Why Jokanovic must do everything in his powers to keep Fulham’s vital cog at the club this season

Why Matt Targett would be a good signing for Fulham

According to reports, newly-promoted Premier League side Fulham have launched a £10m bid for Southampton left-back Matt Targett. However, Southampton reportedly have no intention of selling the defender this summer.

Targett, 22, who was on loan at Fulham for the second half of the 2017/18 campaign, helped the club to earn promotion back to the Premier League. He made 21 appearances for the Cottagers, who now want to sign him on a permanent deal.

Fulham were in stunning form during the second half of last season and deservedly won promotion to the Premier League by defeating Aston Villa 1-0 in the Championship playoff final at Wembley. Their transfer strategy in January to sign players on loan paid rich dividends. Aleksandr Mitrovic and Targett arrived from Newcastle and Southampton respectively and played important roles in Fulham’s promotion.

While Mitrovic managed to score 12 goals in 20 games in all competitions for Fulham, Targett played a key role in shoring up the defence.

Now back in the Premier League, Slavisa Jokanovic should press hard to make the necessary additions to his squad ahead of next term. And Jokanovic must prioritise signing Southampton’s Targett, who impressed during his loan spell at Craven Cottage.

Targett came through the youth ranks at Southampton but struggled to break into the first-team due to Ryan Bertrand being the club’s first-choice left-back. Lack of game time saw him leave the club on loan in January.

And his addition proved to be useful for Fulham as his presence at left-back pushed Ryan Sessegnon into a more attacking position from where he made notable differences in the final third. Sessegnon managed to score 15 goals over the course of the 2017/18 campaign but much of the credit should be given to Targett for his role in freeing up the 17-year-old.

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Targett looked assured in possession, strong in tackles and was defensively diligent. In fact, he flourished under Jokanovic’s footballing system and brought a sense of stability and balance to Fulham’s defence. His early crosses gave the Cottagers another dimension in attack, while his interchange with Sessegnon on the left proved too hot to handle for several defences.

Fulham should try keeping the squad which won promotion in their bid for Premier League survival this coming season. Targett was an important cog in the Fulham side last season, and Jokanovic must do everything to sign him permanently this summer.