Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic has urged Fulham to keep starlet Ryan Sessegnon
According to the Standard, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool are all highly interested in the youngster but Slavisa Jokanovic feels that the best place for him to develop is at Fulham. The manager also sees Sessegnon as playing a big part in Fulham’s future, and has urged the club to keep hold of the youngster and protect him :
“He is one of the most talented teenagers in England,” said the Fulham boss, according to the Standard. “He is very good for this club. I am sure that he is going to be a very important player for us in the future. But he is only 16 years old and we have to be careful with him. He is working very hard and has to keep going.”
Sessegnon became one of the youngest scorers in the FA Cup when he scored the winner against Cardiff in the FA Cup on Sunday. Although the goal he scored was slightly fortuitous, Sesssegnon has been catching the eye with his performances over the last season.
Sessegnon has made 11 appearances for Fulham across all competitions this season, and has picked up 3 goals and 1 assist. A strong passer of the ball, Sessegnon has been averaging at pass accuracy of 83.7% this season and has picked up 1 man of the match award. These are impressive statistics for a 16 year old, even if he plays in the Championship.
In August, reports emerged that Manchester City and Manchester United were going head-to-head in order to secure the signing of the highly-rated Englishman. A month later, further reports claimed that Tottenham were on the verge of signing the talented left-back, after staving off interest from Liverpool.
Sessegnon is a versatile player whose favourite position is at left-back, but the Englishman can also operate on the left of midfield. Jurgen Klopp has always been a fan of attacking full-backs. With Alberto Moreno still unconvincing at Liverpool, Klopp will definitely be on the lookout for a new left-back despite James Milner’s solid performances in that role.
At 31, Milner is reaching the end of his career and a young attacking left-back could be exactly what Liverpool need. Sessegnon may not be ready for the Premier League yet, but Klopp has a good history of nurturing young talent and Liverpool could be a good destination for the youngster.
Manchester City’s interest in Sessegnon is also said to be fueled by the fact that Guardiola is a fan of the youngster and his versatility. The fact that Sessegnon is English will also be a big bonus for City, as they look to continue adding homegrown talent to their ranks.
For all his attacking prowess, Sessegnon has proven that he has defensive ability as well. He is averaging 1.4 tackles per game and makes an average of 2.8 clearances per 90 minutes. His performance against Leeds on the opening day of the season was the complete one, and the inevitable links to top-tier teams started almost immediately after that game.
It looks likely that Sessegnon will stay with Fulham until at least the end of the season, but if his performances continue to impress the way they have, expect all these links to resurface in no time. A video of Sessegnon’s goal for Fulham against Cardiff can be found below, with his goal coming at the 1:40 mark.
