Newly-appointed Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri has been advised by Garth Crooks to rekindle his former alliance with Chelsea outcast Danny Drinkwater.
Drinkwater, 28, has sat on the periphery of first-team action since joining the ranks at Chelsea, finding opportunities in the starting XI scarce, but Crooks believes a move to Fulham could be beneficial for all parties.
Should Ranieri “get in touch” with Drinkwater? Four things to know…
- Ranieri and Drinkwater worked alongside each other for two years at Leicester City between 2015 and 2017.
- During their time together, the duo famously won the Premier League title against all odds in 2016.
- Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has already confessed that Drinkwater is not in his plans and will likely leave the club.
- Ranieri could be tempted to ask questions in January and renew his former relationship Drinkwater.
Ranieri took charge of his first Fulham match over the weekend, with his side overcoming Southampton 3-2 in a Premier League basement battle, courtesy of an Aleksandar Mitrovic brace and an Andre Schurrle goal.
After the match, Crooks, writing in his BBC Sport ‘team of the week’ column, suggested the Italian coach was rather fortunate to clinch a debut victory and that he will need significant reinforcements if the Cottagers have any aspirations of retaining Premier League status.
“Claudio Ranieri got away with this result and needs reinforcements fast if he’s to stay in the top flight,” he said.
“He needs to get in touch with Danny Drinkwater. The midfielder is twiddling his thumbs down the road at Chelsea and needs to rebuild his career. Who knows Drinkwater better than Ranieri?”
READ MORE: how Claudio Ranieri can save Fulham
Ranieri: Mitrovic one of the world’s best strikers
Speaking after the match at Craven Cottage, Ranieri lavished praise on his No.9, even going as far as stating that Mitrovic ranks among the best strikers in world football.
The Serbian marksman has made an emphatic start to the season, scoring seven league goals – the joint-second most – while also registering a further assist.
“For me Mitrovic is one of the best strikers in Europe. When I say Europe, let’s say the world.
“He’s only 24 years old, he’s a fantastic player. It’s important to give the ball to him because he can play as a platform but also as a goalscorer.
“When the ball arrives in the box he’s very, very close to the goal. It’s important to give him a lot of chances to score.”
Mitrovic has scored more headed Premier League goals this season than any other player, and as a result of his performance against the Saints, Crooks was also full of praise, listing the 24-year-old in his ‘team of the week.’
Crooks wrote: “This is a player who knows what he’s doing in front of goal. His second was a most impressive finish and a reminder of how good the Serb is.
“There is no doubt that Mitrovic is a player but if he were to lose a stone in weight and get really fit what an asset Fulham would have then.”
Fulham next face a west London derby against Ranieri’s former club Chelsea on Sunday.
The post Claudio Ranieri urged to “get in touch” with Chelsea outcast Danny Drinkwater appeared first on Squawka News.
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