Andreas Pereira walks into Heathrow departures, São Paulo his destination. A return to Brazil beckons. After a polarising Fulham spell, should Fulham fans be gutted, or jubilant at the news of his departure? I’ll evaluate Andreas’ Fulham spell, and let you know. Give me a few minutes of your time.
Andreas: A Once Instrumental Foundational Player
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I’ve been very critical of Pereira during his time by the river. However, we shouldn’t forget the role Andreas played in laying the foundations for Fulham’s Premier League success.
In his first six months at the Cottage, ‘AP’ was legitimately one of the best No.10’s in the top flight. Creatively potent on the ball, an hardworking attacking midfield anomaly off it. Pereira Fulham spell will no doubt be remembered with an element of fondness, despite his misgivings. A shrewd bit of business for just £10M.
Without him, the void left by Fabio Carvalho would have been much more pronounced, and the re-arrival of the man we now dub ‘Judas’ could have well been on the cards. Safe to say we got out of jail with that one…
Without Andreas would Carlos Vinicius scored that famous Chelsea winner? No chnace, without that peach of a cross, that Thursday night would never of happened. For that, Andy, I thank you.
Where It Went Wrong…
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After a terrific first few months, Pereira’s preformances certainly dropped off. That honeymoon phase of FFC displays brought AP too much time as a starting certainty.
Combine sliding levels of performance, allegations of managerial favouritism, and. the unglamorous manner of Andreas’ game, and it’s easy to see why the exit of our Brazilian number 18 has been met with some level of jubilation .
It would be remiss of me not to mention the. Belgian born Brazilian’s off the pitch antics as an answer as to why Fulham fans have grown in distaste towards Pereira, including myself.
In all honesty, I think, AP’s half season of success got to his head. Once he preformed well at a Premier League level, Pereira wanted out of SW6. Andreas clearly viewed the Cottage as nothing but a platform to put himself in the shop window. The constant likely agent led transfer speculation, and social media flaunting of mediocre performances, regardless of result, is the proof in the pudding that Fulham Football Club was secondary in the mind of Andreas Pereira.
The ‘for the badge’, constant running and commitment to the cause? All for Andreas. Weather it be Timothy Castagne playing through injury last season, or the unquestionable love for Fulham Tom Cairney, and Ryan Sessegnon show both sides of the white lines, In a team with a number of players that do truly play for the badge, it was easy for the Fulham faithful to see past Pereira’s facade.
Pereira’s Departure: Best For Both Parties?
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It’s the time to part ways for Andreas and Fulham. Things became sour, and in the end, Fulham have moved on. Pereira has aged, now 29, it’s London’s Original’s last chance to sell. Andreas been replaced by the Josh King, with even Emile Smith, Harry Wilson, and Alex Iwobi all above Pereira now in the pecking order for Silva’s number ten starting birth. Above all though, Andreas’ exit just further clears the path for Josh King’s development. That’s Fulham’s priority.
In truth, Silva, Khan and co should have sold a window or two earlier. Fees above between £20–30M were once touted for the ex United prodigy, but Silva’s reliance on Pereira forced Fulham’s hand. Silva wouldn’t relinquish Andy from the starting XI, never mind the club as a whole!
All in all, three years of service, and then nearly recouping all of the £10M we paid for Pereira’s services, is that good business? Most definitely, but it comes with a caveat…
What does Andreas’ Exit Mean For Fulham?
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Without Andreas, Fulham’s only natural backup number eight or ten, is Tom Cairney. We all love Tom, I have no doubt he has more to give at the top level. But at 34, is TC somebody you want likely playing an integral role in an upwardly mobile Premier League side? No. Andreas departure should only happen under one condition. He’s replaced, sharpish.
See you, Andreas!
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See you, Andy! Nobody will quite hit the first man like you, mate! But nobody will swing a ball into Carlos Vinicius like that, against the filth, ever again. Fulham lose a once crucial member of the Marco Silva’s Fulham tenure, but the time is right for both parties to go their separate ways. You go with my best wishes, Enjoy Brazil!