Ryan Sessegnon came through the youth ranks at Fulham (Getty Images)
According to The Telegraph, Fulham want to sign former academy graduate Ryan Sessegnon on loan from Tottenham after sealing promotion back to the Premier League via the Championship playoffs.
However, as per the source, Jose Mourinho is keen to hold on to the youngster and could give him more first-team action in the following campaign.
The versatile left-sided starlet has struggled to make a big impression in North London following his £25m switch from Fulham last summer, with injuries and lack of regular minutes stalling his progress.
Sessegnon graduated from the academy at Craven Cottage and shot to prominence in the Championship during the 2016-17 campaign at the tender age of just 16.
He bagged the Player of the Year award in the English second tier in the following campaign, leading Fulham’s promotion challenge with an astonishing tally of 16 goals and 8 assists. The England U21 international more than held his own in the 2018-19 Premier League, scoring twice and grabbing 6 assists, despite the Cottagers finishing rock-bottom of the standings.
Sessegnon endured an injury-stricken debut campaign at Tottenham following his big-money move across the English capital, clocking up just 12 appearances across all competitions. However, he still caught the eye in the Champions League and scored his first European goal against Bayern Munich.
Despite his stop-start debut season in North London, Sessegnon remains an immensely talented individual and the staff at Fulham would surely be aware of his massive potential.
He was one of the brightest sparks of the Cottagers’ relegation campaign in the Premier League last time around. So the 20-year-old certainly has what it takes to deliver at the highest level.
Joe Bryan is currently the only specialist left-back at Fulham manager Scott Parker’s disposal. The 26-year-old proved his PL credentials in the 2018-19 season and featured prominently in the Championship as well. But someone like Sessegnon would provide some quality cover in that department.
Moreover, he is more than capable of playing as a winger further up the pitch, meaning his arrival would certainly hand a boost to the club’s wide cavalry that already boasts the likes of Anthony Knockaert, Ivan Cavaleiro and Bobby Reid.
As mentioned earlier, Mourinho is keen to keep hold of Sessegnon but his chances of playing regularly at Tottenham in the Premier League next season look slim. Ben Davies enjoyed a strong finish to the previous campaign, establishing himself as the undisputed first-choice left-back following Danny Rose’s departure on loan to Newcastle United in January.
However, with the experienced Rose now back at Tottenham, Sessegnon’s first-team prospects seem endangered once again and a temporary switch back to Fulham would possibly ensure the playtime that he needs to develop himself.
