Fulham‘s main man at the back, Tim Ream, has signed a new contract at the club which will keep him at Craven Cottage until 2020. The 30-year-old was named the Lilywhites player of the season last campaign as they qualified to the Premier League by virtue of winning the playoff.
The Cottagers had a great chance to qualify directly by finishing second. Their rivals Cardiff City dropped points in their final game and a win for Fulham would have ensured a much easier passage to the English top flight. However, they faltered in their final encounter against Birmingham City by three goals to one and chose the tough way to qualify to the Premier League by winning the playoffs.
Fulham kept it relatively tight at the back in which Ream played a huge role in Slavisa Jokanovic’s side. The player expressed his happiness by commenting,” The goal all along was to be in the Premier League. Now to have the opportunity to play there with this group of guys is something that I think we’re all looking forward to. I wanted to sort [the contract] out fairly quickly. It gives you the freedom and the license to go out and focus on the football, so it’s just nice to have it done.”
The American international joined Fulham from Bolton Wanderers in 2015 and has slowly established himself as a first-team regular. He reads the game well and is commanding at the back. He is comfortable on the ball which allows the team to build from the back which has been Jokanovic’s philosophy.
Ream made 48 appearances in all competitions which shows his level of fitness even at the age of 30. The club has even added a term in the contract which will give them the chance to elongate his stay by another year after 2020. This news is just coming a day after Fulham secured the future of their club captain and midfielder Tom Cairney who signed a new long-term 5-year contract with the club.
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This goes on to show that Jokanovic is keen to hold on to his main players as they look to take on the challenges of the Premier League. The Serbian manager will be aware that his real test will be in the upcoming season as he tries to establish Lilywhites as a regular top-flight club. Securing the future of their American centre-back is certainly a step in the right direction.
