Who have Fulham been linked with ahead of the January transfer window?

We’re roughly a quarter of the way through the Premier League season and edging towards January, meaning the rumour mill is starting to start up again ahead of the winter transfer window. So, who have we been linked with and what positions should we look to bolster for the second half of the campaign?

The links

Wataru Endo

The 31 year old has been linked with clubs including Fulham and Crystal Palace for a fee of around £15m. He was a steady performer for Liverpool last season, making 29 appearances at the base of midfield, but that’s changed this term as the Japan international has only made five substitute appearances as Arne Slot prefers Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones in his midfield. Endo could be looking for a move to increase his minutes, and although he’s a steady performer in the Premier League, the deal might be a non-starter as we can’t give him the minutes he needs.

Nicholas Kuhn

Fulham have reportedly also started monitoring Nicholas Kuhn of Celtic. The German winger has performed well in the Scottish Premiership so far for Celtic with four goals and two assists in 10 appearances. Kuhn is 24, available for around £10m, and has room to grow. The links with Kuhn however, feel slightly premature as Celtic will be reluctant to let a star asset go mid-way through the season and the right-wing berth feels secure at this current time for the Whites. This move could make sense in the summer however if Reiss Nelson doesn’t join the club on a permanent deal and any outgoings occur.

Terry Yegbe

Links with Yegbe have only come out fairly recently, with a potential £5m fee for the 6’4 Ghana centre-half. Although Yegbe would not come straight into the side, he could represent a sensible investment for the future at the age of 23. He has had recent experience in European competition with his club Elfsborg and has played against top-level players, aiding his development. A fee of £5m would represent good money for a club like Elfsborg and with good coaching Yegbe could be one for the future for the Whites if the deal goes through.

Room for improvement

Although the squad is looking fairly healthy at this current time, a few key areas should be assessed. We all remember Steven Benda’s appearance in the Carabao Cup with the infamous penalty shootout, an unhappy memory that left some fans filled with dread. Should Bernd Leno be injured, it could be important to recruit a backup goalkeeper with many unsure at how well Benda will be able to fill the void.

As we venture into midfield, a case could be made for strengthening the eight with many fans displeased with Andreas Pereira’s performances so far this season. Bolstering the eight would then allow Andreas to aid Emile Smith Rowe in attacking midfield and fill in where needed, with Sasa Lukic and Sander Berge operating in the six and Lukic filling in in the eight where necessary when he’s back from injury.

There could also be a case made for a new number nine that would help us get to that elite level. Although Raul’s record recently has been good, many believe he is not a 20-goals-a-season striker and his backup Rodrigo Muniz hasn’t been firing on the same level as last season, leading to speculation that the club could be eyeing improvements.

It’s very early days, of course, but doesn’t hurt however to aim as high as possible and the club could – and possibly should – look to make a few tweaks and secure a few deals in January to hopefully further catapult the Whites up the table.