What Fulham’s signing of Fabri means for Marcus Bettinelli

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On Tuesday, Fulham announced their third signing of the summer as Spanish goalkeeper Fabri joined the Whites from Besiktas.

The 30-year-old will immediately begin to challenge for the starting goalkeeper spot, handing Fulham’s current number one Marcus Bettinelli his biggest challenge yet.

The following three weeks will be crucial in the battle for the starting role, as both Fabri and Bettinelli will believe they have a strong claim to play between the sticks against Crystal Palace on August 11.

Bettinelli started 26 matches for the Whites last season after reclaiming the starting role from David Button in December, and was a key part of the 23-match unbeaten run that led to a third-place league finish.

The English goalkeeper was also integral to Fulham’s successful run in the Play-Offs, keeping vital clean sheets against Derby and Aston Villa to send the Cottagers up.

Yet, despite his Championship heroics, Bettinelli could very well see himself become second-choice at the start of the season for the third consecutive season.

Although Bettinelli seems to enjoy a brilliant connection with the Fulham team and brings great form whenever he plays, the arrival of Fabri may push him to the back-up position.

The Spaniard is an immensely experienced goalkeeper with success in La Liga, the Turkish Super Lig, and the Champions League.

Both keepers have never played in the Premier League, but one would tend to suspect the player who led Besiktas to the Champions League knockout stages last season (while beating Porto, Leipzig, and Monaco) would be the favourite to start against Palace.

However, Bettinelli is the goalkeeper with a deep knowledge of playing in Slavisa Jokanovic’s system and has a true bond with the Fulham squad.

The battle for Fulham’s goalkeeping spot suddenly became far more interesting with the signing of Fabri, and all Fulham fans can agree increased competition is a good thing for the club.

Even in the event that Fabri claims the number one spot come the start of the season, Marcus Bettinelli has been in the back-up position many times before — and has thrived when asked to fill in.