The Fulham Weblog

According to Goal.com, Andy Johnson has been omitted from the Everton squad who are travelling to the USA for a pre-season tour.

Johnson, who has been linked with a £10.5million move to Fulham, has stayed in England - fuelling speculation that his move to Fulham is imminent.

However, some news sources are reporting that Johnson will not be allowed to leave Everton until they have found a replacement, even though a fee has been agreed between the two clubs.

Johnson is keen on a move back to London and it seems if Everton get themselves a new striker, he may well be appearing for the Whites next season if he can agree terms and pass a medical.

It appears that Fulham have finally got their man after weeks of speculation. Fredrik Stoor, the Swedish right-back, is set to sign early next week.

Stoor, who is currently at Rosenborg, has been a long term transfer target of Roy Hodgson and it now seems clear that a fee of around £2million has been agreed between the two clubs.

In other news, Rangers have come in with a £3.25million, take-it or leave-it offer for Steven Davis. Davis who was on loan at Rangers during the second half of last season has struggled to settle at Fulham and the club are looking to sell. The problem is that Fulham are holding out for the £4million that they paid for the player last summer.

I personally think Fulham should accept the deal from Rangers. It suits all parties - he has the chance to play for his dream club, Rangers get their replacement for the injured Barry Ferguson and we get a decent fee for a player that I don’t really think was worth the £4million we paid for him in the first place.

Davis may well have been a better player for the club in different circumstances, he has a great deal of technical ability, but from what I saw in the early part of last season he doesn’t have the strength to operate in a 4 man midfield in the Premiership. The lower standard of the SPL could make him one of the Leagues star performers.

It has been rumoured that Blackburn and Middlesbrough are also interested in Davis, but it remains to be seen if they will come in with increased offers, especially as Davis has his heart set on a move to Rangers.

According to an article at timesonline.co.uk, Fulham are progressing in their attempt to sign Andy Johnson from Everton.

After Everton denied that they had received a £10.5million bid from Fulham yesterday, it seems there may be more weight behind the rumour than originally thought.

The writer of the article, Oliver Kay, suggests that Johnson didn’t feature for Everton in a pre-season game as he was not in the frame of mind after being told Fulham’s negotiations with the club were at an advanced stage.

Johnson himself wants a move back to London where he made his name at Crystal Palace and I Personally  think he would be a great addition to the squad and could definitely form a decent partnership with Bobby Zamora.

However, I’m still slightly sceptical that Fulham would put up that much cash after not spending big on players for the last few years, but if this one comes off I’ll be more than pleased to have been proved wrong!

Read the full article here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article4387078.ece

After reports last night suggested that Fulham had a £10.5million bid for Andy Johnson  accepted, Everton have moved to deny these rumours.

Fulham have been linked with the striker for weeks and last night it appeared an agreement had finally been made between the two clubs. However, Everton have denied these reports and say no agreement has been reached with Fulham.

Everton Cheif Executive Keith Wyness told the clubs official website: “Contrary to some reports that have surfaced throughout the course of today, the club can confirm that no offer has been received nor has any deal been agreed for Andrew Johnson with Fulham Football Club,”

It is belived that Everton are looking to sell Johnson, who favours a move back to London, in order to fund the purchase of a new striker.

Sky Sports News are breaking the story that Wigan Athletic are attempting to re-sign Jimmy Bullard from Fulham. It is thought Wigan are willing to offer £6million for Bullard’s services.

Bullard signed for Fulham for £2.5million in the Summer of 2006 before a horrific injury put him out for 16 months.

He was instrumental in Fulham’s great escape and is a real fan’s favourite down at the Cottage, having only played 21 games for the club.

I really can’t see the club letting him go easily, unless it is for silly money. He is a very important member of the squad, and Roy Hodgson reiterated this after it was rumoured that the club were willing to let him go.

More to follow soon.

According to www2.unt.se, Fulham’s long pursuit of Fredrik Stoor is over.

Rosenborg Sporting Director, Erik Hoftun, had this to say: “We are agreed on the details of the transfer. We will wait until after next weekend’s game but then the likelihood is that he will be a Fulham player.”

This suggests Stoor will play one final game before heading to West London.

Stoor himself is now “excited” by the move.

Source

A good weekend for Fulham saw the Whites defeat Scottish champions Celtic, as well as up their bid for Everton’s Andy Johnson if reports are to be believed.

Bobby Zamora got his first Fulham goal in his first game for the Whites with a stunning effort. He looks to have already started a decent partnership with Erik Nevland who also got on the scoresheet. Leon Andreasen wrapped up the win with a cracking volley.

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson was impressed by Zamora’s display and expects more from his new signing. He thinks Zamora will be keen to bounce back after an injury-plagued season last term. He had this to say: “We’ll work on him becoming the player he was before last season. We’re getting a man who is very motivated to show he is a top-class Premier League player.

Over the weekend Fulham have also been very active in the transfer market if various source are to be believed.

After the Celtic game Hodgson admitted that he is keen to expand his squad further before the new season begins. He vaguely outlined his targets - “We are still looking for another front player, are flirting with the idea of a central defensive midfielder and we may need some cover still at centre-back because we are fairly light in that area.”

On the topic of front players - The Sun is reporting that Fulham have increased their bid for Andy Johnson to £10.5million. I for one would be very pleased if we could bring Johnson in. He has a consistent scoring record in the Premiership and I feel he and Zamora could become a great partnership.

Fulham's targets?

Another option could be Aruna Dindane who is available for around £10million. The Ivorian Striker is currently playing in France for Lens, but fancies a go at playing in the Premier League. The 27 year old could spark a bidding war between Fulham, Portsmouth and Manchester City.

However according setanta.com, Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente claims Fulham have made an offer for his services. Llorente scored 11 goals in La Liga last season and the 23 year old claims the Whites are interested in bringing him to the Premier League, but Llorente says he is happy at Bilbao.

The Saha rumours have resurfaced. Some news sources are suggesting that Fulham may look to bring Saha back to the Cottage in a deal worth around £4million. Saha himself would be on a pay-as-you-play contract as he has had so many injury problems since signing for Manchester United in 2004. Personally, I would rather have Johnson than Saha. I’m not bitter, but the circumstances in which Saha left and the way he celebrated his goal when he came back to play us a few weeks later left a sour taste in my mouth. He was a great player for the club, but I could see it backfiring if he got off to a bad start or got injured early in the season. Stay well clear.

Away from the talk of strikers, the Stoor deal has gone quiet. However it has been suggested he will join Fulham after one final game for his current club Rosenborg.

In other news Stefanovic has signed for Norwich on a two-year deal and is Joined by Elliot Omuzisi who has joined the Canaries on a season long loan.

An article at skysports.com suggests that Moritz Volz could be heading to Spain once Fulham tie up a deal for Sweden international Fredrik Stoor.

Reports in Spain are claiming that Volz is a target for Racing Santander and they are weighing up an offer for one of Fulham’s current longest serving players.  

With the arrival of John Pantsil from West Ham and the imminent arrival of Stoor, Volz will see his chances to play first team football cut dramatically. He was a regular fixture in the Fulham team, but fell out of favour when Liam Rosenior emerged as the first choice right back. He has never managed to cement a place in the team, but has occasionally been used as a holding midfielder.

It will be a shame to see him leave as he is a fan’s favourite and a model proffessional, but things move on in football and if there is a better option out there we need to take it.