Fulham have been dazzled by the Premier League’s bright lights, but Bournemouth offer a perfect survival guide

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As Fulham lurch into the mire, they might wish to look at Saturday’s opponents for a lesson on how to arrive in the Premier League the right way.

Bournemouth’s 2015-16 season was not without its lows – at this stage in the campaign they were midway through a pair of 5-1 drubbings at the hands of Manchester City and Tottenham - but the lesson from the Cherries’ top-flight debut is obvious for Slavisa Jokanovic: work with what got you to the Premier League in the first place.

Of course no side can expect to go from the Championship to the Premier League without injecting some quality into their squad, but few teams have been less in need of a £100million overhaul than Fulham were this summer.

There was certainly a decent-sized shopping list for director of football Tony Khan and the rest of the Cottagers’ hierarchy: full-backs to replace the departed Ryan Fredericks and Matt Targett; an upgrade on Denis Odoi at centre-back; a quality addition on the right flank to complement Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ryan Sessegnon.

In Pictures | Fulham vs Arsenal | 07/10/2018

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That aside, the odd injection of Grade-A quality to last season’s side could hardly hurt.

Jokanovic got all that and a whole lot more with 12 players joining on loan or permanently, though a caveat should be placed on Mitrovic, whose permanent return was a no-brainer after he bullied his way through the Championship.

There were six debutants when Fulham made their Premier League return against Crystal Palace in August. By contrast, that same weekend, Bournemouth began their fourth consecutive top flight campaign against Cardiff with eight of the players involved having joined prior to their promotion, five of which arrived in League One.

Fulham summer signings
Jean Michael Seri
Maxime Le Marchand
Andre Schurrle
Aleksandar Mitrovic*
Fabri
Alfie Mawson
Calum Chambers
Sergio Rico
Joe Bryan
Luciano Vietto
Timothy Fosu-Mensah
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa
*Loan deal made permanent

Of Eddie Howe's 10 summer signings following promotion in 2015 - one of which was Artur Boruc who made his previous loan move permanent - just two are left. Only one remains a regular starter: Joshua King who, coincidence or not, was the only new arrival named when Bournemouth made their Premier League bow against Aston Villa.

Shahid Khan wanted Fulham to arrive in the Premier League with a bang, a far cry from the Bournemouth philosophy, but by bonfire night their spark could well be doused.

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The likes of Jean Michael Seri and Andre Schurrle have raised the ceiling at Craven Cottage, but have Maxime Le Marchand and Fabri?

The latter’s arrival is typical of how the summer overhaul has muddied the waters for Jokanovic, who is not aiding things by chopping and changing his defence game by game. In Fabri, Sevilla loanee Sergio Rico and Marcus Bettinelli, Fulham have three goalkeepers without a clearly defined No1.

Fabri began the season between the sticks but was benched for Bettinelli after conceding five in his first two games. The Spaniard hasn’t been seen in a matchday squad since September 15.

Bettinelli is now Jokanovic’s starter but he has seen 20 goals fly past him in seven League games.

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Howe's Bournemouth are far from the defensive experts: they have shipped 207 top flight goals in just over three seasons, and their transfer record is more than questionable.

However, where they are almost unrivalled in the Premier League is that unquantifiable team spirit and understanding; especially in their maiden top-flight season, with a spine forged in the lower leagues, Howe's side were famed for their late fightbacks - a characteristic borne out of an understanding no squad with £100m worth of arrivals could match.

They have a unique charisma, but more than that they gel like few other teams and, thus, are more than comfortable exchanging home truths when needed.

Bournemouth stalwarts | Played vs Cardiff
Player Joined
Adam Smith League One (loan), Championship (permanent)
Steve Cook League One
Charlie Daniels League One
Simon Francis League One
Ryan Fraser League One
Andrew Surman Championship
Dan Gosling  Championship
Callum Wilson Championship 

Howe and his backroom staff are, like most, meticulous in their scouting of potential additions, but it is not stats and graphs they spend their time poring over. Intense focus is placed on the character of the player; stories of unsettling behaviour at previous clubs result in an immediate strike through the culprit's name. Bournemouth's success is steady, but more than assured.

Look up the table and Fulham will see a more recent example of a team that has got the art of squad-building for the top flight spot on. Seven of the side that started Wolves’ recent win at Crystal Palace were in the side that won the Championship last season. The rest - especially Joao Moutinho, Rui Patricio and Raul Jimenez - play like they’ve been in Nuno Espirito Santo’s team for years.

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“They’re definitely the example of how to get to the Premier League,” former Wolves defender Joleon Lescott told Standard Sport. “If it were that easy everyone would do it of course, I get the fact that it’s not as simple as they’ve made it seem.

“But in regards to their recruitment they’ve identified exactly what they need and got those players. That is a big, big thing. There aren’t many clubs who can just say ‘we need this type of player, let’s go and get him’.

“A lot of teams will just settle for the best player available, even if he’s not the best fit for their system. Wolves haven’t had an issue with that.”

Lescott is right to point out that it is easier for Wolves than most, but if a club such as Fulham is able to spend £100m in one transfer window - more than Manchester City, Bayern Munich or Real Madrid - they can hardly expect much sympathy.

Wolves appear to have bought the right players to enhance their squad. Bournemouth are still being vindicated for the faith they showed in the players that go them up in the first place. Fulham's middle way means after the first quarter of the season, they look to have neither the quality nor the unity to thrive in the top flight.

Action Images via Reuters

When Fulham host Bournemouth on the banks of the Thames this weekend, many will see it as a clash of two kindred spirits; two managers keen to play football the ‘right way’. But in their approach to Premier League survival, the two could hardly be further adrift.

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