Fulham Linked With Solid Serie A Central Defender: Much Needed Option For Parker?

Premier League new boys Fulham, are reportedly interested in signing Sassuolo defender Marlon. The 25-year-old joined the Italian club in 2018 from Barcelona and has since made 41 appearances in two seasons for the Serie A side.

According to Football Italia, the Brazilian is a target for Fulham and the Italian club’s director confirmed talks between the two sides. The report claims that Marlon could be sold for a fee of around €15 million. Barcelona, who sold him for €6 million, will earn around half of the money from the sale of Marlon.

Marlon moved to the Catalan giants from Fluminense after a year-long loan spell and also had a loan spell at Nice before eventually moving to Sassuolo.

Marlon: A good option for Fulham?

Newly-promoted Fulham have been active in the transfer window, signing four players on permanent deals and three players on loan. Harrison Reed, Kenny Tete, Anthony Knockaert and Antonee Robinson were brought in on permanent deals, while Mario Lemina, Ola Aina, and Alphonse Areola were signed on loan. The Cottagers manager Scott Parker, has options all around the park but lacks depth in central defence.

In the two Premier League games that they have played in the season, they have already shipped in seven goals, losing 3-0 to Arsenal and 4-3 to Leeds United. It’s quite clear that the centre-back position needs to be strengthened – and quickly, as they run the risk of falling behind only a month into the season.

Marlon could be a useful signing for Fulham, with the player expected to add some much-needed aggression to the Fulham backline. The Brazilian is a hard-tackling defender, who likes to push forward and win the ball, averaging 1.7 tackles per game last season. The 25-year-old is strong in one-on-one situations and does not rush into tackles.

The defender is very good with the ball at his feet and is a confident passer from the back. In the 2019-20 Serie A season, Marlon completed an average of 94.3% of his passes. He averaged 60.9 passes per game, as well as 2.7 long balls. All traits which will help Fulham to stabilise their backline and show more confidence and composure when in possession.

Fulham manager Scott Parker has emphasised on keeping the ball and passing it around instead of lumping hopeful balls forward, and the addition of Marlon could help them not just defensively, but offensively as well. The Cottagers need more players at the back, which makes this signing an important one for them and one that Parker should make sure is completed.