Mousa Dembele has revealed his impressive start to life at Fulham on the pitch was aided by the Club’s desire to ensure the Belgium international striker settled into his new surroundings with ease, following his summer switch from AZ Alkmaar to SW6.
“I like it very much here at Fulham and I’m enjoying it,” Dembele told fulhamfc.com. “It’s a really good Club and they make sure you don’t have a lot of stress as a player. It’s a very well organised Club and that’s why I’ve made a good start.
“Everything has been taken care of for me. I live in a nice hotel and if I want to go somewhere they drive me and London is a good city. It makes me feel comfortable as a player.”
After making a scintillating start to the new season Dembele was fortunate to escape serious injury at the Britannia Stadium in late September following a wreckless injury time challenge by Andy Wilkinson.
Fortunately for Fulham, Dembele made a speedy recovery and the striker is just thankful that he is back on the pitch again as the Whites prepare for two away games against Chelsea and Newcastle this week.
“Everybody gets injuries but in the beginning I thought it [his ankle] was broken,” explained the Belgium international. “I thank God that it wasn’t that serious and I only missed two matches. I’m just happy I’m playing again.
“I’ve seen the tackle again on the internet and it was a bad tackle for sure, but what can you do? That’s football. I think every team has its own style and some teams play a more physical game.
“Everybody says the Premier League is really tough but it’s alright. There are teams that play a strong game but I like that. There’s more power in the Premier League.”
Aside from his goals this season, Dembele’s creativity and movement when in possession along with an abundance of pace, power and skill have impressed all who have witnessed his performances. It is no surprise to hear that the Belgium striker modelled his game around one of the finest strikers of his generation, Patrick Kluivert, who Dembele had the pleasure of working alongside at his former club.
“I supported Barcelona when I was young and I was a fan of Patrick Kluivert," said Dembele. "It was crazy because he was at Alkmaar when I was there. He wanted to become a manager so he went there with Louis van Gaal and he spent a lot of time with me with advice and tips.
“He sends me messages and he’s a really nice guy. When I was young everybody said I looked like him and had the same style as him. He was good with his back to the goal and I do play like him a bit. He congratulated me on my transfer to Fulham.”
When it comes to discussing his status as a rising star of the Premier League, Dembele prefers to do his talking on the pitch and enjoy the game in its purest form.
“I’m not the kind of guy who stays up front and just thinks about goals," explained the striker. "I want to be the total package. I want to be an important part of the Team and provide assists as well as score goals. I like being involved in the game.
“I never think about becoming famous – I just like to play football. I’m like a child that always wants to play football. The other stuff goes with it but I’m not interested in that. It’s important for me to play against the best to make me a better player. I want to become the best I can be."