With Sky Sports reporting that the Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor is in talks with Fulham. Sky – amongst others – state that the free agent has attracted the interests of the London club, despite Fulham being a step down from the Premier League.
Where would he fit in at Craven Cottage?
With the recent departure of striker Ross McCormack to Aston Villa, there’s a big chance that Adebayor would become Fulham’s main striker. If manager Slavisa Jokanovic can get the 32-year-old firing on all cylinders – a feat only achieved in recent years by the eccentric Tim Sherwood at Spurs – then there is no doubt that Fulham will have their hands on a potentially world class striker, with previous clubs including Real Madrid, Manchester City and both Tottenham and Arsenal.
Of course, Spurs had to cope with a disruptive Adebayor when Pochettino froze him out of the first team squad; the Togolese striker is widely considered a footballing mercenary, and one who is happy to sit on the bench and collect sizeable wages. The success of the move will almost entirely depend on whether Adebayor will have the incentive to perform for Fulham.
Can he justify his wages?
Instead of a transfer fee – seeing as Adebayor is currently without a club – the only financial cost to Fulham would be the wages they’d have to offer to tempt him to the Championship. Crystal Palace offered him around £70,000 a week, though it is ludicrous to think that Fulham will offer this amount given the lack of Premier League football. Wages of around £40,000-50,000 look more likely, and these are figures that the veteran forward will be able to justify.
His physicality, power and goalscoring prowess will be huge assets to Fulham in one of the hardest leagues in European football, while his experience could benefit the promising youngsters like Will Hughes at Derby. Of course, it could well go the other way if Adebayor is disinterested, or frozen out of the starting eleven, in which case Fulham would end up paying relatively high wages for a striker who doesn’t work hard for the team.
How likely is the move?
Fairly likely, if wage demands can be met. The fact that Adebayor is without a current club should only play into Fulham’s hands; it makes negotiations one step shorter. The only area that Fulham will have to manoeuvre will be wages – he is used to getting paid very highly, while at Championship level, funds are somewhat limited. This could well end up being a surprise move that pays dividends for the Cottagers throughout the season.
Featured image: All rights reserved by Tat Lau.