Why signing Munas Dabbur will be integral to Fulham’s relegation fight
Fulham fans will not be feeling very pleased with the way their season has turned out so far. Despite making some massive signings in the summer window, they have not been able to deliver the expectations that were placed. Surprisingly, Fulham were able to strengthen themselves in all positions and even managed to lure some of Europe’s amazing talents – Jean Michel Seri and Andre Schurrle.
They currently sit at 19th place and have 14 points on the board with 22 games already past us. They are 5 points off 17th-placed Cardiff City and Claudio Ranieri will be hoping that he has enough time to turn this season around. While there is no lack of talent in the Fulham side, for the first part of the season, their defending was absolutely woeful.
They still hold the unwanted record of having conceded the most goals so far this season, but the margin of their lead has improved over recent weeks. They even ended the year with a 3-game unbeaten streak of 2 draws and a win, and conceded only 1 goal in the process.
While that doesn’t sound very impressive, for a team that has already shipped 49 goals in 22 games, that’s the best defensive run they’ve been on all season.
One signing who has been extremely successful is 24-year-old Serbian forward Aleksandar Mitrovic, who recently completed a good loan spell at Craven Cottage before making his move from Newcastle a permanent one. He has been excellent for Fulham all season and is their top-scorer with 8 goals to his name.
Given the form that the Serbian has been in, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if some of Europe’s bigger clubs begin to chase the 24-year-old’s signature. What this means for Ranieri is that the purchase of another dependable and prolific striker is slowly becoming a necessity.
According to reports from the Belfast Telegraph, Liverpool and Fulham are keen on RB Leipzig striker Munas Dabbur, who has already scored 9 goals in the Bundesliga this term. He is a tall and pacy centre-forward who is an excellent finisher of the ball. His selling point lies in the fact that he can finish the ball from any angle and within reasonable distance.
He has an excellent change of pace and reads his opponents movements easily. He could be a perfect Premier League striker because of his ability to shoot from anywhere in the box. While he is a presence in the box as well, he is a good dribbler and works extremely hard in front of the opposition backline.
While Fulham have struggled with their defence, the attack has been half decent so far. With Mitrovic in hot form, defensive reinforcements must be Ranieri’s priority but given their current position, it wouldn’t hurt to try something new up front either.