Why Fulham signing Timo Baumgartl would be useful to their defence
According to The Telegraph, Fulham are looking to sign two centre-backs, one of which is Timo Baumgartl of PSV Eindhoven, before the close of the transfer window. Life back in the Premier League has not gone according to plan for Fulham. They have lost all 3 of their opening games.
Profile
Timo Baumgartl is a 24-year-old German defender who plays for Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven. He started his youth career at GSV Maichingen and moved to SSV Reutlingen in 2010. After one season, he was signed by VfB Stuttgart’s youth setup.
He played quite a few games at youth level for Stuttgart with his U-17 numbers racking up to 50 games. In 2014, he was promoted to the VfB Stuttgart II team. Slowly, the center-back started getting calls to the first team and eventually in 2015, he was promoted to the senior side.
In 121 appearances for the senior side, he has scored twice and assisted once (source – Transfermarkt). At the start of last season, he left for PSV Eindhoven. He featured in 22 games for the Dutch side while grabbing 2 goals.
Baumgartl has been a regular part of the German youth sides with 20 appearances for the U-21’s but is yet to play for the senior side.
Why Timo Baumgartl would be a useful signing for their defence
It looks very puzzling, to say the least when you look at Fulham’s squad. With only 3 central defenders, namely Michael Hector, Maxime LeMarchand and Tim Ream, the club look woefully short at the back. Both in terms of quality and quantity.
The club have made some good additions like Alphonse Areola, Harrison Reed and Anthony Knockaert. However, they have failed to address their defensive issues, on and off the field. The club has conceded 10 goals in the 3 league games as well as another 3 in their EFL Cup exit at Brentford.
The club currently lies at the bottom of the league table and could be in for another relegation scrap come the end of the season. Scott Parker should be alarmed at this if he’s not already. In each league game (apart from the game against Wolves), they have shipped three or more goals. Adding a defender to their ranks should be of paramount importance now.
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Timo Baumgartl offers a good option with his age and potential. The centre-back has played in 86 Bundesliga games, a league known for producing quality defenders. With time running out, Fulham should focus all their efforts on bringing in at least one if not two centre-backs and Timo Baumgartl should be one of them.
