The oscillating pendulum movement of the Cottagers has swung once again towards the top flight. Fulham is back for their third Premier League campaign in five years with another manager at the helm. The West London club saw manager Scott Parker who had overseen their most recent return leave at the end of last season having unsuccessfully overseen their failed bid to retain topflight status. With the remit being to return to the Premier League immediately, it was perhaps a huge blow but the arrival of Marco Silva promised quite as much.
Fulham has retained a good number of the squad that has been shuffling between the first and second tiers in the last five years. Whatever that means for their long-term ambitions is another concept entirely. However, they have been able to build a team that this time around blew the entire EFL championship away. Their 7-0 thrashing of playoffs chasing Luton Town to clinch the title is shuddering. 106 goals have been scored so far with prolific scorer, Aleksandr Mitrovic accountable for a record-breaking 43 goals and with a game still to spare.
Marco Silva's teams have been known for their exciting brand of football and the faithful at the Craven Cottage have had quite a treat this season with the team signing off at home with a romp. Silva particularly would have had a huge point to prove as he has not particularly been a huge success since his foray into British football in 2017. The Portuguese tactician was unsuccessful in a survival bid to keep Hull City up and although he got Watford playing some of the best football in the league, he was soon snapped up by Everton where he failed to sustain a top-four challenge and ultimately got sacked.
Fulham's return to the topflight might already be greeted with skepticism given their uninspiring runs the last couple of times and the fact that a good part of the squad that has struggled in the past remains at the club. However, it would be important to see what the club has gleaned from the previous failures in terms of their approach to recruitment this time around.
Already, Marco Silva appears to have implemented a style of play that is exciting, energetic, and effective. There is however the need to get the details right in terms of recruitment in the summer window. As usual, they would naturally be seen as one of the favorites to go down but they would be far more interested in fighting to keep their status in the premier league. Whether they have learned enough to be able to stay afloat this time around remains to be seen.
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