Former Chelsea and Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri was unveiled as the new face of Fulham following the sacking of Slavisa Jokanovic. The Serb did exceedingly well in the Championship last season, guiding the Cottagers to a promotion back to the top-flight but lost the confidence of the board after managing only a single win from twelve games in the Premier League.
Just like his predecessor Slavisa Jokanovic, Ranieri will have the backing of club owner Tony Khan’s financial resources in the January transfer window to save the club from relegation (h/t Football London)
Fulham are currently bottom of the Premier League standings with only 5 points from twelve games and a dismal goal difference of -20 is not going to do any good to the club’s chances of survival in the top flight.
Quite clearly, Ranieri has a mountain to climb to avoid the drop and the onus will be on the Italian to turn defeats into victories when the Premier League action commences after the international break.
Here are two players that Ranieri must sign to enhance Fulham’s chances of survival in the Premier League.
Much of Fulham’s woes this season have been down to their leaky backline that has shipped goals at an alarming rate. In fact, the Cottagers have the worst defensive record in the Premier League, having conceded 31 goals from 12 games.
Summer signings Maxime Le Marchand and Alfie Mawson have failed to add that much-needed solidity to their backline and Fulham have been found wanting for a permanent centre-back pairing. Tim Ream, Denis Odoi and Calum Chambers have all been tried out but none of them has really been able to stem the flow of goals.
Fulham need an effective leader at the back and Ranieri must shift his focus to two high-quality centre-backs- Mateo Musacchio and Medhi Benatia, who are likely to be available in January for a cut-price deal.
While Musacchio has been linked with the Cottagers (Mirror), Benatia is linked with Arsenal (Daily Star) and Fulham must look to hijack the Moroccan amidst interest from the Gunners.
Both are hugely experienced centre-backs who are capable of marshalling their counterparts at the back.
Fulham need a creative midfielder who can establish that link between attack and defence, something that the Cottagers have lacked so far this season.
Jean Michael Seri had a positive impact in the opening stages of the season but the Ivorian’s influence has faded away gradually. Tom Cairney, who was supposed to be one of the mainstays of Fulham’s midfield, has been in and out of the team due to injuries.
To put things into perspective, Renato Augusto, who starred for Brazil at the World Cup, would be a perfect fit for Ranieri’s Fulham. A technically-gifted and tactically versatile attacking midfielder, Augusto has the ability to play in multiple roles in the final third and also as a central midfielder.
The 30-year-old excelled in the Bundesliga in his earlier days and currently plies his trade in the Chinese Super League where he had a stellar season, registering 10 goals and 3 assists. He has averaged 2.6 shots, 2.7 key passes, 3.5 dribbles, 2.7 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game in the Chinese top flight, figures that speak volumes of his all-around abilities as an attacking midfielder.