Five reasons why Fulham should sign Huddersfield Town superstar Danel Sinani

After securing promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking for a second Championship campaign in a row it’s time for Fulham to look ahead to the future.

Some players like captain Tim Ream and the out-of-favour Frenchman Anthony Knockaert will inevitably leave while others like Aleksandar Mitrovic and Harry Wilson will stay put in a bid to help Fulham secure top-flight survival for the first time since 2012/2013. The Serbia international especially will be looking to prove many doubters wrong and show that he can cut it against top defenders in the best league in the world.

But there is one player Fulham should look to strengthen their left-wing position. And that is Huddersfield hotshot Danel Sinani.

The Luxembourg international is in his first full campaign in English football and at the top level after being discarded by Norwich City's Daniel Farke ahead of the 2020/2021 Championship campaign. Making matters worse, is that he could barely show what he was capable of on loan at Belgian minnows Waasland-Beveren as the season came to a halt in early spring due to COVID-19. With question marks persisting over Neeskens Kebano’s ability to make his mark in the Premier League, the Serbia-born Huddersfield Town ace could be the solution to many a problem for the Cottagers in the Premier League in a bid to finally stay clear of relegation.

Here are five reasons, Marco Silva should target the 25-year-old Terriers star.

The perfect foil for Mitrovic

If the Championship is the high school of English football, the Premier League certainly is the university. And not every student with 4 A-levels can make the grade at university and go on and get a BA or MA however brilliant he was in secondary school. Sure, Mitrovic is too good for the Championship but plenty of detractors argue he doesn’t have what it takes to carry his second-tier form to the Holy Grail of English football. But with ‘countryman’ Sinani alongside him, a telepathic understanding could develop, allowing Mitro to create havoc in the Premier League too. All he needs is a manager who loves and believes in him. But we shouldn’t underestimate the players who share the final third with him. And Sinani could just give him the service he needs to feed off. The way he took the entire Barnsley defence out of the equation for Huddersfield’s second was just superb. And he also had a hand in Huddersfield’s first goal from a corner which Tom Lees flicked on for Jordan Rhodes to turn home.

Having faced each others in international games between Luxembourg and Serbia both Mitrovic and Danel they are used to playing at the top level and hail from the same country even if the Huddersfield loanee represents his adoptive country. Besides, we should not underestimate the chemistry both men could develop on and off the pitch. Sinani has what Mitrovic needs in his locker. Can roll him through on goal, pick him out with pinpoint crosses and attract two defenders on him so that Mitrovic is unmarked to put the ball away.

May be inconsistent but can only get better

Some may argue that he’s inconsistent in games and between games but Sinani’s fearsome left foot has few rivals in the Championship. On his day he can pull a rabbit out of his hat and score from anywhere. Played a pivotal role in Luxembourg minnows F91 Dudelange’s back-to-back qualifications to the Europa League in 2019 and 2020 respectively. And his screamers against Cluj in the qualifying rounds and Olympiacos in the group stages will long live in every Luxembourgish football fans' memory. This season he has racked up 6 goals and 4 assists in 38 games. Too little? We should not forget that it has been his maiden season at a high level and there was a time, not too long ago, he was still playing with amateurs and semi-professionals in Luxembourg. Has come a long way but the best is yet to come.

Versatility

The 25-year-old can play on the left as he did tonight but there’s no doubt he can play on the opposite wing too. With that magic wand of a left foot he can cut inside before having a pop at goal or altruistically pick the right [weighted] pass for one of his unmarked teammates in behind or into space. Sinani is a good finisher but loves to drop deep and help his team in the build-up play as well. And thanks to his tenacity he doesn't shy away from a challenge. Not just that, despite his advanced position he is also the first defender and has the ability to press the opposition’s rear-guard high to prevent them from playing out and cut out long balls forward. He might go missing at times in games but with the added experience of a second English season under his belt he can only improve from this viewpoint. Furthermore he is good in tight spaces and when attacking the space with or without the ball on his terrific left-foot. Tonight he showed urgency on the ball and worked his socks off in dispossession. He may not be blessed with Kebano’s pace or penetration but has a better vision and is tactically more astute than the Congo international. And on top of that Sinani is versatile and can be play in multiple positions, even as a false 9 or behind a striker.

Cheap

According to Transfermarket he has a market value of £900k. It remains to be seen whether Norwich take a punt on him if they go down. Or if Huddersfield, who qualified for the Championship playoffs tonight, sign him on a permanent deal if they swap divisions with the Carrow Road outfit. The Terriers do have an option to buy and the Canaries may be happy to cash in on him as they already have Milot Rashica and Todd Cantwell who can play in his position. The Norwich loanee also has the added advantage that he doesn’t command big transfer and salary fees, certainly a far cry from what others, more established players would demand. It's understood that £5m would be enough for Fulham to snap Sinani up.

Irreproachable mentality

Legendary former Italy and AC Milan manager Arrigo Sacchi once said that when he looked at potential players to sign, he was more interested in sussing out how they ticked as the “feet can be improved but not the head”. And ‘whiter than white’ Sinani is as big a professional as they come and far from the modern-day footballer who flaunts his flashy cars and a glitzy lifestyle on social media. Sinani is humble, generous and hard-working. Just like he is on the pitch.