Why are Fulham shelling out for Oscar Bobb?

Reports claim a deal for Man City's academy prospect is nearly done - so what can we expect?

It seems that Fulham’s first signing is imminent, with Manchester City’s Oscar Bobb the player in question.

Reports are coming out all over that the deal is a foregone conclusion, with Fulham said to be paying between £35-40m for the 22 year old, who will sign on a five-year-deal.

This is a lot of money for someone who has only played three full 90-minute games in the Premier League, so why are Fulham taking the punt?

An explosive threat

Bobb exploded onto the scene during the 2023/24 season, playing on 14 different occasions in the Premier League, with his crowning moment being scoring a late winner away at Newcastle United. The youngster picked up a bad injury in preseason ahead of 2024/25 and has struggled to get back into the City fold since making just 12 Premier League appearances in the last 18 months. But it’s his 2023/24 numbers that might explain why Fulham are willing to take the risk.

During 23/24, Bobb averaged 2.68 key passes per 90 (compared to Harry Wilson’s 1.20 this season) and his xG buildup averaged at 0.96 compared to Wilson’s 0.09.

So, what does all this mean? Bobb played a lot fewer minutes than Wilson, so these stats should be taken with a pinch of salt due to the smaller sample size, but what it also means is that Bobb is explosive, dynamic, and a livewire on the right-hand side.

Yes, Bobb has struggled since, but failure to get into Manchester City’s XI doesn’t always equate to failure in the Premier League - in fact, quite the opposite, with Cole Palmer and James McAtee making moves in recent years (though hopefully Bobb is more like the former academy grad).

It’s also worth pointing out that Bobb has still impressed for Norway during their World Cup Qualifying campaign despite limited minutes for City. The player is there, he just needs minutes to be able to express himself.

The future?

There’s no doubt that Oscar Bobb would be a real statement of intent for Fulham, but where does it leave the rest of the squad?

There have been a few suggestions that Bobb’s signing will see the end for Harry Wilson, personally I don’t think that’s the case. Fulham need contingency plans and while it’s been reported previously this month we’re targeting a forward and midfielder, once the opportunity to sign Bobb arose, the club had to snap that up.

Plus, Marco Silva has already confirmed that Adama Traore will leave Fulham during this window, so the most logical way to view this is as an upgrade to the muscly substitute - and what an upgrade it’d be, even just in terms of potential.

Bobb will provide much needed competition down the right for Wilson and will help raise the squad’s ceiling tenfold, the move facilities Adama’s departure to West Ham and as a result means that Alex Iwobi will probably slot into midfield for the remainder of the season with our wide options looking healthy.

I wouldn’t worry too much about what this means for Wilson and focus more on how exciting of a signing this is for Fulham.

We’re targeting a young, exciting winger who will help elevate this squad. It’s exactly the type of business Fulham need to do to finally make that leap from European flirters to European competitors. Bobb, Wilson, Chukwueze and Kevin. It’s an exciting time to be a Fulham fan.