According to the Daily Mail, Fulham are interested in signing Ghanaian international defender Joseph Attamah from Istanbul Basaksehir.
The Cottagers have already completed the signing of former Liverpool forward Ryan Babel and they have set their sights on the Ghanaian to bolster their leaky defence. (h/t Daily Mail)
The same report claims that the Turkish club are keen to keep hold of the centre-back but Fulham are ready to test their resolve.
One of the stars of the 2013 FIFA U20 World Cup in Turkey, Attamah was signed by Turkish club Adana Demirspor in 2014 and he later made a move to giants Istanbul Basaksehir in 2016 following some impressive displays. He was a regular at the back for the first two seasons at his current club but the Ghanaian has made only 5 appearances in the Turkish Super Lig this term.
Standing at just a shade under 6ft., Attamah is not particularly tall for a centre-back but he is quite strong and well-built which allows him to be comfortable in contact situations. Despite not being a giant of a defender, he gets off the ground quickly and times his jump to perfection to win aerial duels.
One of the most impressive things about Attamah which might have caught Fulham’s attention is his ball-playing ability. He has got a good technique for a defender, allowing him to be comfortable with the ball at his feet and his wonderful range of passing can be an invaluable asset to the team.
The Ghanaian can play out from the back with short passes and also spread the play with accurate cross field and diagonals. In fact, Attamah has averaged 56.9 passes per game with an accuracy percentage of 89 last season.
Furthermore, the 24-year-old is known for his composure as a defender and he does not tend to commit to reckless challenges in one-on-one situations.
To put things into perspective, Attamah might not be a household name in European football but he might just be the one that Fulham need to shore up their porous and vulnerable backline.
Fulham are currently in the relegation zone and their shaky defence has been the major cause of their undoing this season in the Premier League. As a matter of fact, they have conceded goals for fun, having already shipped 51 goals so far.
Fulham have looked more organized in recent weeks under Claudio Ranieri but the Italian hasn’t really been able to stem the flow of goals. Alfie Mawson, Denis Odoi, Tim Ream and Maxime Le Marchand have all struggled for consistency, leaving the manager to cut a helpless figure on the sidelines.
With less than a couple of weeks to go in the transfer window, the Cottagers need to adopt some desperate measures to shore up their defence and the strong and tenacious Joseph Attamah might just be the one that they need to beat the drop.