Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham… the five Premier League clubs who could consider a swoop for Fulham youngster Ryan Sessegnon
Sessegnon made his 50th senior appearance this week, netting his first hat-trick to mark the occasion, against Sheffield United
A LOT of eyes in the football world were on Phil Foden last night as the teenager made his Champions League debut for Manchester City.
Yet, another 17-year-old reminded everyone that Foden wasn’t the only talented English youngster in his age group.
Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon made his 50th senior appearance for his side against Sheffield United, marking the occasion with with first hat-trick.
Our friends at Football Whispers look at who should bid for the talented teenager in January, and how much he could cost.
There’s no doubt that with every passing impressive performance that Sessegnon’s stock continues to rise.
That will be music to Fulham’s ears, with the Whites not keen on selling.
With their previous academy stars Patrick Roberts and Moussa Dembele thriving for Celtic now, there’s no doubt they’ll want to try and keep hold of Sessegnon as long as possible, to command the biggest fee possible.
There has already been interest in him, with Fulham reportedly turning down a £25million bid from Tottenham last summer.
Talk around Craven Cottage is that the Whites value him at £50m, but that seems an excessive fee for a player, albeit an impressive one, who is yet to play top-flight football.
It does seem like he will go for a Championship record though, and a bid of around £35m should be enough to tempt Fulham into selling.
The money raised could help them build a team with a real chance of putting together a promotion push.
While Prem clubs are richer than ever, £35m for a 17-year-old yet to make a top-flight appearance is a lot of money, and there are only a handful of clubs who could afford that.
So who should bid for Sessegnon in January?
Chelsea
While he’s predominantly a left-back, Fulham’s No3 isn’t uncomfortable playing further forward on the flank. Indeed, against Sheffield United, it was from the winger role where he got his three goals.
His attacking qualities would make him perfect for a wing-back role, which he has played on a handful of occasions when Whites boss Slavisa Jokanovic has tried out playing three at the back.
The left flank is one where Chelsea don’t have too many options either.
Marcos Alonso is undoubtedly the first choice, but beyond that, it’s play Cesar Azpilicueta there, and take him out of the back three, where he’s thriving.
That, or bring in Kenedy, whose Chelsea career seems to be blighted by numerous disciplinary issues.
With the Blues competing on four fronts, Sessegnon would definitely get some game time, and it would allow Alonso to have a rest occasionally.
A move just down the road would also mean he wouldn’t have to have major upheaval in his life.
At 17, he is unlikely to want to move halfway up the country, especially considering his twin brother Steven is currently at Fulham’s academy.
But given he’s made a point of kissing the Fulham badge in recent weeks, a move to neighbours Chelsea may be seen as unforgivable by many Whites fans.
Manchester United
Luke Shaw is out of favour at Old Trafford, with Ashley Young currently the first-choice left-back.
There’s no doubt the 32-year-old has had a hugely impressive start to the season, earning an England recall and a contract extension, but he isn’t getting any younger.
Bringing in Sessegnon would give him competition for the left-back slot, as well as a long-term successor.
The only question would be over boss Jose Mourinho’s perceived lack of opportunities for young players.
Yet perhaps the Portuguese manager is changing, with Manchester United handing opportunities to more academy players than any other Premier League side last season.
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Liverpool
Sessegnon was reportedly a Liverpool transfer target in the summer, but the Reds pulled out of a deal, instead bringing in Andrew Robertson at left-back.
Yet, the former Hull City man has only made two league appearances as Alberto Moreno has been preferred by Jurgen Klopp.
And with the Spaniard reminding his critics of his weaknesses after making a number of mistakes as Sevilla came from 3-0 down to draw with Liverpool in the Champions League, his future will come under question again.
Sessegnon may not be ready to replace him right now, but long-term, he will surely be better than Moreno.
The Reds are getting a reputation for having a number of promising youngsters, with Rhian Brewster, Ben Woodburn and Dominic Solanke all on their books.
The Fulham teenager would definitely join a side that knows how to nurture young talent if he moves to Anfield.
Tottenham
Both this season and last, Spurs have had four very good full-backs indeed.
In 2016/17 it was Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier on the right flank, while the left-back position was between Danny Rose and Ben Davies.
Walker moved to Manchester City in the summer while Serge Aurier came into replace him to ensure Tottenham still had four full-backs most clubs would be envious of.
It looks like Rose may be on his way out, with the left-back reportedly being unhappy at being dropped for the North London Derby with Arsenal.
The England international is thought to be a Manchester United transfer target and that opens up a spot for Sessegnon in the squad.
He may be young, but he’s certainly ahead of his age group – he wasn’t part of England’s Under-17 World Cup success as he’s already playing at a higher level.
Before last night, the last 17-year-old to score a hat-trick in England’s top four divisions was Dele Alli.
Mauricio Pochettino has worked wonders with him, and perhaps that could tempt Sessegnon to make the switch to North London.
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Everton
The Toffees spent big in the summer, albeit perhaps not particularly wisely.
With the backing of majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, they can definitely compete with the Premier League’s biggest clubs in terms of transfer fees.
So Fulham’s asking price for Sessegnon shouldn’t put them off.
With Leighton Baines now 32, they will be looking for a long-term replacement.
What’s more, Everton appear to have a lot of No10s but not many wingers, somewhere that the 17-year-old could also play.
But with their poor start to the season, Sessegnon is more likely to join a club towards the top of the Premier League, as they are bound to be interested in him.