Danny Simpson could be the one to solve Fulham’s defensive issues
Like many players, including the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Cesc Fabregas and Adrien Rabiot among others, Leicester City’s Danny Simpson will also be out of contract next summer. The Premier League winner has struggled to make an impact under Claude Puel, making just two League appearances this season. To make things worse, the 31-year-old has been demoted to the Premier League 2 with the U23s, making three appearances for them.
He has been Puel’s main choice in the cup competitions, making three appearances which include the 1-1 draw against Manchester City. But as mentioned above, the Manchester United youth academy star’s contract is set to run out of contract and thus, the Foxes should recoup some of the money they paid for him four years ago.
With Ricardo Pereira’s arrival from FC Porto over the summer, the 31-year-old has lost his place in the first team with the Portuguese international adjusting brilliantly. However, Daily Mail has revealed that Fulham and former manager Claudio Ranieri wants to bring him over to Craven Cottage. Will a move be the best thing for the 31-year-old?
With Ranieri looking to patch up Fulham’s leaky defence that has managed to concede a massive 43 goals in just 19 games, the report further adds that the former Leicester City boss believes that Simpson could be a viable option. However, Daily Mail also claims that the right-back could be on his way back to St James’ Park, with Newcastle also interested in a potential move.
The question, however, is can Danny Simpson fix Fulham’s leaky defence or will he just be a short-term solution? At 31, Simpson isn’t going to get any younger and like all footballers, age will catch up with him and he’ll lose his athleticism, which is what makes him a solid right-back. For Fulham, at best, the 31-year-old will offer some experience as a right-back and a potential rotation helper as the season becomes more congested but that’s all.
What the Cottagers need is a bonafide centre-back – someone who can rule their defensive line for years to come and stop them from conceding more goals this season. If they can do that and find the net more often, maybe they’ll live to fight another year in the Premier League.
