Fulham Opinion: Cottagers have struck gold by securing Tom Cairney’s future
According to the London Evening Standard, Fulham captain Tom Cairney has signed a new five-year deal with the Cottagers, which should keep him at Craven Cottage until the summer of 2024, with the option of a further one-year extension.
The news regarding Cairney committing his future to the club should bring a big smile on the faces of the Fulham fans, who are preparing for a season in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League.
Cairney scored the winner in last year’s playoff finals against Aston Villa and helped his team secure promotion to the Premier League but he hasn’t had the most fruitful of campaigns in the top-flight this time around, with injuries forcing him to spend large chunks of the season on the sidelines.
Nevertheless, he has made a total of 31 appearances for the Cottagers in all competitions this season, registering only a solitary goal and an assist in the process.
The 28-year-old Scottish international, who made his move to Fulham from Blackburn Rovers back in 2015, has made a total of 161 appearances for the west Londoners in all competitions, accumulating 28 goals and 24 assists.
Fulham are set for a massive squad overhaul at the end of the season, with several of their big-money signings from last summer, including the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic, Andre Schurrle, Luciano Vietto, Jean Michael Seri and others expected to leave the club.
The Cottagers will be under pressure to trim their wage bills significantly and they just cannot afford to have such big names on their books in the Championship. Ryan Sessegnon is another player who might move on at the end of the season, with so many top clubs courting the teenager.
To put things into perspective, Cairney’s new deal couldn’t have come at a better time for Fulham and the news should certainly be a massive boost for the Craven Cottage faithful. The Cottagers have a massive rebuilding job on their hands this summer and Cairney’s presence should allow them to build a team around him.
The 28-year-old has been Fulham’s midfield general for the last three seasons and he is arguably the most creative central midfielder that they have in their ranks at the moment.
Had the 28-year-old chosen to depart Fulham at the end of the season, there would have been no shortage of interest from the Premier League clubs. However, Cairney signing a new deal is a clear indication of the fact that he believes Fulham can make it back to the Premier League in the foreseeable future, if not, in the first time of asking.
Given that the Scotsman has pledged his loyalty to the club, despite having other options on the table, the fans at Craven Cottage should start loving him a bit more.
Noted for his stamina, work-rate, creativity, vision and versatility, Cairney doesn’t get the credit that he often deserves but few can argue that he is a wonderful footballer with remarkable footballing intelligence.
Be it picking out the right pass, making a well-timed run into the box or cutting out the attacks – Cairney always seems to have that extra bit of time on his side to do the needful.
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The 28-year-old will hold the key to Fulham’s chances of securing promotion back to the Premier League and it is not difficult to see why they have actually struck gold by securing his long-term future at the club.
