Fulham exceeded all expectations last season, securing a top-half finish after gaining promotion from the Championship. Can the Cottagers continue to cement their place in the Premier League in 2023-24?
• Manager: Marco Silva
• Stadium: Craven Cottage
• Last Season: 10th
With question marks over the future of both manager Marco Silva and star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, Fulham fans have every right to feel a little uneasy as the start of the new campaign dawns.
🇲🇽 x 🇳🇬First outings. 👋 pic.twitter.com/ZO5XC6NRGs— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) July 31, 2023
🇲🇽 x 🇳🇬First outings. 👋 pic.twitter.com/ZO5XC6NRGs
Having picked up 90 points on their way to winning the 2021-22 Championship title, Fulham returned to the Premier League in style, holding Liverpool to a 2-2 draw on the opening weekend before seeing off the likes of Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion.
A run of six wins, two draws and two losses directly after the World Cup transformed the Cottagers into European contenders, but Marco Silva’s side lost eight of their final 13 matches, eventually finishing 10th.
Still, Fulham can be proud of what they achieved last term, as they won 15 of their 38 Premier League games to finish seven points inside the top half, despite posting the joint-worst defensive record in the top 12.
There is no denying that Aleksandar Mitrovic is Fulham’s key player. However, the Serbian striker – who has scored 111 goals in 205 appearances for the Cottagers – has expressed his desire to leave the club this summer.
With that in mind, Fulham have signed Raul Jimenez from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a fee of around £5.5m. Former Rangers defender Calvin Bassey has also arrived from Ajax, joining for just under £20m.
Portugal’s defensive midfield machine Joao Palhinha is also hugely important to Fulham, while key performers such as Andreas Pereira and Bernd Leno will be hoping to pick up where they left off last season.
What Fulham can achieve in 2023-24 hinges on the movements of Mitrovic and Silva.
It is no secret that Mitrovic wants to leave the club, while Silva has received an attractive offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.
If the star striker and the manager stick around, the Cottagers could push for another mid-table finish.
However, if things don’t go to plan between now and September 1, Fulham could find themselves in a relegation scrap next year.
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