Why Fulham should sign Islam Slimani from Leicester City

According to Telegraph, Premier League strugglers Fulham are considering a move for Leicester City striker Islam Slimani. The Cottagers manager Claudio Ranieri signed the Algerian striker when he was at Leicester City, for a club record fee of around £29m. However, it hasn’t really worked out for the player at the King Power Stadium.

As a result, the striker is currently out on loan at Turkish club Fenerbahce. He hasn’t really performed there as well, scoring only a solitary goal and Sarı Lacivertliler are eager to cut his loan deal short next month. (Telegraph)

Ranieri is looking to sign the 30-year-old for half the price he spent to buy him in 2016. The report claims that Leicester would allow the player to leave if he returns from the loan deal in January.

Here’s why Fulham should sign Slimani in the upcoming transfer window:

Islam Slimani’s quality could be the difference

Fulham have been anything but good in the Premier League this season. Until the end of the summer transfer window, things were looking rosy for the London-based club, however, Slavisa Jokanovic found it tough to gel all the new players together and put out the best eleven on a regular basis. As a result, he was given the sack.

Claudio Ranieri has been given the charge but things still do not look that pretty for the Cottagers. The 4-1 loss at Old Trafford showed the areas where they desperately lack. Defensively, they have been shambles to the extent that we can feel sorry for the manager. However, they haven’t been good at the other end of the pitch either.

They have netted just 16 goals in 16 league games thus far, which isn’t good enough. Aleksandar Mitrovic is the only viable option for the centre-forward position in the squad, and the rest are clearly only making up the numbers.

We all know Ranieri likes a direct 4-4-2 system with two hard-working strikers up front and two banks of four to deny space for the opposition. As of now, Fulham have one good striker but there has been no support for him. Hence, it is imperative from the club’s viewpoint that they sign Islam Slimani and provide the able support for Mitrovic.

The Algerian is physically strong, can be good from set-pieces and could be an ideal partner for the Serb in the 4-4-2 formation. At least, the team could rely on them to win headers and make set-pieces more important as a part of the plan.