Football Season Guide

Playing attractive attacking football, Fulham deservedly found themselves in European places in the first half of the season. However, a drop in form followed by an eight-game suspension for star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic saw the newly-promoted side finish 10th in the Premier League under Marco Silva, who instilled an entertaining style of play into the team. Starting forwards Neeskens Kebano and Manor Solomon parted ways with Fulham, who signed Raul Jimenez from Wolves to beef up their attack. The Cottagers suffered at the back last year, but they will hope that with the arrival of Ajax centre-back Calvin Bassey they will improve in defence ahead of 2023/24. Meanwhile, Fulham decided to release several squad players, none of whom was considered a starter last season. Coach Marco Silva turned down a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia and showed that he is willing to stay put and build on a solid last season. However, he may have to do so without franchise player Mitrovic, who is reportedly willing to depart the club this summer. Had it not been for a solid Bernd Leno, Fulham wouldn’t have finished in the top half last season. The German goalkeeper kept eight clean sheets and recorded four saves per game to help Silva deal with the team’s defensive frailties. Fulham are weak at the back, as just one of the teams that finished top-12 last season conceded more goals than the Cottagers. Bassey impressed in his unofficial debut with the team, but may need to further strengthen their defence in order to better last season’s position.