Why Fulham have made a smart move by signing Michael Hector
Chelsea have announced that Michael Hector will leave the club on a permanent basis to sign for west London rivals Fulham when the transfer window re-opens in January.
Michael Hector, 27, has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Fulham with an option for a further year and the transfer fee between the clubs has been undisclosed.
He joined Chelsea from Reading on transfer deadline day in 2015 before being immediately loaned back out to the Royals for the 2015-16 campaign.
The 27-year-old then spent the subsequent three seasons on loan with Eintracht Frankfurt, Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday respectively, failing to make a single appearance for Chelsea as a result. He clearly didn’t feature in Frank Lampard’s plans at Stamford Bridge and has been allowed to leave the club.
After a disastrous campaign in the Premier League that ended in relegation, Fulham are hoping to secure an immediate return to the top-flight.
The Whites have made a decent start to the Championship campaign as they currently find themselves in sixth place with six matches played thus far. They should have won the game against Cardiff City but ended up drawing 1-1 at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Overall, Scott Parker will be really happy with his team’s performances, especially how the boys reacted following Harry Arter’s dismissal in the game against Cardiff.
The Cottagers have been really exciting going forward, with the likes of Ivan Cavaleiro, Anthony Knockaert and Aleksandar Mitrovic impressing the most.
They have been defensively decent as well, conceding five goals in six games. But if Fulham are to seal automatic promotion, Parker’s men have to show more solidity and robustness at the back.
They’ll need to stop conceding silly errors and cheap fouls to increase the chances of earning clean sheets. And the arrival of Michael Hector in the second half of the season would further help Fulham defensively.
Hector impressed on loan with Sheffield Wednesday last season and was an integral player for the Owls, making 37 Championship appearances and scooping their Player of the Year award.
Prior to that, he also enjoyed a loan spell with Hull City and played 38 times in all competitions, scoring once as the Tigers finished strongly to avoid a second consecutive relegation.
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The Jamaican international will bring a lot of leadership and experience to the Cottagers’ defence, whilst adding much-needed strength and power. Standing at 6ft 4in tall, he’s an asset to have at both ends of the pitch.
Verdict
Having struggled to recruit in the defensive areas during the summer, it’s understandable why Fulham moved quickly to secure the services of Hector ahead of the January window.
Considering his performances with Sheffield Wednesday and Hull in the last two seasons, the ex-Chelsea starlet represents a smart signing for the Cottagers.