Fulham are back in the Premier League after securing promotion back to the top tier owing to some exceptional football in the Championship last season. The West London outfit finished on top of the second tier in English football, courtesy of some brilliant attacking football on display by Marco Silva’s men. Fulham scored 106 goals in England’s second-tier league last season, out of which a major chunk was scored by their main man Aleksandr Mitrovic, who was assisted by their creative outlets Fabio Carvalho and Harry Wilson – the duo accounted for 26 league assists.
However, the former’s exploits in the second tier caught the attention of one of the big fish in the first division, as Premier League heavy hitters Liverpool have already secured Fabio Carvalho’s services for the upcoming season. In order to replace the Portuguese midfielder who scored 11 goals and made 7 assists last season, Fulham have dipped into the transfer market to find a solution for their problems – and reports are suggesting that they have indeed found their man in Shakhtar Donetsk’s Israeli international Manor Solomon. Reports in England suggest Fulham are set to complete the £7m signing of Solomon as Marco Silva prepares for his and his team’s return to the Premier League, and both parties are hopeful of the deal going through.
The Cottagers need to add some firepower to their arsenal as they aim to retain their Premier League status next season, and they have reportedly found their man to do just that. Solomon is a 22-year-old attacking midfielder who turns out for Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk, who sports a similar profile to Carvalho. Besides being a right-footed attacking midfielder with a knack for creating chances and making entries in the final third, Solomon also racks up decent numbers from his position: the Israeli international racked up a tally of four goals and two assists before Ukrainian football came to a standstill following Russia’s invasion of the country. Solomon can also play as a winger on both flanks and can deputise for either Harry Wilson or Bobby Reid, and can boast of six goals and eight assists in his 31 appearances for Israel.
Solomon can also boast of his experience playing for Shakhtar in the UEFA Champions League, and his exposure on the continental stage will certainly help his chances of shining for the newly-promoted Cottagers in the upcoming season. He became the youngest Israeli player to score in Europe’s premium club competition with his goal against Atalanta in 2019, and his strikes against Manchester City in the same year followed by a couple of strikes against Real Madrid both home and away in the 2020/21 season have added to his reputation as one of the best young talents in the competition. Adding his services and continental experience to their arsenal will certainly help Fulham keep hold of their top-flight status, as they aim to not go down at the first time of asking like they did the last time they were in the Premier League.
On the pitch, Solomon is likely to be a like-for-like replacement for Carvalho, who occupied the position in the hole behind the striker. Solomon is likely to be flanked by Harry Wilson and Bobby Reid as the trio tries to feed the main man up front in Mitrovic. Replicating a season where they scored over a century of goals while only conceding 43 will be difficult in the toughest league in the world, but Solomon’s recruitment is a step towards ensuring that Fulham will not be starved of creative service as they go up against some of the top teams in English football.
In a twist of fate, Fulham will begin their campaign at Craven Cottage against Liverpool who will have Fabio Carvalho in their ranks. Following the imminent confirmation of Solomon’s move to the King’s Road, he is likely to face a baptism of fire against the Champions League finalists of last season. If Solomon can help Fulham transcend their swashbuckling brand of attacking football to the top division, the Cottagers can be hopeful of retaining their Premier League status – and even conjure up a season bettering their expectations.
