Fulham are now keeping a close eye on Luton Town centre-back Teden Mengi as a player for the future.
The January transfer window has now opened and fans will be expecting Marco Silva to add to his ranks in the next month to build on a relatively positive season thus far.
While a striker appears to have been a priority just a few weeks ago, Fabrizio Romano is now suggesting that defensive reinforcements could be on their way too.
Silva admitted after Fulham’s win over Arsenal on New Year’s Eve that, “We are looking to strengthen the squad, we need it.
“We believe we have a very good group of players. We missed something last summer that we tried. Let’s see if we can do it in the next month.”
It’s been assumed that Silva is referring to a centre-forward after the sale of Aleksandar Mitrovic to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.
However, with Tosin Adarabioyo now in the final six months of his contract, Fulham are now looking to Luton Town’s Teden Mengi as a potential replacement.
The 21-year-old only joined The Hatters in the summer from Manchester United but has already made 14 Premier League appearances.
Rob Edwards’s side are currently sitting just inside the relegation zone and if they were to return to the Championship, Fulham could pounce and pick up the England Under-20 international.
Fulham now following Luton Town defender Teden Mengi
Posting on social media, Romano said: “Understand Fulham and Crystal Palace are now following Luton Town’s CB Teden Mengi for the future.
“He has become one of PL promising youngsters by leading U-21 players with the highest percentage of defensive duels won in Europe’s top 5 leagues this campaign.”
Mengi’s current manager Edwards is a huge fan of the youngster and said this season: “I’m really pleased for him. I thought he was immense, I thought he was really, really good, in the air he was dominant, in his duels he came out on top.
“He’s quick, he’s strong, he can play and he can finish as well. He’s a really good young player and that’s why we got him here.
“He’s really proving an excellent acquisition at the moment and the recruitment team deserve a lot of credit for that.”
Fulham have one of the oldest squads in the Premier League and it makes sense that they’re looking at Luton’s Mengi.
He’s a fantastic prospect and looks comfortable playing in a back four or back three.
Silva showed against Arsenal that he’s willing to switch between both systems depending on the state of the game which might be one of the reasons why Mengi is on the club’s list.
He’s also home-grown and even shares an agency with Tosin, which could make negotiations easier.