He’s been at Fulham since he was a teenager, has come through the Academy and now played at a World Cup. But unlike Ryan Sessegnon, Fabio Carvalho or Josh King before him we’ve never had the chance to sing; “he’s one of our own!” about Luc De Fougerolles. In fact, most Fulham supports have barely had the chance to watch him play.
This season, though, that could change very quickly.
When we talk about our academy prospects, it’s usually their technical aspects that we focus on first. Sessegnon’s finishing ability, Carvalho’s positioning or King’s technical prowess. We don’t often focus on their mentality, maturity or authority – something that De Fougerolles has in abundance.
Let’s not forget that there was a stage in his career where he’d made more appearances for Canada than any professional club.
Watching him play for the Canucks, you could see he was a real leader. He is constantly talking, organising and asking for the ball – he wasn’t afraid to make things happen at crucial times. And, frankly, when Canada took on South Africa without him, they missed him. After he entered the fray, he demanded more from those around him – moving the ball quicker, hitting the channels and progressing up the pitch – truly putting Canada on the front foot.
But he isn’t afraid to do the dirty work either. Promise David described De Fougerolles as “Brexit means Brexit” during a pre-World Cup news conference. He isn’t afraid to put it about.
He was the youngest player in the World Cup squad, but Jesse Marsch has already earmarked him as a future captain. Maybe Arbeloa will do so too.
While he has some way to go before becoming a Premier League regular, the ingredients are there. Modern centre-backs aren’t just there to win headers; they’re technicians, creators and have the same vision we champion defensive midfielders for. Luc has all that and the mentality to match.
A comparison to Tim Ream feels apt; there a lot are similarities between the two. That quiet authority, building from the back and the smoothness in motion with the ball. Ream never seemed flustered and nor does De Fougerolles. Let’s not forget that Ream was the mainstay of Fulham’s backline through so many iterations and forged a cult-legend status amongst the fanbase – a lot of it as captain, too.
Fulham are entering a period where they’ll need a new generation of leaders. Tom Cairney won’t wear the armband forever. Harrison Reed may not be around much longer. Bernd Leno and Joachim Andersen have also captained the club, but there are rumblings around their long-term futures at the club. At the very least Luc could be a successor to Joa.
While it’d be absurd to suggest that De Fougerolles could be captain of the club in the immediate future, it’s not out of the question to suggest he has all the makings to be one in the longer term.
It feels like Fulham have certainly found their next first team player, but they may have already found their next captain too.
When Canada's 2 centrebacks sustained lengthy injury time, Luc De Fougerolles performed admirable for a 20 year old at the World Cup. His aerial game is most impressive, as is, his instinct to start quick transition from either an interception or tackle. Arbeloa's high pressure tactics need centrebacks to have reflexes to support - not just a covering ability. Luc De Fougerolles has those innate qualities to match his reknown communicative skills, too. Fulham's future homegrown leader ! IMO.
Give the lad a good run. Nice challenge for Arbeloa to nuture his leadership. One thing he has in his locker is no reckness two footed tackles/lunges for Canada when they needed him most.