The Second Coming of Sess

Image: Fulham FC

If football fandom was a logical pastime, the signing of a player with 45 less league appearances across five seasons, than he had in the previous three, having not achieved anything of note in that time, would be met with mild enthusiasm at best. But football fandom is thrives on dreams and nostalgia, and so the return of Ryan Sessegnon to Fulham is a celebratory moment in time. 

His previous spell at Craven Cottage saw Sessegnon become a match winner. A key player in a team that, for two years, played the best football in The Championship. Even in a team doomed to relegation from the Premier League he contributed two goals and six assists. Three of those coming in games Fulham won by a single goal. His performances were decisive. If this was the player coming back to SW6, there would be cause for great excitement.

The truth is, no one really knows what The Whites are getting from their latest acquisition. The free transfer makes it as risk-free as it could be, but expectations come shrouded in mystery. The facts are that Sessegnon just hasn’t played enough football, consistently, over the past five years to have a real idea of what he can still offer. 

The player himself said he is a different footballer now to the one who departed five years ago, although he also teased that fans can expect to see some of his known qualities. These qualities include an excellent first touch, capable of changing the direction of play and eliminating opponents from the attacking sequence. He also possesses intelligent movement, arriving in threatening spaces, not dissimilar to how Raheem Sterling played in his days as a goal threat for an all conquering Manchester City. 

In a Fulham team that shares its goals around following the departure of Mitrovic, Sessegnon’s ability to find the back of the net could prove a welcome trait for Marco Silva’s side. If he is to play mostly from the bench, as expected, then a team notorious for struggling to overturn a deficit, suddenly has a potentially potent weapon to unleash, in their attempts to turn the tide. 

By then end of his stay on Stevenage Road, Sessegnon had established himself as an attacking force, having began his senior career at left-back. Since leaving he has played nearly twice as a many matches as a wide midfielder or winger as he has as a defender. But his versatility is appealing, given the departure of a reliable Swiss Army knife in Bobby Decordova-Reid. Another player who was capable of doing a job for the team, as well as contributing meaningful goal contributions. 

So there are plenty of reasons to have the faith of football fandom. But there is also reason to temper expectations. A litany of injuries mean that the exciting teenager has not developed into the international star he once promised to be. A managerial merry go round also means that he has not had the guidance or consistency needed to progress as a young footballer. It begs the question; after five years, has Sessegnon improved? You could even argue that he has regressed, playing less senior minutes in the years since his 20th birthday than he did in the four years leading to it. 

Perhaps some of the blame for that lays at his original, and now new, employers door. Did Fulham overplay Sess in his formative years? Has that contributed to the injuries he has suffered? One thing we do know, the current medical staff have done a very good job of keeping players healthy in recent years. In the years since Sessegnon’s exit, Tom Cairney has gone from injury prone to a player who’s fitness is managed almost perfectly. 

It’s worth noting that Sessegnon’s familiar play-styles dont really fit with how Silva asks his wingers or fullbacks to play. Sessegnon was a good one v one defender in The Championship, but there is limited evidence he can do that in the top flight. Positionally he was not always the best, granted he was a teenage defender, but the previous point on progression, or lack thereof, comes back into focus here. 

As a wide attacker, Silva has looked for technical dribblers, capable of committing fullbacks and dribbling away from them. Often bringing the ball infield from a wide starting position, linking with the central attackers. That is not something we have seen Sessegnon do. He’s never been an elite dribbler, and while his link up play has been clever, it was rarely incisive. He’d play a pass and then leave the build up to others, while he would bide his time and attack the space at an opportune moment. Something we saw in The Championship, although less so in the Premier League, was Harry Wilson making runs from wide areas in behind his fullback and towards the opposition goal. His relationship with Mitrovic, and the vision on Jean Michael Seri made him a real threat in behind. If Sessegnon still possesses some of his pace, this tactic could come to the fore again. Particularly if Andre Trindade arrives, to provide the killer pass rarely seen since Seri’s Cottage swan song. There is no doubting Sess’ finishing ability if provided the service.

Even if this is not part of the plan, having different options should be seen as a positive. Adama Traore doesn’t fit the usual mould of a Marco Silva winger, but towards the end of last season proved he can be effective when unleashed in a way that plays to his strengths. 

Silva’s ability to get the best from his players is well known among the Fulham faithful, as is his mastery of resurrecting the careers of players in black and white. There is no reason to believe he can not do the same with one of our own. Tim Ream, Neeskens Kebano and Seri can attest to that. If he can work his magic again, the Hammersmith End will be back to serenading Sessegnon in a familiar style.