Fulham Opinion: Playing a gamble on Jovane Cabral could work wonders for the Cottagers
According to claims from Portuguese newspaper Record, newly-relegated outfit Fulham have been credited with an interest in Sporting Lisbon’s breakout star Jovane Cabral, with manager Scott Parker looking to build a squad capable of securing promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Record understands that the Cottagers are planning to sign the impressive 21-year-old on an initial loan deal with an option to make his stay permanent for a fee of £10 million.
Cabral made eyeballs turn over the course of his breakthrough season at Sporting Lison in the Primeira Liga the last term, with the talented youngster contributing with 4 goals and 8 assists in 31 appearances across all competitions for the Portuguese heavyweights.
Born in Cape Verde, Cabral joined Sporting’s youth system back in 2014 and made rapid progress through the ranks before making his debut for the ‘B’ team in 2016. The youngster broke into the first-team picture at the start of the last season and featured largely as an impact player from the bench, with his impressive performances earning him rave reviews from fans and pundits alike.
Cabral featured for Cape Verde in an international friendly back in 2017 but he still remains eligible to switch his international allegiance to represent Portugal at the senior international level.
Interest in the talented 21-year-old attacker is likely to be high and Fulham have every reason to look at him as a potential transfer target this summer, as the Cottagers find themselves under pressure to balance the books after over-spending in the Premier League.
Essentially a left-winger by trade, Cabral is also capable of playing out wide on the right. Noted for his lightning pace, quick acceleration, rapid shifting of gears and direct style of play, Cabral excels with his ability to take on defenders down the flanks, whilst also boasting of a good eye for key passes in the final third.
To put things into perspective, it is not difficult to see why Fulham have registered an interest in the talented breakout star and it is pretty evident that they won’t have the same riches on offer in the Championship. The 21-year-old might take a bit of time to acclimatise to the style of play prevalent in the Championship but one would expect him to make the step up in due course of time, given his talent and potential.
Fulham find themselves under pressure to cope with the departure of several high-profile players, with the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic, Jean Michael Seri, Andre Schurrle, Ryan Babel, Luciano Vietto and Ryan Sessegnon all looking likely to head for the exit door at Craven Cottage.
Hence, it is pretty clear that the Cottagers need to bring in a few reinforcements ahead of the upcoming campaign in order to reassemble a formidable unit capable of challenging for promotion.
The likes of Floyd Ayite and Neeskens Kebano would be expected to play a more significant role in the attack, while Aboubakar Kamara seems unlikely to return following his charges of misconduct the last term.
Fulham signed Lazar Markovic from Liverpool back in January but relying on the Serb too heavily might prove to be a mistake for the club, given his lack of involvement in recent seasons.
Jovane Cabral, on the other hand, looks more like the real deal and his arrival would add that extra bit of pace and unpredictability to Fulham’s attack.
The 21-year-old has shown in the past that he is more than capable of terrorising full-backs and the Cottagers would be very happy if he manages to replicate his stellar performances in the Championship next season.
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Having spent a fortune upon their promotion to the Premier League last summer, Fulham need to be more sensible this time around and look more bargain deals in the market. Keeping that in mind, playing a gamble on Jovane Cabral won’t be a bad idea for the Cottagers.
