Ademola Lookman: Not Ready to Sink with Fulham

Except the unexpected happens, Fulham will be campaigning in the Championship next season, but one player who would not be going down with the Cottagers is Super Eagles hopeful, Ademola Lookman as two Premiership sides-Leicester City and Everton are said to be mulling the idea of signing the striker, while his parent club- RB Leipzig are not ruling out his return to the Bundesliga

Reports suggest Manchester City want to sign a rising Premier League star Ademola Lookman as they are on the lookout for new, exciting wingers proven in the English top.
Leicester’s interest for the potential signing of RB Leipzig’s wingman is because the player in question fits the bill of requirements at King Power Stadium.

Lookman is not the acquisition that would set social media alight for the east Midlands team. Nor would it cause a media frenzy as other proposed higher profile deals could do. Yet it is a realistic move for all involved.

First of all, clubs such as LCFC aren’t in a position to constantly splash the cash on any old buy, like say a Manchester United; the Foxes cannot be frivolous in the transfer market, so prudence and lengthy judgement has to be and is applied by Leicester and their recruitment department.

Moreover, Leipzig are said to be happy to lose the former Everton man over the summer, for the right price. In 2019, the Germans paid approximately £16.2 million for the Englishman; his current value is around £11.7m. That fee would be a steal for a 23-year-old with eight goal involvements in the EPL for a side which will probably be relegated.

Indeed, Lookman’s experience with two English teams and abroad is a big bonus to LCFC as they hopefully embark on another European journey in 2020/21.
His versatility in attack offers Brenden Rodgers the luxury of a back-up man who can play all across the field behind a centre-forward, including as support striker.

Meanwhile, Everton legend Leon Osman has urged English Premier League clubs to make a move for Super Eagles hopeful Lookman when his loan deal with Fulham expires at the end of the 2020-2021 season.
With the Cottagers candidates to make an immediate return to the Championship, they probably won’t be an attractive option for the winger in the coming weeks, especially as there’s no purchase clause in the deal bringing him from RB Leipzig.

Statistically, Lookman has been Fulham’s standout player in the Premier League, scoring four goals and assisting four others – a decent return considering that he struggled a bit when he made the huge jump from the Championship to the Premier League in January 2017.

Though Osman sang the praises of the RB Leipzig loanee, he added that the 2017 U-20 World Cup winner had to improve on his consistency.

“When he joined Everton he was young and raw, his ability is unquestionable. He has such skill,” Osman said on Premier League Productions’ Premier League Today on Wednesday morning.
“What he has lacked up till this point is consistency, I think you’ve started to see that more and more in his time this season at Fulham – he’s started to get more end product.

“That’s a chance that that club will take. Will they feel they can get more consistency out of him because if they can, then he’s certainly a player that you want in your squad.
“He’s somebody that can unlock the door of the opposition and they are quite hard to find.”
Champions League hopefuls Leicester City have been strongly linked with a summer move for Lookman and a return to parent club RB Leipzig has been mooted.

Lookman’s breakthrough in football was recognised with his first England U-19 call-up last May. His outstanding attributes are his pace, dribbling and powerful finishing ability with both feet, but without any professional coaching before he joined Charlton, there were areas of his game which required extra attention.

“There were a lot of things he missed out on, and that was the learning and understanding of the game,” says Euell. “Young lads always say they can play football, but then comes the tactical side of it, the game understanding and the decision-making process.

“We didn’t want to stop Ademola from doing what he does because that’s what makes him special, it was just about getting him to understand when and where to do certain things. At every level, every game is different. He had to learn what was needed from him in and out of possession.”

Charlton rejected an offer from Crystal Palace in the summer, but Lookman never lost focus and added seven goals in 25 appearances for Charlton in the first-half of this season. Euell chuckles as he recalls having to drag him off the training pitch at Charlton’s Sparrow’s Lane headquarters. That determination to improve should serve him well at Everton.

“He’s a great character and everyone else at the training ground would say exactly the same thing,” says Euell. “He is just a humble boy who loves his football. He hates being injured and he always wants to do extra work. He just wants the ball at his feet and wants to improve. He’s one of those guys who absolutely hates losing.”

Charlton manager Karl Robinson only coached Lookman for a few weeks having taken over at The Valley in November, but he described the teenager as an “incredible talent” and a “joy to work with” when the deal was confirmed.

Born as Ademola Olajade Lookman October 20, 1997, in Wandsworth, London, to Nigerian parents, he attended St. Thomas the Apostle College in Peckham where he achieved three As and five As at GCSE.
Lookman signed for Everton on January 5,2017 for a fee of £7.5m rising to £11m on a four-and-a-half year contract and made his debut for the club 10 days later, scoring on his debut.
He received his first international call up on May 16, 2016 being named in the England U-19 squad for a double header against Mexico. He was subsequently named in the England squad for the European U-19 Championships the same summer.