There are awkward conversations on the horizon at Fulham
As the summer approaches, a few chats need to be had.
There are four games left and everything to play for. The outcome of those four games will have a profound effect on our summer, but whatever happens, there are a couple of uncomfortable conversations that need to be had at Motspur Park during the close season.
Time up for Tete?
I’ve said it before, but in the modern game a side is only as good as its full-backs. And we have a problem on the right. (We also have an issue on the left, but I’ll get to that.)
Timothy Castagne had by far his best game in a white shirt on Saturday, after coming in for so much criticism this season (though rightly so). But as Elizabeth pointed out on the post-Villa Quick Take, he really shouldn’t be playing as much as he has been.
Tete has sat out at least a dozen games a season for each campaign since our Premier League return. It’s not good enough.
Players can’t help getting injured, of course, but the impact of Tete’s injury record has to be acknowledged and, frankly, the club needs to take action if it wants to move to the next level.
That action could take one of two forms. We either move on from Kenny, who signed a new deal in the summer to much fanfare. That would leave us with a lot of work to do in finding a replacement of the same calibre, let alone for anywhere near the cut-price deal we found him for.
Or we offload Castagne and increase competition for that right-back berth. This option is a more straightforward, logical one. Any incoming player will see how much game time Castagne has got this term, and will be aware of Tete’s patchy availability. They’ll spot the opportunity - and I think we could really raise the level of quality in this area of the pitch.
Move on from Muniz?
There was no hotter prospect in the Fulham squad in the summer than Rodrigo Muniz.
21 goals in 69 games throughout 2023/24 and 24/25 catapulted him to cult hero status at Fulham and put him firmly in the crosshairs of clubs across Europe - mainly Atalanta in Serie A.
But Rodrigo was another player to commit his future to us, and after a last-minute equaliser on the opening day it looked like a shrewd move by everyone concerned.
But eight months later, the young Brazilian is struggling. Returning from injury, he’s not been the same. He’s playing like the NBA stars in Space Jam after the Monstars stole all their talent. There’s a certain amount of grace that should be afforded a player coming back from a spell on the sidelines, but there’s a cause for concern here.
Look, I’m not saying cash in on Muniz (not that we could at this stage). But I do wonder if he is the talismanic first-choice striker we believed he was when he inked his new deal.
We’re clearly still interested in Ricardo Pepi, despite the lack of success on that front, and with Raul Jimenez almost certain to depart back to Mexico, we need two top-tier strikers to compete with Roddy next term. If this season has shown us anything, it’s that having just two first-team strikers is detrimental in the top flight. Three is the magic number.
Adios Antonee?
So, to the left of defence. This one is, I think, the most straightforward of our conversation to have.
After six years, it’s time to cash in on Jedi. He’s in his prime; a few months off his 29th birthday. He’s got two years left on the long-term deal he signed in 2023, and despite a sharp drop-off this season, he’s still guaranteed to attract a host of suitors should the club make it clear we’d listen to offers.
Ryan Sessegnon has shown he’s more than capable of picking up the mantle, be that in the short or longer term. That, plus a competitive understudy could have the same galvanising impact on the left at the right.
None of these discussion points are particularly palatable. I can see the Facebook comments now: “Just back the boys, FFS!”. But if we’re not thinking about these things then we’re not looking to raise the floor of this squad in the summer - and that’s unforgivable.
There are four games left and there’s everything to play for. For some of our players, it’s about more than just qualifying for Europe - much more.
Michael Jordan didn't have his abilities stolen by the Monstars, active players like Barkley did, which is kind of an essential aspect of the movie. How a grown man doesn't remember the specific plot of a 90s children movie baffles me. A critical misunderstanding of an American "classic." Canceling my subscription. Literally unreadable.
The key (perhaps singular) element left out of the Jedi discussion here is that Jedi doesn't seem all the way healthy, does he?
His foot speed was the thing he had that no one else could match. Jedi could gamble on defense and if he didn't get the ball and start a counter attack - he could sprint back and keep the opposing team from making anything of it. He got the chance to attack or cross the ball in because he was up the field faster than anyone on other side could match. And (I think this is the biggest element) the very threat of Robinson's speed up our left side kept opposing teams back, or at least gameplanning for how they'd handle it when a Fulham attack did zoom at their goal. Jedi and his pace frightened other teams into not doing what they really wanted to do on their own right side.
Have we seen that from Jedi from this season? I'd suggest not - with a few, rare exceptions. Will we ever consistently see that ultra-speed again? Who can say? I've been critical of Jedi - not for his injury, but for not adjusting to what seems to be his new reality - that he's no longer one of the fastest players in the league. This season, when he has tried his 'turbo boost' runs - he's almost always been late to the ball and then he's out of position and without the ability to get back to where he needs to be to stop the suddenly blossoming opposition attack.
My point with all this is that I think lots of Fulham fans are imagining the club could still demand a £50mil+ fee for Jedi and sign a new, starting left back for half that amount. Based on our new injury-troubled reality, I think a fee like that is a fantasy. FFC's going to need to spend *more* than we get for Robinson to bring in a 'challenging for European places' level left back. Other teams can see how Jedi's been playing this year. They're gonna give him a medical.
As a 'Merikun, I wish Jedi was still his speedy self, but he just isn't. I have great memories of when pundits were naming Jedi to their teams of the year - but that's the thing about memories: they're in the past.