Ranieri should sign Islam Slimani to save Fulham from relegation
According to the Telegraph, Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri is set to make a move for Leicester City striker Islam Slimani in January to boost their chances of survival in the Premier League.
The 30-year-old Algerian, who starred for his nation at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, was signed by Ranieri during his time as the Foxes’ manager for a club-record £29million and reports claim that he might be available for around half that fee in January.
Slimani was loaned out to Fenerbahce at the start of the season and the Turkish giants are prepared to cut short the loan agreement as the Algerian has only netted once in 12 appearances in the Turkish SuperLig. (h/t Telegraph)
Coming off the back of an impressive goalscoring record for Sporting Lisbon, great things were expected from the Algerian when he completed a mega-money move to the King Power Stadium. He accumulated 7 goals and 4 assists from 23 appearances in the Premier League for the Foxes in his first season, only 13 of which were starts.
After a mediocre 2016-17 season, Slimani fell out of favour at the King Power Stadium, playing a meagre 241 minutes before being loaned out to Newcastle United for the second half of the season.
To be honest, it is harsh to label a striker of his calibre as a Premier League flop as he did not get a consistent run in the team to acclimatise to the style of play prevalent in England. He had a few good games in the Premier League and also played a part in Leicester’s UEFA Champions League campaign back in the 2016-17 season. Maybe, Leicester could have reaped the rewards by persisting with him for another season.
Meanwhile, Fulham crumbled to yet another defeat in the Premier League under manager Claudio Ranieri. The Cottagers put up a defensive horror show as Manchester United demolished them 4-1 at Old Trafford, a feat that has become quite common among the Fulham fans this season.
As things stand, Fulham currently sit rock-bottom of the table and the Cottagers will need to produce nothing short of a miracle if they want to avoid relegation this season.
While Fulham’s leaky and vulnerable backline has put their names up amongst the worst defensive record holders across the top-five leagues of Europe, their attackers haven’t had much joy either.
Aleksandar Mitrovic has netted 7 goals while Andre Schurrle has 5 goals to his name but neither of them has looked particularly menacing in the Premier League. In fact, Mitrovic has been too slow and statuesque in the final third and his rather one-dimensional way of scoring goals has become quite predictable for the defenders to deal with.
Aboubakar Kamara has enjoyed more playtime under Ranieri and has done a decent job but he is not the sort of player who can save the club from relegation.
On the contrary, Slimani would certainly be an upgrade on Aleksandar Mitrovic. Granted, he is not the fastest of strikers but he is definitely more mobile in the final third as compared to the Serbian. Not only is he adept at holding on to the ball and losing his marker with subtle runs but he also has the vision and the awareness to set up goals for his teammates with key passes. Furthermore, he is a clinical finisher and has the ability to dominate the opposition in the air.
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That said, Slimani’s experience of playing in European competitions can prove to be a deciding factor for Fulham in the second half of the season in their bid for survival.
