Marco Silva showed his eagerness to kick on from a historic campaign, and he might have got his wish at the eleventh hour. The manager discussed three arrivals from the start of the month on deadline day, two of whom are options in an area of the pitch that was crying out for depth.
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‘They will add what we’ve been looking for’
Silva had not held back about his thoughts on the transfer window. After a record-breaking tally of 54 points, the Cottagers had only signed second choice shot stopper Benjamin Lecomte for £500,000.
He had highlighted how light the squad was in terms of wingers. With the emergence of Josh King as an attacking midfielder, Alex Iwobi was one of three players stationed on the flanks. However, his participation in AFCON for Nigeria would have been a bigger blow without two very late arrivals.
“With Adama, Harry Wilson and Alex Iwobi, they’re going to be our solutions for the wide areas.”
In the circumstances, the manager made clear how happy he was to have gotten two more wide men.
“We believe the profiles of Samuel Chukwueze and Kevin will add what we’ve been looking for in those areas of the pitch.”
Fulham's record signing settles in
Kevin has arrived for £34.6 million after a year and a half in Ukraine with Shakhtar Donetsk. The Brazilian was the Player of the Season last term for his old club and arrives in West London as the new record club signing for Fulham. He has benefitted from having a little more time to integrate.
“Kevin has settled in well. He’s working hard to understand everything we need from him. He’s very young, 22-years-old, but he has the experience of playing Champions League and European games.”
Two more wide options arrive on loan
With Bayern Munich forward Jonah Kusi-Asare, there is a second loanee: Samuel Chukwueze. Capable of filling in from the left, he has spent more time playing on the right wing with Villarreal and AC Milan. It is a race against time to get him ready for the weekend after featuring for Nigeria.
“The first time I saw Chukwueze and Jonah Kusi-Asare was yesterday, but Kevin is slightly different because he’s been with us for the last 10 days.”
