Cottagers Confidential - Dembele looking to leave in this windowThe inside line on Fulham FChttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48593/cottagers-fave.png2016-01-20T18:00:02+00:00http://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/rss/stream/105578872016-01-20T18:00:02+00:002016-01-20T18:00:02+00:00Breaking Transfer News : Dembele on the verge of departure
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<figcaption>Matthew Lewis/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Dembele is in contract talks with Wolfsburg and Monaco. Are they serious, or are they just leverage to get a move in England?</p> <p>Sky Sports is reporting that Moussa Dembele's representatives are currently in talks with Wolfsburg and Monaco about a "pre-contract agreement".</p>
<p>Moussa's representatives have essentially confirmed this, by stating "<i>We will not discuss Moussa's situation publicly out of respect for <a href="https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Fulham</a></i>".</p>
<p>This tacitly confirms that there is a situation, the outcome of which is inevitably Dembele's departure.</p>
<p>Sky Sports is referring to a pre-contract agreement, which would indicate that he will leave when his contract expires at the end of the season. If this were to be the case, Fulham would not receive the sort of money that could be achieved if he were to leave during this window. However, as Fulham are currently under a transfer embargo, it will be important to squeeze as much value out of Moussa for the rest of the season.</p>
<p>Moussa is mid way through his first season making a positive contribution to the Fulham side; he has scored goals and been more of a handful than last season. That said, he is very much still a developing player, drifting in and out of games and not being as clinical as he was in the youth team. It will be a real shame to lose a player that Fulham have crafted into the player he now is becoming.</p>
<p>Jokanovic is keen to bring in a new striker on loan during the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/transfer-rumors" class="sbn-auto-link">transfer window</a>. Good strikers come and go and we are hopeful that whoever is brought in can make a positive contribution to the squad.</p>
https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2016/1/20/10785302/breaking-transfer-news-dembele-on-the-verge-of-departureJonathan Ollivent2016-01-17T18:02:26+00:002016-01-17T18:02:26+00:00Italian interest for Demélé
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<figcaption>Clive Rose/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Rumors. Dembélé. The Daily Mail. What's not to love? Well, the fact that we could lose one of our better players for one.</p> <p>Here we go again. What would be a <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/transfer-rumors" class="sbn-auto-link">transfer window</a> without a little bit of narrative to it right? While the <a href="http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/moussa-dembele-to-tottenham-spurs-step-up-chase-for-fulham-forward-a3157001.html" target="_blank">Evening Standard</a> has said that <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://thebusbybabe.sbnation.com/">Manchester United</a>, Monaco, Feyenoord, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fearthewall.com/">Borussia Dortmund</a> and Napoli are all "monitoring" Dembélé, once again our reports come from the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3403111/Fulham-striker-Moussa-Dembele-attracting-Juventus-Roma.html" target="_blank">Daily Mail</a>, which our partners-in-blog <a href="http://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/">Cartilage Free Captain</a> rightfully say should be taken <a href="http://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/tottenham-hotspur-transfers-rumors/2016/1/14/10771722/tottenham-hotspur-transfer-rumors-moussa-dembele-fulham" target="_blank">"with an entire truckload of salt."</a></p>
<p>This time, according to the Daily Mail, Moussa Dembélé is attracting attention from Serie A, most notably <a href="https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Juventus</a> and <a href="https://www.chiesaditotti.com/">Roma</a>. While I would normally pass over such rumors by simply making a mental note of the situation and continue on my merry way, similar to the Tottenham story it is probably worthwhile to at the very least contemplate the idea. Moussa Dembélé, such as we all know, is a French national and joined from Paris Saint-Germain in 2012. As far as the story goes, he apparently has no other connection to Italy other than the fact that they like football/soccer just as much as we do. Looking at the two clubs in question, one can infer based on league position and recent events that Juventus’s interest goes little further than an investment in the future, while Roma’s interest on the other hand, may go somewhat deeper.</p>
<p>Strictly taking a look at Roma, as of January 17, 2016 Roma sit at a comfortable fifth place in Serie A. They have 35 points after this morning's draw with bottom-of-the-table-and-almost-certain-to-be-relegated Verona, which leaves them with a +14 goal differential. While those who support a club that is more familiar with the lower end of the table may say that this is nothing to worry about, Roma’s faithful may beg to differ. The club is now once again under management of Luciano Spalletti after it was decided that <span>Rudi Garcia</span>’s managerial skills would no longer be required since sitting in fifth place and maintaining a stretch of only one win in ten matches was unbecoming of a club that possessed as many resources such as theirs.</p>
<p>So where does <a href="https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/">Fulham’s</a> Demélé fit into all of this? Well… he apparently doesn’t. Roma’s attacking department is, a-HEM, esteemed… to say the least. However, they are struggling for wins, so desperate times may call for desperate measures, even if that means gambling on a nineteen-year-old that may take a while to develop to the level of performance that Roma supporters have come to expect from their team. I myself am far removed from being an expert in Italian football, but Juventus probably falls along the same lines, minus the whole midseason-sack-of-the-manager and one-win-in-ten-games issue.</p>
<p>Where this potential transfer becomes particularly interesting (whether it is to Tottenham, Roma, Juventus, or one of the many other clubs interested) is when one examines what Fulham will get in return. We know that <a href="http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/35174477" target="_blank">Bolton, Fulham and Nottingham Forest are currently in the midst of a transfer embargo</a> that will last for the rest of the season, which means that Slavisa Jokanovic is limited to loans that only pay wage and not an extra fee.</p>
<p>The Fulham manager mentioned this notion in his <a href="http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/january/16/jokanovic-reaction">post-match comments</a> following the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/football-league-championship/teams/huddersfield-town">Huddersfield Town</a> draw:</p>
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<p>This is not my target, my target is to win the game. Generally I believe we are starting to improve, but there is still a big space in front of us. Our obligation is to play better football than we are playing right now. With more time, with more training, and if we can bring people in next week on loan, we can make these steps.</p>
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<p>These three powerful clubs obviously have a lot to offer a 19<sup>th</sup> place English Championship team, even if there is a transfer embargo in place. While Jokanoivc <a href="http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-boss-slavisa-jokanovic-eager-to-hold-on-to-spurs-and-man-utd-target-moussa-dembele-a3147616.html" target="_blank">doesn’t want to lose Dembélé</a>, to use an American idiom, the ball is in Fulham's court when determining what he really wants to get out of the French attacker, although Jokanovic and the rest of the higher-ups are certainly pressured by the fact that Dembélé is out of contract at the end of the season and may seek to leave regardless.</p>
<p>So, when it comes down to it, who actually knows? Dembélé is an obviously talented and promising player that we all will enjoy watching preform for years to come, regardless if he leaves the club tomorrow or retires at Fulham… Hopefully the latter, lest us forget the entire truckload of salt.</p>
https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2016/1/17/10782058/rumor-mill-italian-editionBryanStrub2016-01-14T22:39:41+00:002016-01-14T22:39:41+00:00Spurs to steal a second Dembélé?
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<figcaption>Ker Robertson/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The rumor mill is in full swing yet again, and it has set its sights on Fulham's Moussa Dembélé. The Daily Mail is <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3399520/Tottenham-talks-Fulham-signing-teenage-forward-Moussa-Dembele.html">reporting</a> interest from Tottenham Hotspur</p> <p><span> </span>There seems to be no shortage of interest for <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/">Fulham's</a> 19 year old forward. This time the Daily Mail has reported that Moussa Dembélé may be on his way to White Hart Lane. While rumors are rumors, from the Spurs side it makes sense. They are in desperate need of someone who can partner with <span>Harry Kane</span>, and bringing in a highly rated youngster may be the way to do just that. For further evidence, the <span>Saido Berahino</span> transfer saga continues to go nowhere, so <span>Mauricio Pochettino</span> may see this as a good second option and reasonable investment in the future.</p>
<p><span> </span>Assuming the rumors have merit, from the Fulham perspective this is, well, exactly what you think it would be. Dembélé is Fulham's second leading scorer, so finding other goals from people not named Ross McCormack would be a challenge to say the least. This is then all compounded by the fact that Fulham's third leading scorer, <span>Cauley Woodrow</span>, is now expected to be out for 10-12 weeks with a broken foot. One can only assume/hope that if this transfer goes through, Slavisa Jokanovic and company will immediately have a replacement lined up, because without it, goals will come at an even higher premium.</p>
<p>So here is to hoping that rumors remain just rumors and that Fulham doesn't lose a second Dembélé to the North London club.</p>
https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2016/1/14/10772036/transfer-talk-dembele-to-spursBryanStrub