With the summer transfer window few months away, the top clubs are gearing up to do battle for the signatures of some of the best players set to be available in the market.
Recent reports claim both Liverpool and Tottenham are highly interested in the services of Fulham left-back Ryan Sessegnon, with the Championship club’s chances of letting him go very high if they fail to get promoted at the end of the campaign.
The promising 16-year-old England youth international is also being pursued by some other top sides, but who is this sensational defender set to be one of the most exciting transfer tussle subjects come summer?
Football Background/C.V
Sessegnon has been at Fulham since 2008, arriving as an 9-year-old kid with a lot of potentials. Those talents saw him quickly progress through the club’s youth ranks, far ahead of his twin brother Steven.
Having guided the Fulham under-16 team to victory at the Premier League’s U16 International Cup – a competition that featured the likes of Arsenal, Benfica, PSV, Liverpool, Celtic, Schalke, Manchester City, and Chelsea, and winning the award for best attacking player at the tournament, the left-back linked up with Fulham’s under-18 at the start of last season and quickly became a regular.
His fine form earned him a place in the first-team during the last pre-season preparations, and he hasn’t looked back since then.
Since making his full senior debut for the Cottagers last August, Ryan Sessegnon has gone on to appear in 15 Championship games, scoring and assisting twice, becoming the youngest player to score in a second-tier game and the first player born in 2000 to score in the professional English leagues.
Sessegnon has also been one of future prospects for the Three Lions, and currently features for the under-19’s whom he scored for in a win over Luxembourg in November. He was part of the under-17 contingent that reached the European Championships quarter-finals last time.
Style of Play / Strengths and Weaknesses
Despite primarily being a left-back, Sessegnon is known for his standout attacking qualities and has very often been compared with a younger version of Gareth Bale.
The teenage sensation loves to make crosses into the box, though he still has a lot of work to do in that regards, he still is an excellent dribbler, who can also play great and accurate passes to teammates.
His height and physical stature, however, makes him weak in aerial duels given the type of opponents he currently deals with.
Where will he fit in?
Hardly do we get to see 17-year-olds starting Premier League games, so this budding talent won’t likely be appearing in the starting team sheets of any of the top clubs next term, but he sure would be in good hands, especially at the White Hart Lane.
Ryan Sessegnon’s all-round abilities make him a perfect wing back, and in Danny Rose, he would have a great player to look up to. He would have the opportunity of learning the ropes from one of the best defenders and managers in the game, and serve as quality backup and become the one to takeover in the nearest future.
Liverpool can do with a new left-back like sessegnon too, with Moreno not providing Milner enough competition.
Ryan Sessegnon might not do that immediately, but the potential is there, and any team that lands him can be assured of having a very promising player on their hands.