Player ratings: 2023/24 season

With a comfortable mid-table finish including league wins against Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United, as well as a run to the League Cup semi-finals, it was another brilliant season under Marco Silva in which a number of individuals thrived, some more than others. It’s time to have the final say on the 2023/24 season.

Bernd Leno

Leno played every single minute of the Premier League season, plus an additional three appearances in the League Cup, showing his value and level of performance over an extended period for the club. Granted, some of his performances this season weren’t quite as extraordinary as in the 22/23 season, but to have the third most clean sheets in the Premier League, behind only Raya of Arsenal and England’s number one Jordan Pickford, shows what the man is capable of.

We’ve had a couple of really decent one-season wonder keepers recently in Rico and Areola, but Leno is established now as one of Fulham’s true great keepers of the modern era and will continue to build that reputation for as long as Fulham maintain their Premier League status. 7.5/10

Timothy Castagne

As first seasons go, I think the Belgian can be quite content with his contributionss. This time last year Castagne had been relegated with Leicester. Fast forward 12 months and Timmy has displaced Kenny Tete as the club’s first choice right-back and has made the Belgian squad for the European Championships. It’s clear that Castagne has quickly gained the manager’s trust, not just through his consistency but also through availability, something Tete has struggled with.

Timmy’s attacking contributions improved towards the end of the season but that’s an aspect of his game that will have to continue improving into next season if he is going to continue to displace Tete in the side. Overall, a really impressive debut season for Castagne at Craven Cottage. 7/10

Kenny Tete

To only feature 14 times in the Premier League this season must go down as a real disappointment for the Dutch international. His fitness issues persisted at the start of the season and once Castagne took that right-back spot from him, he never really got back in the side. Similar things happened in the second half of the title-winning season as Tete struggled to win his place back from Neco Williams. Without injuries, we truly could have had one of the league’s best right-backs over the last half a decade, and hopefully extending his contract is a sign that the management team still see his value to the side. But for this year, despite some promising performances, the lack of game time won’t have been what Tete wanted. 6/10

Tosin

Not quite sure which tone to write this in considering the news that has just come out that Tosin is leaving for that lot down the road. Granted, he was probably Bassey’s best partner across his 18 Premier League starts, and his ability to play with the ball at his feet had continued to improve under Silva on a season by season basis. The winning penalty at Goodison should have stayed as a proud memory when he left this summer, but with the news that it’s Chelsea he’s joining, anything he has achieved will be forgotten in the eyes of many. A decent season, but he won’t be well received when he returns to the Cottage wearing blue in the coming months. 6.5/10

Calvin Bassey

Considering all four of Fulham’s senior centre-backs made at least 16 Premier League starts this season, for Bassey, the new signing, to settle in seamlessly and play the most of them all at such a high level is a huge credit to him. An early season red card at the Emirates and some mistakes playing out of position at Tottenham could’ve led to a bumpy start to his Fulham career, but he’s only gone from strength to strength since, proving to be the dream Tim Ream successor on the left side of Fulham’s centre-back pairing. Quite feasibly, that could be Bassey’s position for many seasons if he continues to hit the heights of his 23/24 season. 8.5/10

Issa Diop

A really similar season to his first with the club in the way that he hasn’t quite managed to form a partnership with another centre-back and cement himself in the side. It feels like the majority of Diop’s showings end up with 89 solid minutes marred by a singular rash mistake. There’s a good defender in there, but perhaps just slightly too error prone to become a key cog in Silva’s defence. His goal in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final was a rare seasonal highlight and got us close to taking Liverpool to extra time. It could be a big summer ahead for Diop if he wants to convince the manager that he should be Bassey’s long term defensive partner after Tosin’s departure. 6.5/10

Tim Ream

Considering how little Ream played towards the back end of the season, it’s strange to think that in a season where he seemed to be being phased out of the side, he still managed 18 Premier League appearances and remains a key part of Marco Silva’s leadership team in the dressing room, hence Captain America was rewarded with another year on his contract. Ream remained solid when called upon and even notched a rare goal at the Etihad Stadium, admittedly in a heavy defeat. If this was to be his last season in a Fulham shirt before a move to the MLS, he will leave Fulham a modern day icon with his head held high. 6.5/10

Antonee Robinson

Bias aside, I don’t think there was a better left-back in Premier League this season than Jedi. Robinson’s consistently high level of performance impressed fans across the country as he found another level this year, at both ends of the pitch. His six assists was only matched or bettered by a handful of Premier League defenders, owing to the improvements in his crossing ability this year. Defensively, he has been brilliant too, continuing to be one of the league’s best aggressors, constantly defending on the front foot. His 80 interceptions was the highest of any Premier League player in 23/24.

Jedi has almost become as important as the likes of Palhinha in Silva’s system and tying him down to a new long-term contract early in 2024 could be the best business Fulham have done or will do all year. What a season he has had. 9/10 – player of the season

Joao Palhinha

Admittedly this wasn’t a strong of a season for Palhinha as his debut season for the club, but ultimately that may work in our favour if it means Bayern Munich leave him alone this summer. And by saying that, it certainly does not mean that Joao isn’t key to this side, because he is. When he is inevitably unavailable due to suspension, Silva has to play two players in his role to address his absence, he is that good. We would not even be half as effective in transitions without the likes of Palhinha and Robinson picking the ball up in the heart of the pitch and pushing Fulham forward through their aggressive approach to dispossessing their opponents. Hopefully this summer Joao can focus on a successful Euros campaign rather than the transfer market and come back in July focused on an exciting third season in black and white. 8/10

Harrison Reed

Despite featuring in 27 Premier League games this term, I think Reedy will probably be slightly disappointed with his 15 starts in the league considering his importance to Fulham over the last half a decade. And granted, there’s been games this season where Fulham have been inconsistent or just straight up haven’t turned up, and in those games it often felt like Reed’s tenacity was missing in midfield. Even when playing inconsistently, he still never drops a poor performance or lets the side down. Knowing what role he will play going forward is difficult to judge but he is a unique type of midfielder that I thin you’re better off having than not having, and hopefully he still has a lot to offer for Fulham going forward. 6.5/10

Sasa Lukic

After pre-season, it genuinely seemed like Lukic may have been a mainstay in the Fulham side this year, but an inconsistent start to the season put paid to that. Granted, in the run in, Lukic forced his way in towards the end of the year and kept his spot alongside Palhinha for a good run of games. 24 appearances in the league, including 13 starts, show Lukic to be a reliable squad player, and yet it feels like the fans and management alike aren’t quite sure of what his role is in this side. Next season feels like it’ll go one of two ways. Either the Serb cements his spot in Fulham’s midfield and truly adapts to Premier League football, or he continues to struggle to find a place in the side and may be looking elsewhere for regular football come 2025. A big season ahead for Lukic you would think. 6.5/10

Tom Cairney

In Pep Guardiola’s Man City squad, he splits his group into ‘starters’ and ‘finishers’. Silva certainly continues to see our club captain as his man finisher, with nearly 60% of his 34 Premier League appearances coming off the bench this season. The fact that TC featured in all but four league fixtures shows he is still of immense value to Silva, especially in what he offers. With fresh legs, Cairney’s ability to create chances in games that are deadlocked, or to keep the ball in our possession to see out a victory, is incomparable to anyone else in this Fulham squad. With Ream’s potential departure looking imminent, TC’s longevity and standing within the club has never been so important. 7/10

Andreas Pereira

Anyone who read my ratings articles throughout the first two thirds of the season will know my constant frustrations with the Brazilian. His numbers regarding creativity in open play feel so poor, and are often masked by the statistics he possesses due to his set piece responsibilities. It always feels like he should create more from the positions he plays in and it’s rare he receives criticism due to his admittedly valuable pressing abilities each week, which continue to help him gain Silva’s trust. Despite the importance Silva clearly places on him, if suspected interest does arrive this window and the club received a substantial bid for Andreas, you would imagine that Fulham would manage to spend said funds on a number 10 who contributes more in terms of goal contributions. 6.5/10

Alex Iwobi

A really promising first Fulham season for Iwobi, who had some doubters coming into this season after signing for a hefty fee from Everton. His versatility and contributions in the final third plus his subtle leadership abilities on the field make him an obvious successor to the role Bobby De Cordova-Reid has played over recent seasons. His friendship with Bassey has Fulham fans loving the pair and his final minute winning goal at Old Trafford will be remembered for decades to come. His dribbling and creative ability on the ball is pretty much as good as anyone at the club and those that doubted the fee paid for him last summer won’t have such doubts now. His role will only become greater next season. 7.5/10

Bobby De Cordova-Reid

While a lot of fans may look to Bobby’s ‘bit part’ role at the club when considering the importance of his potential departure or new contract this summer, he would probably leave a bigger gap than the fans expect. He is one of Silva’s ‘captains’, so for him and Ream to leave in one summer would put a dent in that group. BDR has consistently contributed to goals over his five seasons here and his finishing ability is right up there as the best at the club. His versatility is so well spoken of and finding a player who will gladly play anywhere at a high level is not easy. Not to mention that he only missed out on featuring in five league games in 23/24. He may not grab the headlines too often, but Bobby has proven this year that he is still subtly a very important cog in Marco’s machine. 6.5/10

Harry Wilson

It’s incredible that most of the fanbase can’t quite pin down the Welsh wizard’s role in the squad despite him coming off a Premier League season where he’s contributed the joint most goals of any Fulham player in the league. To do that from more substitute appearances than starting appearances is particularly impressive and yet there are so many games in which he seems complete ineffective. Ultimately, that level of contribution in the final third points to a player who should start more often to allow for more goal scoring and goal creating opportunities for those around him, but whether that happens or not in 24/25 is yet to be seen. 7/10

Adama Traore

While Fulham fans were left agonising over what could have been in the final moments at the Emirates when Adama missed an opportunity to steal all three points, it ultimately left fans excited at what was to come for the rest of the year. To then see his only start come on the final day of the season leaves us thinking not only what could have been, but also what will be? Once returning from his injury issues, Silva struggled to find Traore’s role in the squad.

Five goal contributions from the game time Traore had is quite impressive, the run at Old Trafford to set up Iwobi showed that he has the ability to show composure and skill at the end of a blistering run, and the goal on the final day at Luton shows the end product is there. Adama could be so crucial going forward if Silva manages to get the best from him on a more frequent basis. Alas, due to injuries and game time, this first season at the club has been a frustrating one. 6/10

Willian

The Brazilian’s impact this season was certainly less than in his first year with the club, which has led to deeper questions as to whether a third year in black and white is the correct outcome for all parties. However, he still remains one of the most skilful and intelligent players to grace Craven Cottage this century. His ability to manipulate space and create opportunities for himself and his teammates is outstanding even at 35 years old. The relationship he has with Robinson down the left hand side has been one of the key attacking avenues for the team, either when William himself cuts inside and shoots, or when Robinson provides a trademark overlapping run which has led to the American’s rise in assists this season. His presence would be missed if he were to leave this summer. 7/10

Raul Jimenez

A real hit-and-miss debut season for the Mexican. His early season form and lack of goal-scoring touch continued his drought in the Premier League and felt like a particularly large issue considering the departure of Mitrovic and the years it had been since Raul had been a superb top division number nine. His mid-season form improved drastically and we started to see signs of the striker that hit his top level at Molineux. However, the suspension that came from the loss to Newcastle and the struggles with fitness allowed a certain Brazilian to take his spot in the side and there’s a reason that Raul didn’t start again until the final day – where he scored a brace. As I say, completely hit and miss. 6.5/10

Rodrigo Muniz

As breakthrough seasons go, Muniz is one of the like we have rarely witnessed before at Craven Cottage. Rarely used in the opening six months of the season, Muniz was simply an outcast who looked destined for more loans in the future. Then came Burnley away, and the start of the most ridiculous goalscoring run that left Muniz finishing the season with nine Premier League goals. More than that, his ability to hold the ball up with his back to goal and link play around him further fills the void Mitrovic had in this side beyond just the goalscoring. The £7m fee paid for the newest Brazilian superstar in English football now looks a bargain and at still just 23 years old, Muniz has so much room to grow – hopefully at Fulham. 8.5/10

Carlos Vinicius, Fode Ballo-Toure, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Armando Broja, Luke Harris, Marek Rodak, Luc De Fougerolles, Tyrese Francois and Devan Tanton all also featured in competitive fixtures this season, but did not feature enough to be assessed on a seasonal basis.