Fulham have engineered encouraging results in the league of late, particularly since the turn of the year, and are currently placed at the 3rd spot in the Championship. With 69 points to their name after 38 fixtures, the Cottagers are seemingly likely to make it to the playoffs and there is no denying the Slavisa Jokanovic and his troops have done a terrific job.
One of the players who has excelled in the recent weeks is their winger, Lucas Piazon. The 24-year-old has been with the Championship outfit since the summer of 2016 after his loan move from Chelsea and has been a handy commodity for his side. However, in one of his recent interviews, he has stated that he is unsure about his future with Fulham.
Piazon missed four months of action earlier this campaign owing to his leg injury but has cemented his place in Jokanovic’s starting line-up. He is expected to be a key player for the Londoners in the business end of the season as his attacking prowess has been evident. So far this season, he has scored 4 goals and 4 assists in 16 appearances in the Championship and has inked a pass accuracy of 82.9%.
Chelsea’s loan system has been criticized time and again but Piazon seems to be someone who has benefitted massively during his loan spells. The Brazilian had chiselled loan moves to the ranks of Malaga, Vitesse, Eintracht Frankfurt and Reading before moving to Fulham. Thus, it goes without saying that he has quite a bit of experience under his belt to boast of.
His parent club do need a player like him in their squad but given the inclination to sign world-class players with notable pedigree, Piazon might be overlooked once again. Or worse, he might be kept in their ranks only to let him ply his trade sporadically, which will only harm his developmental process. Should he be keeping his fingers crossed and expect Jokanovic to sign him permanently in the summer?
At this stage of his career, he certainly needs to get a permanent move. The Brazilian is a shrewd attacker and although he missed a substantial part of the campaign due to injuries, he has certainly made his presence felt after his return. Besides, he has acclimatized himself with English football adequately, fared well under the pressure to perform and it would make a lot of sense if Jokanovic tries to prise him out of the Stamford Bridge permanently.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
