Report says Marco Silva was desperate to sign classy 22-goal striker this summer
The Cottagers have had a respectable start to the 2023–24 Premier League campaign, and with two victories, one draw, and two losses from their first five games, they presently hold down the tenth spot with seven points.
There is a strong case to be made that Viktor Gyokeres’ goals may have moved Fulham up the table at this stage if they had been able to acquire him from Coventry City.
In just five games for his new team, Sporting, he has already scored three goals and given one assist.
A Bola reports that Fulham got the closest to signing him in the summer before he decided to switch to the Portuguese division.
“Not everyone was sleeping, he really wanted to come to Sporting. We saw the proposals, [Hugo] Viana showed me the proposals that the player had,” Sporting manager, Ruben Amorim, is quoted as saying.
“He understood the project, he is a very ambitious player and the clubs he had (looking at him) were probably not the ones he wants to go to in the Premier League.”
The fact that neither Mitrovic nor Gyokeres saw their futures at Craven Cottage has ultimately been accepted by Silva, and while it would’ve been disappointing, the club and their manager shouldn’t dwell on it.
In a related development:
“It has to be pointed at his door, Moshiri’s door. Simply because he has come in with the money and he doesn’t realise that it’s another level of ownership now. He didn’t have the expertise for it.”
Everton needed to replace Alex Iwobi before he joined Fulham
Alex Iwobi was a key player for Everton in the middle of the park, even though his goal statistics didn’t reflect it.
The Toffees erred in believing they could get away with not replacing him, and they will pay for it this season. However, it can be argued that selling him for £22 million was a fair deal.
Making back such a big portion of the 27-year-old’s price tag was actually quite smart business for Everton since he appeared destined to go on a free transfer next summer.
However, their failure to sign a comparable midfielder raises doubts about it, and it might be a crucial choice in their slow descent into the Championship.
