Fulham

The BBC have confirmed that Fulham have signed Scott Parker from Tottenham Hotspur to a three-year deal.

The former West Ham midfield dynamo has had his options at White Hart Lane severely restricted this summer, given the recruitment of Etienne Capoue and Paulinho in midfield. However, he's fallen into an ideal situation just a short drive southwest.

The Cottagers were crying out for a defensive midfielder who can screen the back line and put in the hard yards, and Martin Jol has signed exactly that with Parker.

"He's a midfielder who works tirelessly for his team and is a fantastic player both on and off the ball," crowed the Dutchman after unveiling his brand new summer acquisition.

He may no longer be the goal threat of his 2010-11 season—in which he scored seven, formed the heartbeat of West Ham's midfield and won the FWA Footballer of the Year Award—but he still has a lot to offer.

From a defensive perspective, Parker works extremely hard and, despite being a little limited physically nowadays, has the nous to play the destructive role Jol wants.

During the 2012-13 season, Parker managed 2.5 tackles and 2.2 interceptions per game from 12 starts, according to WhoScored.com, often sitting alongside Mousa Dembele and cleaning up the play.

He rarely ventured forward and developed a stigma for only passing sideways. While those don't sound like the qualities you want in your new purchase, have no doubt that this is the player Fulham needs.

In signing Adel Taarabt and Darren Bent on loan for the season, the Cottagers have given themselves quite the conundrum: How do you fit Taarabt, Bent, Bryan Ruiz and Dimitar Berbatov onto the same side without compromising the balance of the unit?

Ruiz and Berbatov are not famed for tracking back, while Bent is the epitome of a classic No. 9. Taarabt's work ethic is questionable, yet Jol plans to utilise all four at the same time.

It's a move that will place immense strain on the defensive six, particularly the holding midfield. But with the right players, it could work.

Jol believes he has found the right guys—Derek Boateng and Parker—to anchor a supporting line that will allow the front four to interchange, drift and focus solely on attacking. Steve Sidwell represents an excellent third workhorse option, but his inability to control the urge to bomb forward could jeopardise his place on the team.

If Berbatov, Ruiz and Taarabt can drift freely across an advanced midfield line in a 4-2-3-1 behind Bent up front, defences won't know which way to look.

It's an incredibly crafty setup, but one that would have fallen flat on its face without the appropriate personnel in defensive midfield. Bent was on the bench against Sunderland, and it was either too early for the striker or telling of Jol's belief in the balance of the squad.

Fulham fans could be in for an exciting ride this season. While Jol shapes a side full of flair, wizardry, creativity and goals, Parker will be happy to sit back and guard the fort.

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Unlike most of the other clubs in the English Premier League, Fulham have been busy securing the signatures of new players this week. 

Adding to the Darren Bent loan signing from over the weekend was the capture of Scott Parker from Tottenham Hotspur on Monday afternoon. 

With two of their glaring needs filled in the last few days, the Cottagers have very few places on the pitch where they still need to add depth.

For manager Martin Jol, his busy summer transfer window is not over just yet, and he could bring in these players for a potential run at a UEFA Europa League position this season. 

Eyong Enoh, M, Ajax

Ajax midfielder Eyong Enoh played at Craven Cottage for the final months of last season when he was on loan at Fulham from the Eredivisie giants. 

Enoh played nine times for the Cottagers last season, and according to Sky Sports, Jol is keen to bring back the 27-year-old to London on a permanent basis. 

The Cameroon international has not featured in three league matches this season for Ajax, a move that could mark the end of his five-year spell in Holland. 

Enoh's current price tag is £3 million, but that is an amount that Jol is unwilling to pay for the player.

If a deal can be reached with Ajax, Enoh's presence in the midfield would be a welcome addition to a squad that needs a bit more depth, even with Parker's inclusion. 

Scott Dann, D, Blackburn 

Blackburn Rovers defender Scott Dann could be on his way back to the EPL if his current club get their way, according to Simon Jones of the Daily Mail. 

At 26, Dann has played in the English top flight with both Blackburn and Birmingham, and his 6'2" frame would fit the Cottagers' need for an extra center-back. 

Currently, Aaron Hughes and Brede Hangeland are the first-choice center-back pairing with new signing Fernando Amorebieta also in the squad at the position. 

If needed, Philippe Senderos and Sascha Riether could play in the middle of the back four, but a natural center-back in Dann would be necessary to help the club's chances of improving on their 12th-place finish from last season. 

John Arne Riise on the Way Out? 

While few Fulham players have been linked with a move away from the club, the one who has may leave before the transfer window shuts. 

Left-back John Arne Riise, who has been at the club since 2011, has been linked with Bundesliga outfit Werder Bremen, according to Sky Sports. 

While no deal has been made between Bremen and Fulham, Riise's departure from the club could be imminent if the Cottagers find the right suitor for the 32-year-old Norwegian. 

As for any other news surrounding current Fulham players, no other squad members are expected to be leaving the club this summer. 

What deals should Fulham make before the transfer window closes, if any? 

Comment below or leave me a comment on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Scott Parker has completed his move from Tottenham Hotspur to Fulham, continuing his tour around the Premier League's London clubs.

BBC Sport report that his move was for an undisclosed fee with Parker signing a three-year contract, with transfermarkt listing the price at just under £4 million.

For the former Spurs man, it will be seen as a move to secure regular first-team football after he lost his place at his old club, but there is every chance he will have a second motivation too: making the World Cup squad for next summer's tournament.

Following a number of injuries during a disrupted 2012-13 season, Parker made only 21 league appearances, with only eight of those outings seeing him play the full 90 minutes. All of his appearances came from mid December onward after having recovered from an Achilles problem in particular.

To Sandro and Moussa Dembele, already established as Spurs' first-choice midfielders, the North London club have added Paulinho and Lewis Holtby in the last two transfer windows, leaving Parker—along with fellow England international midfielders Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore—well down the list of starters, and on their way out of White Hart Lane.

A move to QPR was expected to materialise, but having won the Football Writers' Player of the Year award for the Premier League only two years ago, Parker was clearly set on staying in the top flight ahead of a World Cup year.

In moving to Fulham, Parker will be an integral part of a newly revamped team, albeit one which is still a fairly old one.

Manager Martin Jol has made seven senior signings in total this summer, though only Parker and goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg have cost any significant sums of money.

For Parker, the most telling signing is likely to be fellow midfielder Derek Boateng, who Jol will hope can work alongside Parker to provide a much more solid midfield base for the Cottagers.

Parker brings industry, workrate, a conscientious approach to winning back the ball and a bustling, energetic tempo to the game. Boateng is a physical yet technical midfielder, good at both holding his position defensively and distributing the ball. If the two can click as a pairing, Fulham have the foundations to let the likes of Darren Bent, Dimitar Berbatov and Bryan Ruiz create danger further forward.

The new Fulham man will need to have a stellar campaign though if he is to return to the England fold.

Roy Hodgson looks set to continue with two central midfielders for the foreseeable future, with Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Jack Wilshere almost certain squad members for next summer's tournament, should the nation qualify.

That leaves one, perhaps two spots to fill for the remaining competing players, of which Parker will be one. Gareth Barry, Jordan Henderson, Michael Carrick and Jack Rodwell might all be others.

Moving from Spurs to Fulham takes Parker out of the group of bigger clubs competing for honours and European football, but it also gives him a far better chance of playing 35 matches between now and next summer.

He'll have to be at the top of his game and stay fit if he is to make the squad for England—but for now, the prospect of merely being a regular, relied-upon player in a Premier League will be enough for Parker to go on.

Follow @karlmatchett

It’s difficult to make an appraisal of a player’s value to his club after only one season—that is, if the player is a 25-year-old or even a 28-year-old.

Just look at Antonio Valencia; one fantastic season for Manchester United that won him the famous number seven shirt, only for his next season’s form to be so bad that he reverted back to his former number 25.

But 32-year-old Dimitar Berbatov is a player Fulham manager Martin Jol will be looking at very closely.

Fulham are clearly in the market for a striker as evidenced by their failed bids to bring Darren Bent to Craven Cottage, and with Marcello Trotta back from his loan at Brentford the Bulgarian will be looking over his shoulder.

Signed for £4.4 million from Manchester United last summer after struggling to feature regularly enough in Sir Alex Ferguson’s plans, Berbatov found a new lease of life in West London. As a result we witnessed a far more spritely and energised version of a player who was so often described as languid.

Obviously buoyed by his new status as the star striker, Berbatov covered the pitch in a manner rarely, if ever, seen at United and Tottenham Hotspur—he could almost have been a different man altogether.

The vitality in Berbatov’s game translated into goals, 15 of them in 33 matches to be precise—a very good return for his relatively low price. However, with the uncontrollable creep of age on a player come the doubts of his manager, who will then seek to—sometimes reluctantly—pave the way for new blood.

Although their attempts to land Bent were unsuccessful, Fulham will most likely bring in an alternative before the end of the transfer window. That does not mean Berbatov’s days are over, at least not for the moment.

A veteran player of 252 goals from 550 games in all competitions for top-tier clubs, plus a couple of Premier League titles and a World Club Championship victory, Berbatov will remain important to the development of Fulham even if his considerable ability starts to falter.

Younger players could learn a thing or two from someone with one of the best first touches in football, but that is not the entire picture.

Berbatov’s trademark, however unwanted, is to appear uninvolved for long periods before popping up with a moment of sheer brilliance.

At Fulham this label has peeled a little, but if his fitness levels do begin to drop, unlike most players he can rely on his knack of being in the right place at the right time without breaking sweat. Perhaps the years of minimal running effort may benefit his career in the long-term as his legs will not be quite as battered as the majority of players.

Furthermore, Fulham have a top-class striker on their books, and as long as Berbatov continues to perform they can use this to attract other quality players.

Even if he does begin to feature less frequently, he will continue to be a great presence at the training ground for the young forwards—anyone who knows their football would jump at the chance to learn from and work with Dimitar Berbatov.

Teammates will hope that is at least a couple of years in the future. Judging by last season, Berbatov is relishing his freedom on the pitch and will have a few more tricks up his sleeve before calling it a day.

But the real winners are Jol and Fulham. Regardless of how Berbatov’s form fluctuates—barring a 20-game goalless run or something equally unthinkable—he remains an asset.

Experience, star quality, a colourful career and shirt sales all serve their purpose for a football club, especially when they were purchased at such a bargain price.

Can you imagine another Premier League season top-scorer of the last few years—such as Robin van Persie, who is only two years younger than Berbatov—going for a price as low as Fulham had to pay?

Carlos Tevez went to Juventus this summer in a deal worth £12 million, but think of all the baggage and the fact that Manchester City saved about £27 million in wages and add-ons.

So, Berbatov’s value to Fulham? If you don’t know the answer, just look at his scoring stats.

All stats are courtesy of Transfermarkt unless linked otherwise.

Fulham boss Martin Jol has boosted his attacking options with the capture of Adel Taarabt on a season-long loan from Queens Park Rangers.

Taarabt is no stranger to Jol, as it was the Dutchman who brought the gifted forward to England in 2007 while in charge of Tottenham.

Jol exited White Hart Lane before getting the chance to get the best out of Taarabt. He will hope for better this time round.

The Daily Mail’s John Drayton quotes Jol:

I like his creativity. Sometimes it comes off when he scores a lot of goals and I think he was involved in 40 goals (during QPR's 2010/11 Championship promotion season).

It is like Dimitar Berbatov - sometimes these fantastic talents will be blamed, but I hope to find a way to gel him in together with the boys we've got.

I think he can do a hell of a job for us because he is a tremendous player on the ball.

The mention of Berbatov and Taarabt in the same sentence should both excite and strike fear into Fulham fans in equal measure.

Berbatov was far and away Fulham’s most potent attacking threat last term. He scored 15 Premier League goals and had three assists to his name. Bryan Ruiz was next best with five goals. 

Jol had to make changes in the summer as Fulham won only one of their final eight games and came dangerously close to being sucked into the relegation fight.

The Fulham boss has stuck his neck on the line by moving to strengthen his attacking options, to make his side a more viable threat in the final third. In Taarabt, Berbatov and Ruiz, he certainly has gifted, attack-minded players at his disposal.

But the real fear is that by accommodating the attacking triumvirate, and with the prospect of Darren Bent arriving from Aston Villa as well, via David Hytner of The Guardian, Jol will leave his side somewhat exposed.

This is a fear expressed by B/R's Charles Lawley.

A talent as sublime as Berbatov’s can be accommodated, but to also bring in Taarabt, who has been criticised for his approach and being less than committed, could pile pressure on a defence that leaked 16 goals in the final nine games of the campaign.

Such numbers suggested Jol had to make changes. He has also added defenders Sascha Riether and Fernando Amorebieta to his ranks, but it is the move to bring in Taarabt that could have the biggest bearing on their season.

Taarabt has yet to convince in the Premier League, despite showing flashes of brilliance. If he can show the sort of form that once saw him touted as a £10 million player, according to Jol, then he could help propel Fulham to a comfortable finish.

However, should he fail to contribute going forward and imbalance the team, the Cottagers could be in for an extremely tough campaign.

As Fulham enter their 13th consecutive season in the Premier League, manager Martin Jol has failed so far to address a pressing need to ensure their continued run in the top flight—central midfield.

Despite finishing 12th last season, Fulham were just seven points clear of the relegation zone. Looking ahead to the 2013-14 season, Jol stated explained his transfer plans on the club's official website:

If eight or nine players leave us then we’ll need five or six players.­ The important thing is that we have to build a new team because we have a big amount of players on loan. I used eight players in central midfield [this season] and that is a lot for a Premier League team.

In the first few months of the transfer window, Jol has made astute signings in acquiring Derek Boateng and Fernando Amorebieta on free transfers. Both have the experience to make an immediate impact.

Additionally, Jol quickly moved to permanently sign Sascha Riether, who impressed last season while on loan from FC Koln. Adel Taarabt also recently passed a medical ahead of a loan move to the London club, providing an attacking threat as an midfielder or winger.

Despite this activity, only Boateng of the new arrivals plays in central midfield.

The central midfielders on Fulham’s roster are Boateng, Steve Sidwell, Pajtim Kasami and Giorgos Karagounis. Kasami is more of an attacking player who has struggled to find his place in the Fulham team since arriving in 2011. Karagounis is decent cover but is 36 years old.

With only the industrious Sidwell and defensive-minded Boateng remaining, Fulham are thin on options in the middle, especially for a team that fielded eight individual players in central midfield in 2012—13.

This lack of depth is particularly troubling when considering the formations that Jol commonly used last season. According to WhoScored, Jol deployed at least two players in central midfield in every game, most often to support a second striker or attacking midfielder.

In addition, 31 per cent of Fulham’s attacks in 2012-13 were generated in the middle of the pitch, the fourth highest total in the league. Consequently, Fulham produced an average of just 19 crosses per game, the second lowest in the Premiership.

Both statistics demonstrate the emphasis Fulham place on playing the ball through the center of the pitch, a tactic dependent on a strong presence in the middle.

Should Jol’s continue with his preferred formation of 2012-13, 4-4-1-1, then starting the season with just four players to choose from is an extremely risky maneuver.

With such few options, Jol will have little ability to vary his tactics in the center depending on the form and fitness of his players or the expected formation of Fulham’s opponents.

Furthermore, Sidwell is an aggressive player whose penchant for firm tackling landed him seven yellow cards and two red cards last season. Suspensions for Sidwell or another midfielder are especially costly given the lack of reserve options available to Fulham.

With less than a month remaining in the transfer window, Jol must move quickly to strengthen his team. Having demonstrated an ability to acquire talented players at bargain prices in the past, Fulham fans must be optimistic that their manager is able to acquire a skillful midfielder or two to round out their side.

Having previously been linked to Walter Gargano, Tom Huddlestone and Scott Parker, Jol has suggested he needs to fill the hole in midfield. Time, however, is running out as the new season draws closer.

With the signing of Taarabt being finalized, Jol must purchase a central midfielder quickly.

Fulham moved one step closer to the new Premier League season, when they drew 1-1 with Spanish team Real Betis on Monday.

This was the first match hosted at home for Fulham since they were taken over by new owner Shahid Khan.

It was also the Cottagers' fifth preseason game of the summer, and after a tour to Costa Rica, a trip to Germany and this home fixture against Betis, they have only been defeated once—a 1-0 loss at Werder Bremen.

Boss Martin Jol fielded new signings Maarten Stekelenburg, Derek Boateng and Fernando Amorebieta in his starting lineup, with last year's loan star Sascha Riether—now a permanent Fulham player—also in the XI.

It was Steve Sidwell, though, who scored the opening goal of the game after only 13 minutes, heading home from a Bryan Ruiz corner after Fulham had struggled to create any major chances beforehand.

Plenty of the ball for Betis yielded little return in front of goal, and Dimitar Berbatov had the ball in the net next for the English side, only for it to be ruled out for offside.

Stekelenburg didn't have too much to do in the first half but was picking the ball out of his net less than 10 minutes after the restart. Nigerian attacker Nosa Igiebor was played into the penalty area after a powerful run, and finished smartly past the Dutch keeper to level up the scores.

Despite a second disallowed goal for Fulham, this time for Hugo Rodallega, and a turned-down penalty appeal from Ruiz, there were no further goals and both sides settled for the draw.

From a preseason game against more than reasonable opposition, Jol and his side can be relatively pleased at having held their own. They will be keen to ensure their home form is once again impressive once the season gets underway properly, with the Cottagers notoriously poor in the league away from Craven Cottage.

Even so, they won only seven times in the Premier League at home last term, taking just 24 points at home in total.

Jol has worked this summer to restructure his squad to an extent, replacing ageing stars with some astute buys in Stekelenburg and Boateng in particular, while Adel Taarabt is also close to a loan deal according to Sky Sports.

Even so, Fulham have spent just £6 million in fees this summer so far, and more is arguably needed if they are to compete with other mid-table sides to improve on last year's 12th place showing.

Fulham play Italian side Parma at home in their final preseason game, before starting the new campaign away to Sunderland on August 17.

Follow @karlmatchett

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan has successfully completed his takeover of Premier League club Fulham from Mohamed Al-Fayed.

The former Harrods owner is stepping down at Craven Cottage after guiding the club from the third-tier of English football to become a top-flight regular in 16 years at the club.

The West London club were promoted to the Premier League in 2001 and have remained among the elite teams in England since then.

Al-Fayed also oversaw a period in which the team reached the UEFA Cup final in 2010 after defeating Juventus, Shakhtar Donetsk and Wolfsburg in the knockout stages.

Roy Hodgson's team then beat Hamburg in the semifinals, with the German club anticipating a final in their home stadium.

However, a late Diego Forlan strike was enough to see Atletico Madrid defeat Fulham, 2-1, in the final.

Now, though, Al-Fayed has sold the club to Khan, who has been the owner of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars since November 2011, as the New York Times reported.

Khan, who moved to the United States from Pakistan at the age of 16, is worth £2.9 billion from his automobile parts manufacturing company Flex-N-Gate, according to Forbes.com. 

The Jaguars have signed a contract to play one NFL game per season for the next four years at Wembley Stadium, London, starting against the San Francisco 49ers in October, as NFL.com reported.

That deal and Khan's acquisition has led to reports that the Jaguars owner could set up a United Kingdom-based NFL franchise.

However, the new Fulham owner batted away those suggestions, as he was unveiled at Craven Cottage alongside Al-Fayed on Saturday in an interview with Sky Sports News.

These are two distinct clubs that will operate differently, operate independently, yet there is a huge amount of synergy, and our goal will be to take advantage of that.

When asked by Sky Sports News reporter Bryan Swanson if Khan ultimately wanted to have the first UK-based NFL franchise, the new Fulham owner said: 

Right now, we are committed to playing a game here every year for four years.

Khan has also vowed to support Fulham manager Martin Jol in a bid to make the club successful on the pitch, although he would not reveal what kind of money would be available for squad strengthening this summer.

It's very difficult to be specific. I'm not a micro-manager.

I don't plan on being involved day to day, but I do plan on giving them all the support they need financially, or otherwise, to be successful on the pitch.

While Al-Fayed's time at Craven Cottage has been successful on the field, one issue has riled the Fulham supporters particularly.

Almost two years after singer Michael Jackson died in June 2009, Al-Fayed unveiled a statue of the pop legend in a corner of the Craven Cottage ground, as Philip Duncan of the Daily Mail reported.

However, the Jackson tribute was met with derision by a number of Fulham supporters, as Barney Ronay of The Guardian reported.

Khan has promised to respect the view of supporters, as he considers the future of the statue of Jackson, who was a friend of Al-Fayed but had no links with the club.

I've been an owner less than a day. I think we have to preserve and respect history, but we also have to move forward.

I am going to reflect on it, listen to the fans and then really decide.

Khan is now facing the prospect of continuing the work done by Al-Fayed at Fulham. The Egyptian businessman has overseen a meteoric rise for one of football's historic clubs from the football doldrums to a sustained presence in the Premier League.

The billionaire will need all his business acumen to maintain those standards and progress the London club throughout the coming years.

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan has agreed to buy Fulham from Mohamed Al Fayed, per Sky Sports: 

Associated Press reporter Rob Harris had the following from Khan and Al Fayed after the sale:

This represents a hefty windfall for Al Fayed, who bought the club for £6.25 million in 1997, per The Guardian's James Riach. Ben Rumsby of the The Daily Telegraph reported that Al Fayed will get a profit of £150-£200 million from the deal:

Jacksonville Jaguars billionaire owner Shahid Khan is in discussions with Mohamed Al-Fayed to purchase English Premier League club Fulham, reports Charles Sale of the Daily Mail.

Sportsmail revealed this morning that Mohamed Al-Fayed was on the verge of selling the Premier League club after investing £200 million over the last 16 years in establishing them in the top flight.

And Khan, a billionaire car parts manufacturer who bought the Jaguars in December 2011, is set to complete the deal with 84-year-old Fayed by the end of this week.

Fulham are based in London. The report makes a connection between the Cottagers' home base and Khan's agreement to play National Football League games at Wembley Stadium over the next four years. The Jaguars' owner wants an opportunity to cross-promote the brands.

The reported price being negotiated is in the range of £150 million. Sale states even executives at the club were unaware of the advanced talks to sell the club, and an official announcement is expected by Friday and possibly sooner now that details have leaked.

Khan officially completed the purchase of the Jaguars early last year after agreeing to a deal with original majority owner Wayne Weaver in late 2011.

The Pakistan native took over a Jaguars franchise that was struggling to make a consistent impact in the Jacksonville area after a string of lackluster seasons. The task, should he purchase the Cottagers, would be different.

Fulham have been a mainstay in the Premier League under the guidance of Al-Fayed, but have struggled to seriously contend with the top EPL clubs. They have regularly finished in the middle of the table, including a 12th-place finish last season.

Khan would be expected to give the club the necessary assets to become a bigger threat—first for Champions League berths and then potentially runs at the Premier League title.

From a business perspective, making a connection between the Jaguars and Fulham is a wise move on the surface. Both leagues have visions of growing across the Atlantic, and the relationship could help Khan's teams be on the cutting edge of that growth.

Nothing is official yet, however. More details should become available as the week progresses.