The Ivorian midfielder joined Fulham in the summer despite interest from bigger clubs
Fulham had a very busy summer transfer window. In the few weeks between the end of the World Cup and the beginning of the season, the west London club became the first newly promoted side to spend more than £100m in the summer window, signing some big names along the way.
André Schürlle joined on a two year loan from Borussia Dortmund, Luciano Vietto joined on loan from Atlético Madrid and Jean Michael Seri signed for Fulham on a permanent deal from OGC Nice, despite interest from some of the world’s biggest clubs.
Seri has bedded into Fulham’s midfield seamlessly, developing a strong relationship with club captain Tom Cairney, more than justifying his £25m transfer fee.
The move came as a surprise to football fans around the world, who expected the midfielder to make the step up to a club like Tottenham, Chelsea or Liverpool, all of whom expressed interest in signing him.
But Seri chose Fulham, and has cited their keen desire to have him as one of the main reasons.
“When I played for Pacos de Ferreira in Portugal, Nice came for me and they really came. Fulham wanted me the same way,” Seri told the Times.
“They said, ‘We want you, come to Fulham’. Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, they saw me but they didn’t say, ‘We want you’.
“Because Fulham gave me this respect, although other clubs wanted me, I wanted to sign for Fulham.”
Seri had also been linked with a move to Barcelona, touted as a possible heir to Xavi in midfield. Xavi himself even advised Seri to sign for Barcelona but not even that was enough to dissuade him from joining Fulham.
He has hit the ground running at Craven Cottage, scoring a stunning goal in their 4-2 win over Burnley to open his account with the club, and looks like a shrewd piece of business.
