Fulham are making a late dash to earn a spot in the play-offs in the Championship. The Cottagers are placed 7th on the league table with 61 points and merely 1 point behind Sheffield Wednesday who have accommodated themselves on the last playoff spot. One of the instrumental figures in Fulham’s decent campaign so far could be traced to the form of their sensational midfielder in the shape of Tom Cairney.
Ever since his move to the Craven Cottage, Cairney has hit the ground up and running and has emerged as one of the most valuable players which the English second tier has on offer. So far this season in 37 appearances for Fulham, the 26-year-old has bagged 9 goals, registered 9 assists and has made 2.9 key passes every game on an average. The Scottish international has been a revelation and the price tag of £20million that has been finalised by Fulham as his selling price makes perfect sense.
The Scot, who was handed his first Scottish international by Gordon Strachan this week in Scotland’s 1-1 draw against Canada, is a thoroughly combative midfielder who is versatile enough to play as a central defensive midfielder, central midfielder and as an attacking midfielder as well. His composure with the ball, movements off the ball, ability to create spaces for his teammates and a killer eye for passes make him a player any top quality side would love to have in their ranks.
He doesn’t confine himself to catering to the offensive needs of his side only, for he is a serious contributor with respect to the defensive duties as well. He has made 1.1 tackles, 0.4 interceptions, 0.5 clearances and 0.1 blocks per game on an average, which is a decent set of statistics considering the fact that he has played a majority of the games as an offensive midfielder. He has excelled for the London-based club and no reason why he cannot thrive for a new club.
Newcastle United enquired about the availability of the former Blackburn Rovers midfielder and he might be subject to interest from a host of clubs in the summer. Slavisa Jokanovic knows that he might get tempted to sell Cairney in the summer, and that is precisely the reason for putting such a hefty price tag across his collar. Irrespective of his whereabouts next campaign, he is a player who should be plying his trade in the promised land of Premier League.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
