Fulham midfielder Andre-Frank Anguissa could be set to leave Craven Cottage this summer.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a report by Birmingham Live, who claim that the 25-year-old’s omission from Marco Silva’s matchday squad for the Cottagers’ Championship opener against Middlesbrough on Sunday could be a result of the transfer speculation surrounding the Cameroon international.
The report goes on to state that both Aston Villa and Arsenal are thought to have an interest in the defensive midfielder, while Everton and Valencia are also reported to be keeping a close eye on the situation of the former Olympique Marseille star, with the latter going as far to make a number of approaches to Fulham.
Fulham fans will be gutted
While the Fulham hierarchy appear intent on retaining the services of Anguissa, having already turned down multiple bids for the midfielder this summer, the fact that the 25-year-old was left out of the matchday squad for the 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough last weekend would not appear to bode well for fans of the club who are hoping the player sticks around.
And, the Craven Cottage faithful will easily be forgiven for wanting their side to keep hold of the midfielder beyond the summer, as it would appear as if Fulham’s chances of securing an immediate return to the top flight this season would be considerably greater with Anguissa in the side.
Indeed, over his 36 Premier League appearances last term, the £22.5m-rated man made an average of 1.6 interceptions, 2.2 tackles, 0.4 clearances and won a whopping 7.3 duels per game.
He also impressed in a creative capacity, providing three assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 0.8 key passes per game.
These returns saw the man Scott Parker dubbed a “superb” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as Fulham’s 10th-best performer in the top flight of English football.
As such, it would indeed appear as if the west London side’s chances of promotion would be improved by keeping the £70k-per-week man, however, after the midfielder was left out against Boro, Fulham fans could well find themselves left gutted about the 25-year-old’s departure in the not too distant future.
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