Fulham’s 17-year-old wonderkid, Ryan Sessegnon has drawn heavy interests from multiple European sides and AS Monaco are the latest suitors to have joined in on the £30m race.The Ligue 1 outfit are planning to break the Paris Saint-Germain-dominance in the Ligue 1 and are prepared to make the investments necessary to make that happen.
However, where will that leave a youngster like Sessegnon?
The versatile wide man has struck gold in his debut season with the Fulham senior squad, scoring 14 and assisting 6 in 46 total appearances. Right making his first senior appearance on 9th August 2016 at the age of 16 years and 81 days only, the Roehampton-born player has slowly cemented a starting XI under Slaviša Jokanović. He has displayed great maturity and composure for a teenager and it would be fair to say that his abilities are far ahead of his years.
European sides have been on his tail for years but the youngster temporarily ended all speculative talks by signing a contract extension with the Lillywhites for another 2 seasons, which means he will be a free-agent in the summer of 2020.
Left wing or left-back, no one can really tell where is the best suited but the starlet’s talents are boundless. He has already been capped 30 times for the England youth sides ranging from the U16s to the U19s. Even now he could breeze into the U21 squad but it would be fair for the FA to give other players more opportunities.
Fulham has also kept their promise of showing Sessegnon a promising future in England. The club has successfully edged themselves closer to the automatic promotion spot and will have to overcome Cardiff City within the last 3 games of the season. If the second spot is not achieved, they will still be the heavy favourites going into the promotion playoffs followed closely by Aston Villa.
Wherever he ends up going, Sessegnon’s priority should be to find maximum game time as that will ensure his meteoric rise and a definitive future in the English national team. Seeing out his contract with the Cottagers will definitely aid in that prosperous journey but the gamble of a transfer could also pay out high dividends.
AS Monaco is a top side in Europe who brings with them UEFA Champions League football next season. They have lost key players in the last transfer window and have the cash to sign able replacements.
However, even they should not really threaten Sessegnon’s future at Craven Cottage for the near future. At 17, the player has shown great promise but it needs to be converted into a feasible career.
Too much hype, too early in their lives could potentially ruin their future and we do not need a rerun of another ‘could-have-been’ stories.
