Fulham goalkeeper Magnus Norman has put pen to paper on a new deal with the club which will see him stay at Craven Cottage until the summer of 2019. The club has confirmed on their official website that the Cottagers keeper has signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2019 with a club option to extend by a further year. Norman signed for the London club in June 2006, which makes him the longest-serving professional footballer in Fulham’s ranks, just ahead of Marcus Bettinelli and Elijah Adebayo.
The 21-year-old has featured for the Whites at every age group in their youth ranks and was recently rewarded with a place on the bench for their Emirates FA Cup encounter with Southampton at Craven Cottage. In an interview with the club’s official website, the youngster expressed his delight and was quoted to have said, “I’m really happy,”
“I’ve been here since I was nine so it’s great to extend my contract by another year, and hopefully I can push on and potentially make my debut.
“I love it here. I know everyone throughout the Club, and being with the First Team this year has been a good experience.
“Being part of matchday squads is just the best feeling. The atmosphere at the stadiums, warming up, and the whole experience of travelling is just really good.
“That’s all the motivation you need, that’s where you want to be, playing in those big stadiums with those crowds.
“All the way through I’ve looked up to Betts – he is who I want to be like, progressing through all the age groups to become Fulham’s number one goalkeeper.
“Training with Jose [Sambade Carreira] and the other ‘keepers, we all get on really well. The camaraderie’s good, and we all push each other in training.
“We’re all mates, but at the end of the day we’re all competing for the number one shirt as well.”
The Cottagers are currently sitting in 5th place in the Championship table, six points behind an automatic promotion spot which is currently occupied by second-placed Cardiff City. They have recently performed well in the league and are on course to secure a playoff spot at the end of the season. It is increasingly important for them to give their youngsters a platform to showcase their skills as Slaviša Jokanović looks to build for a brighter future at the club. Although, Norman has not made a senior appearance for Fulham, yet he has a lot of potential and knows the club well after spending over a decade in their youth ranks.
The English keeper could break into their first-team squad in the coming years so a new deal makes sense for all parties involved. Fulham could benefit from having a local player in their goalkeeping ranks while Norman might use this opportunity to showcase his talents at Craven Cottage in the near future. Only time will tell whether he can turn out to be a success for Slaviša Jokanović’s side in the coming seasons.
