How does Jonah Kusi-Asare fit into Fulham's squad?

Jack Stroudley looks at our fourth and final signing of the summer.

In true Tony Khan wheeler-dealer fashion we just couldn’t resist submitting a deal sheet and after it appeared to fall at the final hurdle. Eventually, Fulham and Bayern Munich were able to get an agreement over the line for young striker Jonah Kusi-Asare to join the Whites on loan until the end of the season with an option available should the club wish to take it. It came out of nowhere on Deadline Day, but how does the Swedish U21 international fit into Silva’s side?

A physical presence

If there’s one thing we know about Marco Silva, he likes a certain type of striker. A tall, physical forward who can hold the ball up, run into channels and link play when necessary and Kusi-Asare seems to have all of that.

At 6’5 the 18-year-old has the physical frame that Silva loves and while only being a teen he has managed to feature both in Sweden and Germany, becoming the youngest ever player in the Allsvenskan and featuring for Bayern Munich’s U19 side as well as pre-season with the men’s team where he scored a blinder of a goal against Tottenham Hotspur.

A third option

Another thing we know about Silva is his desire to have three forward options at his disposal, stating earlier this summer that we needed to add in this area. Losing Carlos Vinicius and Callum Osmand left us with only Raul Jimenez and Rodrigo Muniz up top, so a third player was a necessity, and while we left it late Jonah Kusi-Asare was that man.

Have I seen any of him? No. Am I expecting him to fly out the blocks and make that position his to lose? No. But what I am expecting is a young, raw talent who Silva can help mould and develop into a useful member of this squad. We saw just how much we rotated between Jimenez and Muniz last season, so minutes will be difficult for the 18-year-old - but not out of the question.

A sensible choice?

We all know how Fulham do things: leave it to the last minute and see what’s available on the cheap. So bringing in an unknown 18-year-old at the death certainly has its pros and cons. The pros lie in the fact he’s not coming in expected to be the main man so really doesn’t have the pressure at his feet giving him time to adjust with the Carabao Cup game against Cambridge United, surely a good opportunity for him. With an option rather than an obligation, there is no expectation to sign him if things don’t work out, making this relatively risk-free.

That being said, it’s hardly the most exciting move. In terms of the aspirations that Silva will have, bringing in an 18-year-old striker who hasn’t scored a professional goal doesn’t exactly jump off the page. I’m hoping that Kusi-Asare will come in and be that guy and leave us all falling in love with a loan player (and taking up that option) but I’m not entirely convinced.