Yep, it's that time of year again. I think I said it in my Bolton Review, I was obviously planning an "Outs" Blog as I did last year. But when I sat back and thought about it, I realised that it would be easier to say who I want to keep. As such, here we are with what I've called the Squad Assessment for the Class of 15/16. I think as the season wound down, it became clear that a lot of the players simply weren't up to it- and those players that already weren't up to it didn't care at all once we'd beaten Cardiff.
The thing is, and I obviously don't know for definite- Slavisa's come in off the back of a regime under Kit where solely based off what I saw on the Pitch he was soft on the players. Training probably wasn't very intense for the most part, he definitely wasn't ensuring they were well drilled and just generally it wasn't to the level to which a Championship Club needs to be at. It worked well for the first few months because the players were just happy they'd survived long enough to tell the tale of Magath, but once that sort of plateau'd it just wasn't good enough. As such, Slavisa coming in will have been a shock to their systems- and for those that just sunk they'll most likely be first out the door. We need players who want to play for Fulham, and are obviously to a certain standard- and it's Jokanovic and his Coaching Staff's job to make sure that we get the right players in, and tactically they're well-drilled enough to compete with any team in the division.
I'm expecting Sheffield Wednesday levels of players coming in and out this Summer, and hopefully we'll be all the better for it. Anyway, we've obviously got a big squad and a lot of people to pull the proverbial trigger on- so let's dive in.
1. Marcus Bettinelli
Want to keep? Yes
Chances of staying: 99%
Of everyone in what is now last seasons squad, I'd say Bettinelli is one most likely to stay of the ones I actually want to keep. There isn't really much to say when it comes to Bettinelli really, all we can hope for is that next season he has a better Defence in front of him and he's able to stay fit and play the vast majority of next season.
2. Jazz Richards
Want to keep? No
Chances of staying: 5%
Speaking of Bettinelli needing a better Defence, enter Jazz Richards. I do think at some points during the season, people were being overly harsh on him. Especially early on, I thought he was actually playing decent. However, as the season progressed and his opportunities in the First Team became more and more limited- the opportunities he did have didn't exactly cover him in glory. This was of course all topped off with probably the worst individual performance in a Fulham shirt this season against Brentford a few weeks ago.
Hopefully we can recoup a bit of the money we spent on him, which will no doubt become easier to do when he bangs in a 30 Yard Screamer in the 90th Minute for Wales to beat England.
3. Luke Garbutt
Want to keep? No
Chances of staying: 0%
I've said this before, but of all the Loan Players that actually exist (more later) Garbutt's the one I'll be least sad to see go. He just simply couldn't live up to the hype. I don't know if that's down to him not being able to properly settle in because of the injury he picked up in the Palace game which put him out for the start of the season, or just a lack of ability. It'll be interesting to see where Garbutt goes next, with another Loan presumably on the cards because off the back of this season there's no chance he's ready for the Premier League.
4: Shaun Hutchinson
Want to keep? 50/50
Chances of staying: 33%
My thing with Hutchinson has always been, he's actually a pretty decent Defender. Of his albeit limited performances in the First Team this season, as an overall defensive performance I can't remember him having a bad one. The problem is of course, he has a tendency to do something monumentally stupid as he did against Brighton all the way back in August and Blackburn two seasons ago.
The reason I'm 50/50 as to whether I want him to stay or not, and I do see a chance of him staying- is the fact that with the right guidance and with his rashness coached out of him he'd be a decent Squad Player. The fact he's out of contract obviously plays a factor in it all, and as you can see I do think there's more a chance of him going and ending up back in the SPL or League 1. However, it'll be interesting to see how he progresses given his relatively young age for a Defender.
5. Richard Stearman
Want to keep? Yes
Chances of staying: 75%
There's two things with Stearman that are worth talking about when it comes to the value of him to the team. Firstly, you don't become a bad Defender overnight. Whatever else can be said about Kenny Jackett after the season Wolves have had, his teams are for the most part always structured and well organised. In short, if Slavisa can replicate that with the Defence next season- he may well turn back into the Defender we thought we'd signed.
Also, even if he has tailed off a bit- at least he cares. It's plain to see that fact, and that's more than can be said for a lot of this squad. I do expect him to stay on for next season, but there's also a chance Stearman goes if Jokanovic doesn't see him as a First-Team player and at this stage of his career that's where Stearman would obviously want to be.
7. Ryan Fredericks
Want to keep? Yes
Chances of staying: 85%
Of the players Kit signed last summer, Ryan Fredericks is one of the only ones that I would confidently say is still going to be here next season. I'll talk about it a lot more in my "Ins" Blog, but I can see Slavisa signing players with multiple systems in mind- with the 3/5 at the back being one of them. As such, Ryan Fredericks is almost perfectly suited to be a Wing-Back. Defensively he could still use some work, but as I've said with a couple of the other players hopefully with a lot of coaching and hard work in Pre-Season that can be improved.
8. Scott Parker
Want to keep? Yes
Chances of staying: 100%
I had a couple of paragraphs typed up when it comes to Parker, discussing the Pros and Cons of giving him a contract extension. That has of course become completely redundant as of today, because we've officially announced Scott Parker's signed a Contract Extension- keeping him on for another year.
Personally, I'm all for it. As a character, captain and as we saw towards the back end of the season player he still has something to offer to the team without a shadow of a doubt. I don't believe he could replicate his appearance rate over the last month or so over the course of an entire season, but Slavisa's definitely gotten the best out of him since he's arrived- so when he does play next season hopefully his performances match up to the end of this season. Then, even when he's not playing he's someone the players can look up to in the Dressing Room and just an all around good character to have around.
This has probably been in the works for a while, because I can remember Slavisa saying that Parker has something to offer Fulham "for many years to come" in one of his Pre-Match Interviews. Without knowing for definite, I suspect- or at least hope he's taken a bit of a pay-cut and in return we can build him up as a Coach as he transitions from the Playing to the Coaching side of the game over the next 2 or 3 Years. While obviously not to the same level, I can see us trying to do what Real did with Zidane with Parker in-terms of giving him the Youth Team and slowly building him into the role of First-Team Manager/Head Coach.
9. Matt Smith
Want to keep? 50/50
Chances of staying: 25%
If you were reading my Reviews/Previews at the start of last season, you'll know that I do see value in Matt Smith coming off the Bench. Whatever else can be said about him, his Height changes the dynamic of our attack- and especially coming off the Bench he gives Defenders a lot to think about. However, for where we want to be- and with what our stated aim for next season is Smith's just not good enough as a Striker.
With both sides of the argument in mind, that's why I'm 50/50 on whether I want to keep him or not. Especially given the fact he's only 26, approaching 27 there'll definitely be takers for him- most likely at Championship level. I know Wolves were sort of half-linked to him a few months ago, and with their Ownership situation not sorted I can see them going in for Smith again because he would presumably be less than 1 Million to buy.
10. Tom Cairney
Want to keep? Yes
Chances of staying: 90%
There ain't nobody like Tom Cairney. Aside from McCormack, of the ones that I believe have a realistic chance of staying- Cairney's the one who I'd be locking in Motspur Park for the whole summer. I highly doubt Cairney's off this summer, he's a phenomenal talent- and with him being on a long-term contract it would take a substantial offer for me to even consider selling him were I in charge. Just for the sake of my sanity, Slavisa, if you're reading this- play Cairney as a #10 next season. I've done my scouting for Right-Mids and that Blog will be out soon. Cairney. #10.
11. Alex Kacaniklic
Want to keep? No
Chances of staying: 0%
It's a shame it hasn't worked out for Kacaniklic, especially with the level to which I think most people were expecting Kacaniklic to develop to. He's still only 24, and he's got plenty of time to get back on the Horse so to speak. Wherever he ends up, I hope he does so- because while he's not been too amazing to ignore- we've really botched how we've handled him over the last 2 or 3 seasons.
12. Joe Lewis
Want to keep? No
Chances of staying: 0%
With Bettinelli, Lonergan and Joronen all being "our" players- there's just no use for Joe Lewis here anymore. I think I said it over the Winter period, that Lewis was one of the main casualties of probably our peak in-terms of defensive incapability. I do believe he's a capable Keeper, and at most likely League 1 level he'll do a job for whomever he ends up playing for.
13. Tim Ream
Want to keep? No
Chances of staying: 5%
"Tim Ream was a really weird one today, I'm not necessarily saying we've bought a dud- or even that he was bad today- but he's simply not big enough to be a Centre-Back that's just a fact and he is a bit lacking at Left-Back as well."- Stoke Review
My opinions and general tolerance levels of Ream have varied throughout the season, but now the dust has settled, I fall back on what I said last September. He's probably the biggest waste of money from last summer, and I'd expect we'll only get a fraction of what we spent on him when we presumably get rid of him this summer. As I've said in one of my more recent Reviews, I'd expect him to go back to MLS, but really I'll be happy wherever he ends up- provided it's not in a Fulham shirt.
14. Sakari Mattila
Want to keep? No
Chances of staying: 0%
One of the forgotten men of this season. Before we Loaned in Ince, I actually thought Mattila may get a run in the team- because as I've been saying in these Blogs for approaching on 2 Years now we need a proper Holding-Mid. As such, Ince coming in signalled the end to any feint hope of him getting a run in the team and I suspect he'll be on a released list in the near future.
15. Michael Madl
Want to keep? Yes
Chances of staying: 90%
Of all of the Loans we've got, Madl would be the one I'd be desperate to keep. Thankfully that seems to be what's going to happen, because as a pure Defender Madl's genuinely one of the best I think I've seen in a Fulham shirt and without question the best since we've been Relegated. People may talk about how he dropped off a bit towards the end of the season, and I do agree with you- however it's clear he was struggling with a few niggling injuries and hopefully with those sorted he can be at the forefront of Slavisa's mission to not Concede on Average nearly 2 Goals a game for the first time since the 12/13 season.
16. Cauley Woodrow
Want to keep? Yes
Chances of staying: 75%
Woodrow's an interesting one, because prior to his injury in the Cup against Sheffield Wednesday- and with at the time Dembele looking likely to go in January he was seemingly on the brink of getting his first proper run in the First-Team. Especially with his Brace albeit against a Rotherham team before they turned into peak Guardiola Barcelona he was seemingly ready for the step up. As it is, he got the injury, Dembele stayed and he didn't get it.
However, he's got a Contract for I believe 2 more years- and while I believe we're going to be bringing in another Striker to partner McCormack who's ready to hit the ground running and hopefully better or match Dembele's Goal Tally- Woodrow will hopefully be the first option off the Bench.
19. Ryan Tunnicliffe
Want to keep? Yes
Chances of staying: 90%
I've had my say on Tunnicliffe and what his impact is on the team more times than I can count. With that in mind, I want Tunnicliffe to stay, I believe he will stay, stay off Twitter Ryan, heres to you.
20. Zakaria Labyad
Want to keep? No
Chances of staying: -100%
This one is one of the weirdest signings I think I've ever seen at Fulham. It's up there with Litmanen and Lee Cook. The one thing I do have to say in favour of Labyad's signing, he's been a great player to have on FIFA.
21. Lasse Vigen Christensen
Want to keep? Yes
Chances of staying: 90%
I said it in my Bolton Review, so I won't go too far into it again. Next season really is make or break for Lasse, and I truly hope it's "make" because if he can even come close to the performance levels he reached when Kit first came in we'll have a more than capable Midfielder for a Top 6 push.
23. Jamie O'Hara
Want to keep? No
Chances of staying: 10%
O'Hara's been one of the weirdest players of the season. I may well be wrong, but my theory on O'Hara is that he'd basically spent the whole summer doing fitness work trying to get in the door at a new Club. That of course meant he was near his peak in-terms of match fitness/sharpness when the season started, which not a lot of players were meaning he outshone them. However, as that difference narrowed as the season progressed, O'Hara was simply shown up for what he truly is which is a bang average Midfielder who doesn't really deserve a new Contract.
24. Andy Lonergan
Want to keep? Yes
Chances of staying: 75%
I was getting increasingly frustrated with Lonergan as we sunk further down the Table. He simply isn't vocal enough, or generally commanding enough to be a consistent starter in my opinion. However, for a Cup Keeper and as a fill-in for Bettinelli (where hopefully he won't be required as much as this season) he's perfectly fine.
25. Moussa Dembele
Want to keep? Yes
Chances of staying: 1%
I saw that thing that Dembele did on French TV the other day, and the graphic of all the Teams he's been linked with etc. and I don't doubt he'll end up at one of them in the near future. However, as you'll have seen by the "1%" I do still have a very slight hope that Dembele will be here next season. For the simple fact that I don't think it's in Dembele's best interests to halt the momentum he's built up this season- and that will happen if he goes to one of the "big" clubs at this stage of his career.
He's too raw to be considered for a First-Team place at pretty much any Premier League Club in my opinion, especially with the new TV Money meaning teams like Palace, Stoke and Swansea have the cash to go out to teams like Ajax and sign Milik, or Sporting and sign Slimani if they really wanted to. He could obviously go abroad, there's the obvious PSG link and I'm sure some other foreign links.
Basically, my thing for Dembele is- he's been here for a while now. It's a system, and a place he knows- and were he to stay on along with McCormack the team will practically be built around him. At this stage of his career, I don't think there'd be a better option for him when it comes to on the pitch development.
As I said in I believe my Ipswich Review, the new Contract should he sign one would be the same as the one Demarai Gray signed last Summer in-terms of the Release Clause stuff- but should he sign one I think it would benefit everyone involved. Dembele's value isn't going to go down by staying and starting at Fulham, the kid is the real deal. What will affect his value, and his growth is if he ends up on the Bench at a Big Club or does a Patrick Roberts and ends up being Loaned out to a Division that is below the Championship in-terms of overall quality.
28. Emerson Hyndman
Want to keep? Yes
Chances of staying: 2%
I said it in my Bolton Review and I'll repeat it here, Hyndman is literally just on the edge of really breaking out and properly making a name for himself in this crazy game we call Football. He's similar to Dembele in that I haven't completely lost hope, and of the two I'd say Hyndman is more likely to stay for the simple fact that he hasn't properly broken out onto the scene yet. They're both massively unlikely, but I haven't lost hope until it's official that they're gone.
31. Rohan Ince
Want to keep? Yes
Chances of staying: 0%
Rohan Ince is literally my dream player in-terms of what I've been saying we've needed basically since we came down. A proper, solid DM who will just sit back and protect the Back Four. The chances of Ince signing permanently would go up slightly should Brighton go up in the Playoffs, however given the fact he was on the Bench if he was lucky for about half of his Loan spell I just can't see him wanting to sign for us. It's a shame as well, and a player like him would be near the top of my priorities in-terms of players to bring in this summer.
33. Dan Burn
Want to keep? No
Chances of staying: 0%
I can't say I'm sad to see Burn go, and I don't think that fact will shock anyone who's read even one of my Reviews/Previews this season. I don't take pleasure in other peoples failings, I would have absolutely loved it if Burn turned into Hangeland at his peak this season and proved all of the doubters (or "Haters") wrong. As it was, he didn't do that and he's off. I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if he ended up signing for a Premier League team for the simple fact he's Young, English and most peoples only exposure to him would have been that 2-2 Man Utd game where Burn made 7 Billion clearances. As it is, his level in my opinion is top-end League 1 and possible low-end Championship- which is obviously where we don't want to be.
44. Ross McCormack
Want to keep? Yes
Chances of staying: 66%
With players like McCormack, there's always going to be other Clubs linked with him. With Gray going up to the Premier League already, he's officially the highest scoring Championship player still at a Championship Club heading into next season. I can't remember who said it, probably a million different people- but I'd be more worried if Clubs weren't being linked to our players because that would mean there's something wrong with them.
The thing that's come out over the last few days, and is why the "Chances of staying" percentage isn't higher, is the supposed Release Clause in the new contract that he signed. Firstly, of the two teams linked in relation to his Release Clause- I doubt Villa would be willing to spend 12 Mill- and even if they were they're practically in the same position we were when we went down in-terms of the need for a complete rebuild and at least one "transitional" season which McCormack can't afford if he wants to play in the Premier League so I can't see McCormack wanting to go to them. Then there's Norwich who I admit would be a more attractive proposition than us, especially if they hang on to the likes of Robbie Brady.
While I obviously don't know for definite, I reckon the Release Clause (if there is one) will be for Premier League Clubs. If that wasn't specified it's really poor business on our part, and we deserve whatever's coming to us. I wouldn't stand in the way of McCormack if a Premier League team did come in for him, he's turning 30 in August- and a player of his quality deserves to have played in the Premier League before he retires. I do think it's more likely McCormack stays than goes, especially with Slavisa openly stating he was going to build the team around him- and I would expect McCormack to be off next summer, or perhaps even January if our Top 6 ambition has fallen flat again.
It does have to be said, McCormack's goals are replaceable. Especially for 12 Million quid (and the Mitroglou money), we could easily get 2 or 3 players in who could match or better his Goal Tally over the course of a season- and would probably make us tactically more versatile than we can be with McCormack in the team and I'll discuss some of those options in my "Ins" Blog coming soon. In my opinion, McCormack's currently the best player in the Championship- as such I obviously don't want to see him go. But, if he does we just have to look at it as getting 12 Million Quid for a soon to be 30 Year Old, unproven at a top level Striker and move on quickly and get the replacement(s) in ASAP.
45. Fernando Amorebieta
Want to keep? 50/50
Chances of staying: 49%
Amorebieta, to me, is basically a better version of Hutchinson. If Slavisa can basically coach him out of his bad habits and tendencies to do something stupid, he could actually be an asset to us. We definitely saw glimpses of that in the last 4 or so months, and I definitely wouldn't be opposed to it, should Slavisa keep Nando on for next season. I do think it's more likely he goes, whether that's back to Spain, perhaps to Boro or somewhere else- but it's a close one.
That's that in-terms of the active squad, but there's of course a number of players we've currently got out on Loan which also have to be factored in when discussing the massive clear-out I'm expecting us to undertake under Slavisa.
- Maarten Stekelenburg
Want to keep? No
Chances of staying: -2 Billion%
As was the case last season, I doubt Stekelenburg will even bother unpacking once he's back from his Loan at Southampton. It'll actually be interesting to see where he ends up next season, with the obvious destination being the MLS in my opinion. He's perfect for the MLS, he's without question over the hill, but he's still got some name value.
- Nikolay Bodurov
Want to keep? No
Chances of staying: 0%
I think the two games Midjytlland had against Man Utd perfectly summed up Bodurov to me. On his day, as we saw now two seasons ago early on with the Norwich Home Game coming to mind he's a very capable defender- as he showed in their Home Leg where they beat Utd. Then he went to Old Trafford and the Bodurov that we know and love came back, scoring an Own Goal in the process of Midjytlland shipping 5. I don't know if we'll just release him or look for a buyer (I don't know how he's done at Midjytlland)- but I can say with certainty that he won't be in a Fulham shirt next season.
- Jack Grimmer
Want to keep? Yes
Chances of staying: 50%
I like Grimmer, and with a few more years under his belt I think he'll turn into a pretty capable Right-back at Championship level. Whether that's with Fulham is a whole other thing. I can see him going back to Scotland, or going back into League 1 where he's obviously spent time on Loan this season- but this time permanently. I definitely won't be complaining were he to stick around because we need depth in Defence.
- George Williams
Want to keep? Yes
Chances of staying: 80%
George Williams is another player that I want to see more of next season. I'm not really sure how he's got on at Gillingham to be honest, but he's a very capable player- who can potentially develop into something really special in my opinion. In my sort of ideal Transfer Window, we'd be signing Ikechi Anya as a Wing-Back/Winger- but for cover for him I wouldn't look past Williams. I do think he'll be here next season, but I've also got a weird feeling that he may go back to MK Dons as they try and come back up next season.
Also, Williams or Richards are basically guaranteed to score against England- when that game comes up lump all your money on. Literally all of it, and when you win give it to the Club and we can buy our way out this League. It's not like the penalties for doing so mean much anyway.
- Ben Pringle
Want to keep? No
Chances of staying: 10%
At least he was on a Free, I suppose that's the positive thing about his signing last summer. I was reasonably optimistic about him when he signed, but it became clear fairly early on that he just wasn't up to it in a Fulham shirt. Especially as a Wide-Man, I don't think I've seen someone just lack the basic skills required to play wide as much as Pringle did in quite a while. As it is, he was of course loaned out to Ipswich- and I think he's done alright there. So hopefully we can get a Fee for him, which will of course come in handy when we're trying to recruit people while remaining within the FFP regulations.
- Sean Kavanagh
Want to keep? No
Chances of staying: 25%
Speaking of players that just aren't up to it. The fact Kavanagh actually got a look in this season speaks to how bad of a position we were in during the Winter Fixtures. Because he's young, and only signed a Contract about a Year/Year and Half ago I can't see us releasing him- so I think the most likely scenario is him coming back from Mansfield and then us Loaning him out to someone else for next season.
- Kostas Mitroglou
Want to keep? Yes
Chances of staying: -10 Billion%
What I would give for Mitroglou to suddenly decide he's up for Burton Albion on a Cold, Tuesday Night in November. In the hypothetical world where we had Mitroglou and McCormack up-front together and Jokanovic assembled even a mildly competent Defence- we would walk the league. As it is, there's more chance of Leicester winning the Premier League. I believe we're getting 7 Million Euros for him, and all I can hope is that we reinvest that into finding a Striker capable of partnering McCormack to an even better Goals Tally than we had this season. More in my "Ins" Blog.
Final Stats
Want to keep: 16/32, with 3 of those being Mitroglou, Hyndman and Dembele with a further 3 being 50/50s
I'm interested to see what your opinion is on who should stay and who should go. I'm also obviously interested to see who will stay and go, in what's likely to be a Summer with even more Ins and Outs than the last two seasons. But, it is necessary- and as we've seen with Sheffield Wednesday this season the sort of turnover that is expected doesn't rule out a Playoff push straight away.
I know Jokanovic only signed an 18 Month Contract, and obviously I may end up changing my tune should it not work next season- but regardless of whether he's in it for the long haul or not we need to implement a long-term rebuilding plan for the Clubs sake. We may not even come close to the Top 6 next season, but if we can gradually put the pieces together over a couple of seasons to the point where we're consistently in and around the Top 6, if not the Top 2 I'll be happy.
Thanks for reading as always, I opted to put this one out first because I basically didn't want a lot of what I said in this to be redundant in-terms of keeping or going for those out of contract. So basically blame Dan Burn for announcing he was gone so quickly after the season was over. Cheers Dan, I'll really miss you. As I've said a few times, the "Ins" Blog will be coming pretty soon- although at this stage I won't say an exact date. Then I'm going to end the Fulham Blogs this side of the Euros with my End of Season Awards and then completely forget this season ever happened. Thanks again for reading, hopefully you'll stick around for the next two Blogs and will be back next season- and hopefully you have a good summer.
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