Why Fulham must make a move for the experienced Gerard Pique
According to the Peruvian website Libero (h/t Daily Mail), Fulham are planning a sensational move for Barcelona defender Gerard Pique.
The 33-year-old centre-back and one of Barcelona’s key players over the last decade was one among the many veteran players in the side who recently became the subject of heavy criticism.
The La Liga side endured a difficult league campaign this season as they lost their title to arch-rivals Real Madrid. To add to their miseries, they also got knocked out of the Champions League quarterfinals after suffering an 8-2 thrashing at the hands of eventual winners Bayern Munich.
The report claims that the Scott Parker-led side have already put an offer on the table for the £220,000-a-week defender, who has won three Champions League and eight La Liga titles with Barcelona.
Pique a good stop-gap solution for Fulham
Fulham are returning to the Premier League after a one-year gap. The Cottagers were pretty disciplined at the back under Parker, conceding just 48 goals from their overall 46 league matches last term.
However, they would be aware that this would not be enough to help them sustain in the physically more challenging Premier League and it is not a big surprise they have made a move for Pique.
At present, Fulham have four centre-backs in their side – Alfie Mawson, Michael Hector, veterans Maxime Le Marchand and Tim Ream. 32-year-old Ream has been one of the regulars in the side, making 44 Championship appearances for them last term. However, he has spent the majority of his career playing in the lower divisions.
To date, Fulham’s most consistent centre-back has only made 39 Premier League appearances out of his overall 393 career matches, and this would not serve them well next season.
Only Mawson has enough experience playing at the highest level, with 80 Premier League matches to his credit. Hector and Le Marchand have a mere combined 37 matches under their kitty.
Hence, Fulham’s decision to approach an experienced and World Cup-winning player such as Pique makes complete sense. Moreover, he is not someone new to England, having already played for Manchester United back in his early days.
He is a Premier League (2007-08) and Champions League (2008) winner with the Red Devils, suggesting it would not take him much time to adjust to the new surroundings if a move happens. Thus, Fulham must continue their pursuit of Pique as he could prove to be an excellent stop-gap solution for them.
Read more
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Verdict
A proven and world-class centre-back, both for club and country, Pique’s addition will only add more strength to Fulham and also boost the side’s confidence next season. A top star, he would be a huge signing for the Cottagers and they must get him.
