With the Premier League season beginning this weekend, Sports Mole has cast its eye over Fulham's summer and their prospects for the 2013-14 campaign.
In:
Fernando Amorebieta (Athletic Bilbao, Free), Derek Boateng (Free), Sasha Riether (Cologne, £1.3m), Maarten Stekelenburg (Roma, £4.8m), Ange-Freddy Plumain (Free), Adel Taarabt (Queens Park Rangers, Loan)
Out:
Chris Baird (Released), Simon Davies (Released), Mahamadou Diarra (Released), Thomas Donegan (Released), Corey Gamiero (Released), James Musa (Released), Richard Peniket (Released), Mladen Petric (Released), Mark Schwarzer (Released), Alex Smith (Swindon, Free), Csaba Somogyi (Released), Dan Burn (Birmingham City, Loan)
Last Season: 12th
Manager: Martin Jol
Three key players:
Maarten Stekelenburg - Since 2008, Fulham had been in the relatively safe hands of Mark Schwarzer between the posts. The veteran Aussie has moved down the King's Road to Chelsea now, leaving the responsibility to Stekelenburg. The 30-year-old is no novice though, having played for the two of Europe's big names (Ajax and Roma), as well as keeping goal for the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup final. At 6'5", the Haarlem-born keeper is a commanding figure, which should mean that he is able to collect high balls into area, easing the pressure on his side in the process.
Derek Boateng - While nobody can question the quality possessed by some of Fulham's midfielders in recent years,
Steve Sidwell aside, not many have been renowned for breaking up opposition attacks. That is something 30-year-old Boateng thrives on doing. It's important that the Ghana international shows a level of discipline as he goes about his work - something that Sidwell lacked on occasions last term. Having been handed only a one-year deal, Boateng will need to produce some decent form to earn an extension.
Dimitar Berbatov - Everybody knows by now that the Bulgarian will not chase defenders to force mistakes. At times, he won't even look bothered at all! Give him the ball at his feet though and he can cause damage. In his first season with the Whites following his 2012 arrival from Manchester United, he found the net an impressive 15 times. His ability to score all types of goals makes him difficult for the opposition to deal with and on his day he is a proven match winner.
First game: Sunderland (A), Complete fixture list
Sports Mole says: The term 'halfway merchants' could have been coined for Fulham last season. They finished 12th in the end, but never looked like being sucked into relegation trouble. At the same time, it always looked unlikely that they would mount a push for a Europa League spot. Jol has made some smart acquisitions, although it will be interesting to see how the egos of Berbatov and Adel Taarabt fit into the same dressing room. There should be a handful of weaker teams than Jol's this time around, but as with the last campaign, there are also much stronger squads. If they avoid injuries and suspensions to key players, a push towards the top half is not out of the question.
Predicted finish: 13th
