Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic is planning to bring Fenerbahce striker Emmanuel Emenike to Fulham this summer; a move which would be perfect for the West Londoners.
The Nigerian international who has scored 7 goals and 4 assists this season, previously spent some time on loan at West Ham United and has the experience of playing in the English leagues. However, no goals in 13 Premier League games was not the sort of experience he may have hoped for. He did in fairness, score a couple of goals against Blackburn in the FA Cup. Emenike has continued to struggle this season in Turkey, with just 3 goals in the Super Lig underlining his need to move on.
There is no doubting that Emenike has quality though. A powerful no.9 with 9 goals for his country, the man from Otuocha is still just 29 and has plenty more left to offer yet. His lean spell in England and struggles in Turkey may be a tad misleading. At Fenerbahce, Emenike has faced competition from Moussa Sow, Robin Van Persie and Fernandao. His poor record on paper may well be a reason to snap him up on the cheap.
Despite having the forward options of Floyd Ayite and Sone Aluko, Fulham’s main goal scoring position will be thrown open to candidates once again come June, when the loans of Chris Martin and Cyriac come to an end. Martin has done very well for his temporary side this season, scoring 11 goals in all competitions but may be required by his parent club Derby for their own promotion push next year.
With this in mind; Fulham cannot afford to let their Championship rivals steal a march on them in the transfer market. Good centre forwards are hard to come by and Fulham are drastically running short of options in this area. Emmanuel Emenike would be a really smart target for the Fulham boss. The player is better than what his record suggests and is not past his peak. He would also be available at a price not befitting his true ability.
There would be competition for his signature. The striker’s most successful goal scoring exploits were when he netted 21 goals in 42 games for Spartak Moscow between 2011 and 2013. A move back to Russia might be an attractive option for Emenike and hence Fulham would do well to convince him to move to England.
Sone Aluko, Ryan Sessegnon and attacking left-back Scott Malone may all be crucial in supplying chances for the big man come August and so it’s imperative that they keep hold of them all to complement the incoming Nigerian.