Nathaniel Clyne
As per a report from The Guardian, Premier League bottom dwellers Fulham are lining up a January move for Liverpool full-back Nathaniel Clyne.
The 27-year-old right-back has hardly been involved this season for the Reds and is believed to be seeking a move away from Anfield in the January transfer window. And Fulham are planning to capitalize on this situation once the window is open for business in less than a month’s time. (h/t The Guardian)
Having earned promotion back to the Premier League, the Cottagers are sitting rock-bottom in the top-flight, picking up just 9 points from 15 matches (W2, D3, L10). The club were forced to sack Slavisa Jokanovic, following their poor start to the campaign. They then brought in former Premier League-winning manager Claudio Ranieri to steady the ship and guide Fulham away from the relegation zone.
Under the former Chelsea and Leicester City boss, Fulham have collected four points from three matches, showing signs of improvement. However, there is no question that they will need to address a few concerns within the squad in the January window to set themselves up for a strong finish to the campaign.
The right-back slot has been a bit of a problem for the Londoners this term, following the exit of Ryan Fredericks in the summer. Cyrus Christie was expected to step up to the plate and while the Irishman has performed well in the past couple of games, his general play and the lack of consistency has been a major letdown.
A lot of things were expected from Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who joined on a season-long loan deal from Manchester United. But a shoulder injury and a subsequent dip in form have prevented the Dutchman from being part of the first-team in recent fixtures.
And this is where signing Clyne could prove to extremely beneficial for the Cottagers. The 27-year-old, a graduate of the Crystal Palace academy, went on to make 137 first-team appearances for the Eagles, before joining Southampton in 2012.
The right-back established himself as one of the most promising young full-backs in the country during his time with the Saints and went on to make 104 appearances for the South Coast club, scoring five times and assisting eight more goals. He left for Liverpool in the summer of 2015.
Clyne was the established first-choice in his position in his first two campaigns with the Merseyside outfit. But the emergence of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez over the past 18 months or so, coupled with a serious injury issue, has relegated him to a bit-part role at Anfield.
In the ongoing campaign, the 27-year-old has featured just one time across all competitions. Just one cap away from 100 appearances for Liverpool, Clyne is known for his attacking output and ability to surge up and down the flank all day long. A good crosser of the ball, the England international has the pace and the defensive nous as well to make an impact at both ends of the pitch.
Vastly experienced at this level, Clyne has proven himself at the biggest stages for both club and country. And adding him to the ranks at Craven Cottage would boost the Fulham squad to a great extent as they look to bounce back from their disastrous start to the season.
