europa League for the last two seasons with Young Boys, who also wrapped up their first Swiss Super League in 32 years in April.

Fulham (4-3-3): Fabri; Christie, Mawson, Ream, Mbabu/Le Marchand; Seri, McDonald, Cairney; Schurrle, Mitrovic, Sessegnon.

Now that the club has returned to the Promised Land, owner Shahid Khan may now finally feel able to properly flex his financial muscles, explaining why a newly-promoted outfit is able to chase such ambitious targets.

With Wolves also making several astonishing moves, both clubs could be pushing for a spot in the top half rather than merely settling for survival.

The post Schürrle, Seri, Sessegnon: Three ways Fulham could line up in 2018/19 appeared first on Squawka News.



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