Fulham transfer collapse with Leeds United leads to Chelsea deal also failing in deadline day chain reaction
Fulham saw two deals collapse on deadline day as the Cottagers looked to make late transfer moves
The transfer window has shut and for west Londoners Fulham, their deadline day business put the gloss on what now looks like a successful summer for Marco Silva’s side.
The Cottagers signed Kevin from Shakhtar Donetsk for a club-record fee, the Brazilian winger arriving for £34.6million. While fellow wide man Samuel Chukwueze arrived on loan from AC Milan to offer even more strength in depth in the wide areas. In a third deadline day deal, 18-year-old forward Jonah Kusi-Asare arrived on loan from Bayern Munich to offer increased competition in attacking areas.
The Craven Cottage outfit could have completed a perfect deadline day with the £22m purchase of 19-year-old Chelsea winger Tyrique George, with a fee agreed and a medical completed - but the deal fell through at the eleventh hour and the teenager was forced to remain at Stamford Bridge, where he is unlikely to play a significant role this season.
Failed Fulham exit deal may have impacted George collapse
According to reports by The Standard, the failure to reach an agreement between Fulham and Leeds United for the transfer of Harry Wilson to Elland Road may have impacted a deal for George falling through.
Wilson has made 150 appearances for the Cottagers in five years at the club but will have watched with unease as two wingers arrived in the space of a day, leaving the 28-year-old further down the pecking order and open to a new challenge.
But a deal with Leeds could not be reached and Fulham decided to keep Wilson at the club. This may, in turn, have led to George remaining at Chelsea as his pathway to first-team football at Craven Cottage became increasingly blocked by other deadline-day dealings. This is likely to be a disappointing outcome for the 19-year-old, who may opt to look for another move in January if his first-team prospects do not change at Chelsea.
Will either of Fulham or Chelsea be happy with the outcome?
With both clubs experiencing the collapse of a sale at the eleventh hour and Fulham also missing out on the opportunity to secure an impressive new signing, it can be argued that neither club will particularly feel they got the better end of the stick in this scenario.
Chelsea have hit the headlines for their expert selling technique as much as for their purchases this summer and academy graduate George could have been another perfect example of this. A fee of £22m agreed for a player who has made just nine Premier League appearances and was developed expertly in the Conference League last season would have been excellent business.
Whereas for Fulham, the 2006-born ace would have offered a different age profile to the Cottagers attack. While Silva’s side have the luxury of a side full of players in their prime, they have few significant saleable assets and George would have represented a player with a lot of potential to improve.
The decision to keep Wilson, meanwhile, will come as a comforting consolation as the Wales international struck six goals last season, including one of the Premier League goals of the season in a decisive west London derby cameo against Brentford. Both Fulham and Chelsea will now move forward with the new season with their existing squads intact. It remains to be seen whether a move for either George or Wilson materialises once again in January.