One of my favourite sub-plots to pre-season is seeing which academy players make up the numbers within the first team squad and who the coaching staff see as deserving of taking that next step up. Last year saw the unexpected rise of Luc De Fougerolles from U18 football to pre-season minutes with a depleted first team squad. His season finished with two caps for Canada and a full first team debut in the EFL Cup at Ipswich. His Copa America journey, and other international exploits around the first team, will see opportunities for more minutes with three senior defenders and three senior central midfielders beginning the first week of pre-season. Hayden Mullin's excellent debut campaign in charge of the U21s sees six of the squad from the 4-0 win against Spurs in the PL2 Cup final make this list of players spotted training with the first team so far.
Alex Borto
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 20
American goalkeeper Alex Borto has seemingly become the club's third choice goalkeeper after Marek Rodak left to seek pastures new. Signed at 16 from the Cedar Stars Academy in New Jersey, the ‘Gabagoolie’ signed an extension to his first professional deal in 2022 keeping him at the club until 2027. He may run into difficulties getting minutes behind Bernd Leno and Steven Benda in pre-season but it's an encouraging development in his young career which saw him leave home to come to London, mid-pandemic, to join the academy system at Motspur Park.
Devan Tanton
Position: Right Back Age: 20
Johnny Haynes Trophy winner for 23/24, Devan Tanton had a year that saw him make his professional debut in the dying moments of Fulham’s 3-1 win at Ipswich in the EFL Cup, and then make his debut for Colombia against Venezuela. Whilst it will be tough to break in behind Timothy Castagne and Kenny Tete, Tanton may find a pre-season opportunity as Castagne's return will likely be delayed following his Euros exploits for Belgium. A Football League loan may be on the cards for him to continue his first team development.
Ibane Bowat
Position: Centre Back
Age: 21 The subject of a small thread on my Twitter (or X? Has that caught on yet?). One of the more interesting career paths already at Fulham. Boway started his football career at Chelsea at under-6 level. He played there for 6 years before taking up rugby within the Harlequins development system and was 15 when he joined Fulham, deciding he missed football. Bowat turns 22 in September, has had spells on loan in the Netherlands for Den Bosch, and spent last year in the Austrian Bundesliga for TSV Hartberg. He looks the part of a senior centre half. He’s a London born, Scottish youth international who could also represent France and Cameroon. A tall, physical, lefty with an improving distributing ability, Bowat continues to be a fascinating prospect.
Connor McAvoy
Position: Centre Back Age: 22
Connor McAvoy missed last year to injury, had a short spell on loan at Partick Thistle in the Scottish Championship the year previous after spending 21/22 at Wealdstone, roughing it up in the National League where he won their Player of the Season award. Last September he signed a two year deal (plus a club option) and played for the first team in 2022 against Nice in the Algarve. Getting fully fit is the first priority for McAvoy and hopefully we can get him playing senior football on loan again and back on track.
Harvey Araujo
Position: Centre Back
Age: 19 Firstly, congratulations to Harvey who, on top of being involved with the first team in pre-season, has signed a new deal at the club until 2027. The left-footed centre half has caps at both England U16 and England U18, playing his last England U18 game with Lewis Hall and Ollie Arblaster, providing an assist to Sonny Perkins for the second in a 2-0 win over Wales.
Araujo has been a mainstay at centre back for Hayden Mullin's excellent U21 group that won the U21 Cup and finished 3rd in the PL2 table. In a career that could see him featuring at either centre back or left back, Araujo’s next step should be senior football, and he could potentially get pre-season game time following Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson’s Copa America exploits.
Jon Esenga
Position: Left Back Age: 17
Jon Esenga is arguably the pick of the bunch. His breakthrough season at left back for the U21s was remarkable given he only turned 17 in February but this should unsurprise anyone given his U18 debut came at just 15. A gorgeous passer of the ball and despite his tender years Esenga has also become the prime set-piece taker for the U21s.
I’d urge anyone to check out highlights of Fulham U21s 5-0 win at Swansea in January. He fizzes in a stunner through the lines for the second goal and creates a beautiful whip from a dead ball for the 3rd, twats in the 4th. All of this from a 16 year old left back. Esenga is a genuine chance to start Fulham’s first pre-season game (whenever that is? - presumably behind closed doors) at left back given Antonee Robinson’s Copa America involvement and post-tournament surgery.
Matt Dibley-Dias
Position: Central Midfielder Age: 20
The second of three Johnny Haynes Trophy winners on this list, the New Zealander with Brazilian heritage has been in and around the first team for a couple of years. Despite being named on the bench a number of times in the Premier League for Fulham, including at Goodison Park to kick off last season, he is yet to make his first team debut. It does feel bizarre that a player as talented as Dibley-Dias is yet to play a senior minute with him turning 21 in October. Changing this will surely be a priority for the club and the individual. Another on this list contracted to 2027, Dibley-Dias can play either the 6 or the 8 role, possessing a lovely range and variety of forward passing. Plenty of touches of the ball will be a requirement whatever role he ends up. Dibley-Dias is another who should be looking at getting some senior football in his legs across the 2024/25 season.
Josh King
Position: Central Midfield Age: 17
If Jon Esenga isn’t the pick of the bunch, Josh King may be. Not to disrespect others on the list, but these two look best placed to reach the heights of the the Ryan Sessegnon and Fabio Carvalho level of academy product. Winner of Fulham’s Scholar of the Year, King (below) walked out with the Tom Cairney award in 2017-18 (picture taken from TC’s IG story following Josh King’s professional contract). Perhaps the most technically gifted and cultured young player Motspur Park has ever produced, you hope he’s “proper Fulham” enough for Craven Cottage to see him fulfil his potential and have a long career representing London’s Original Football Club.
Luke Harris
Position: Attacking Midfield Age: 19
An excellent loan spell at the back end of last season at Exeter, Harris has already been linked with a return to League One with promotion-chasing Birmingham City, though the club would prefer him to have a taste of Championship football with his next development loan. Luke has been in and around the Wales senior squad for a couple of years now but Rob Page never pulled the trigger to give him his first cap for the men’s team.
A ridiculously consistent scorer from advanced midfield positions, Harris is one of those who have long been ear-marked for a career at the very top, and he's getting closer and closer to that breakthrough. In fact, it seems somewhat crazy that he’s still only 19. Expect to see a Championship loan with eyes on him becoming a fully-fledged member of Marco Silva’s first team. Contracted to the club until 2026 with a club option to extend to 2027 (a magic year for Fulham?), Harris scored 4 in 20 for the Devon-based side, including this belter below.
Martial Godo
Position: Winger Age: 21
Fresh from a loan spell at Wigan, Godo gained early praise for his direct dribbling style (3rd in League One for successful dribbles). He missed some time through injury but his stint at Wigan can be dubbed a successful loan move. His next move will be fascinating having had a quick rise through the ranks since playing in the Isthmian League for Margate in 2021-22, on loan from Dartford, to League One on loan from a Premier League side just two years later.
If you search out some clips of his year at Wigan, much of it is Godo making League One defenders look a bit silly. With Willian (for now) and Bobby Decordova-Reid’s exits this summer, Godo’s pre-season involvement could be a real opportunity to prove his potential, especially considering his bright display against Manchester United in the FA Cup 3rd round.
Jay Stansfield
Position: Forward Age: 21
Stansfield is probably the closest to regular first team action on this list. Marco Silva actually said as much at the back end of last season - “Now is the moment for him to come back and be one of the players in our attacking line for next season”. Prior to his loan to Birmingham City Stansfield signed a contract to 2027 with a club option to extend to 2028. His spell at Birmingham City saw him re-create Ryan Sessegnon’s ‘All the Awards’ picture from the EFL Awards in 2018. Stansfield won Birmingham’s Players’ Player of the Season, Young Player of the Season, Supporters’ Player of the Season, Goal of the Season and Top Goalscorer award. Birmingham City’s relegation was an unfortunate aspect of his year in the Midlands which saw him score more goals in the Championship than he did the previous year on loan at Exeter City.
Stansfield made his Fulham first team debut 4 years ago, the club's 11th youngest player to do so, and now is his time to be a part of the first team with his ability to play up top with clinical finishing in the 10 role (which he says is his strongest position and where he feels he has the ability to impact the game), or on either flank. Both a hard worker, happy to contribute defensively, and an underrated carrier of the ball, I’m sure Stansfield will add plenty to Silva’s side.
Callum Osmand
Position: Forward Age: 18
Osmand is the first player to score a hat-trick in an U21 PL Cup final and more impressively, the first Fulham Academy player to score 30+ in a season since Moussa Dembele in 2013/14. A fast and furious 9, Osmand came on leaps and bounds in Hayden Mullin's historic U21 side. A player somewhat similar in style to Jay Stansfield, Osmand displays excellent box movement which he showed in bundles against Tottenham in the PL Cup final, scoring an excellent poacher's finish, another via a direct run at goal from just inside the opposition's half (video below), and the hat-trick completed with a header.
Osmand has been at the club since he was thirteen and signed his first pro deal in 2023. He has a different profile of 9 that Silva typically uses but is a strong finisher with excellent movement and threat in behind. I’m sure plenty of EFL clubs will be queuing up for his PL2 Cup exploits alone.
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