Fulhams Ambition - Why they are different to other newly promoted teams?

When Fulham won the play-off final back in May, Manager Slavisa Jokanovic first words were that his team must show ambition on their return to the Premier League. 

10 days before they kick off their campaign, many believe that the West London Club have already proven their ambition in the transfer market. They have beaten the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham to Nice’s midfielder Jean Michael Seri, signed a World Cup winner in Andre Schülrrle, brought Aleksandar Mitrovic back on a permanent deal and are now close to signing Swansea center-back Alfie Mawson. 

Last summer Jean Michel Seri was on the verge of signing for Barcelona for it only to collapse on deadline day. The midfielder was key to Nice’s impressive season in Ligue1 having scored 7 goals and 9 assists in the 2016/17 season. 

This signing just edges the Joao Moutinho signing for Wolves for me. Seri should be at a club competing in Europe but with him going to Fulham, it shows the clubs ambition rather than his own. 

Andre Schürrle is another unexpected signing. The World Cup winner was in his prime when he moved from Bayer Leverkusen to Chelsea back in 2013, but at only 27 the German could have had a few more years in the Champions League with Dortmund. It was stated that many other clubs were looking at signing Schürrle, but he chose newly promoted Fulham. 

He said, “I love ball possession, I love attacking and I love making runs, I think it could be a good fit.”

Mitrovic’s decision to join was self-explanatory. He scored 12 goals in 17 appearances while on loan from Newcastle and was integral in Fulham’s 22 game unbeaten run. Having splashed out £22M on the Serbian, Fulham have showed their commitment to building a top 10 Premier League squad. 

Alfie Mawson’s proposed transfer is also surprising. The price tag of the English defender is said to be £20M which is a bargain. West Ham and Burnley were also chasing his signature following the Swans relegation into the Championship. He again preferred Fulham. 

Since the Khan family took over Fulham in 2013 their prime aim was to secure promotion back to the Premier League. Now they have completed that what is the next stage for a team that is backed by an owner who boasts a £7.4 billion net worth? 

The signings by Fulham are a statement of intent. So far they have splashed an estimated of £77m on players so far this summer and only Liverpool, West Ham and Manchester United have spent more.

They are not coming to the Premier league merely to survive, they are here to return to the top 10 and challenge in Europe again.