Over the summer, with Fulham duo Mousa Dembele and Clint Dempsey expected to leave Craven Cottage, the future certainly looked bleak for the West London side. However, on transfer deadline day, manager Martin Jol managed to pull off one of the signings of the summer – that of Dimitar Berbatov.
The Bulgarian front-man had been expected to depart Manchester United during the transfer window, with Fiorentina and Juventus both linked. However, it was Fulham who won the race to sign Berbatov, despite last minute interest from Tottenham Hotspur.
The 31-year-old has since looked to pay back the faith shown in him by Jol, with three goals in five games. Furthermore, Berbatov has begun to show the class that made him such a pleasure to watch during his heyday with Spurs and United.
Fans who wouldn’t regularly give Fulham the credit that have previously deserved, have since begun to view the Cottagers with interest as a result of Berbatov and his displays of ‘Berbarotica’. His arrival certainly eased the blow of losing Dembele and Dempsey, both of whom signed for Spurs.
The form of the Bulgarian has certainly proved positive for Fulham, with the club currently in 7th place, three points off the top four. With Mladen Petric, Hugo Rodallega and Bryan Ruiz available to Jol along with Berbatov, the Dutchman certainly has, as he put it, a “luxury problem” on his hands.
However, it’s Berbatov that is deemed to be the number one striker available to the Fulham boss, with a vast majority agreeing that his touch of class ranks him higher in the pecking order than the aforementioned trio.