Fulham make another good addition to their squad

Scott Parker has become the latest signing by Fulham after joining from Tottenham on Monday

Premier League Fulham yesterday completed the signing of England international midfielder Scott Parker from Tottenham for an undisclosed fee.

Parker is just the latest quality player to join the Cottagers this summer, after he snubbed a move to Fulham’s London rivals QPR.

Recent signings

Fulham fans must be happy with their clubs summer transfer business, especially the latest three signings.

The likes of Darren Bent and Adel Taarabt are players that will get the Cottagers fans off their seats, the sort of players that football fans want to see in action.

Signing England international striker Darren Bent is something of a coup for the Cottagers. The 29-year-old was also believed to be attracting the interest of Fulham’s Premier League rivals Crystal Palace and Newcastle.

However, it was Fulham who won the race for the striker. Bent is a player that has scored goal wherever he has played. He is a natural born poacher and will no doubt score goals for the Cottagers. Bent will also be keen to impress after being frozen out at Aston Villa last season.

When you look up the word mercurial in the Oxford English Dictionary there is a picture of Adel Taarabt next to it. The Moroccan playmaker is at times wildly inconsistent, but on his day can win games on his own.

His ability with the ball led to a move to Tottenham at an early age. However, it did not work out at White Hart Lane and it was at QPR were he established himself as a highly-talented star. Last season was a rather-stop-start one for the temperamental ace.

Maybe a change of scenery will bring the best out of Taarabt, because on his day he can be fantastic to watch. Both Taarabt and Bent have arrived on season-long loan deals. However, if they do well I am sure that Fulham boss Martin Jol will do his best to keep the players at his club.

Parker is a completely different sort of signing to that of Taarabt and Bent. Parker is very much a ball-winner in midfielder, who will give you hundred per cent in games, the exact opposite of what Taarabt’s approach to the game.

The England international is not as skilful as the Moroccan, but what he lacks in technique he makes up for in enthusiasm and drive in the centre of midfield. The 32-year-old will add some steel to the centre of the Fulham team.

Exciting

Fulham fans must now be excited by their side’s options, especially in the attacking third. Adel Taarabt, Darren Bent and Dimitar Berbatov sounds like an exciting strike force to me, even if they are not the most energetic of trio’s.

Between them they have the movement, vision and finishing power that every successful team needs in attack. The players behind them may do a lot more running this season, but the trio will score heaps of goals and could form a lethal attack for the Cottagers.

Fulham’s teams in recent years have not exactly been the most exciting in the Premier League. Berbatov’s presence in their team last season gave the fans a glimpse of skill and magic. Taarabt should give the Cottagers fans twice the magic and Bent should provide a pacey foil for the former-Manchester United man.

Expectations

For the last few seasons Fulham have finished comfortably in midtable in the Premier League table. There would no doubt of been the same expectations from the Fulham fans prior to the latest signings.

However, the new arrivals may have just raised expectations amongst Fulham supporters that the club can finish higher than their 12^th position from last season. The Cottagers opened their campaign with a 1-0 win in the north east against Sunderland on Saturday and are looking strong with the latest additions to the squad.

The future is looking bright for the Cottagers and surely a place in the top ten should be well within their reach this season and a higher finish is not impossible. With the players now in the Fulham squad Craven Cottage should be a very interesting place to watch football this season.

Where will Fulham finish in the Premier League table this season?