Our Category One status Academy is flourishing, with the Under-18s top of the league and the Under-23s through to the Premier League Cup quarter-finals. The youth system is in the process of developing some superb talent, with players like Matt O’Riley, Jay Stansfield and Sylvester Jasper even gaining experience with the First Team.
With this in mind, we thought we’d take a look at some of the Fulham Academy success stories in recent years.
Moussa Dembele:
The tricky Frenchman signed for Fulham at the age of 16 in 2012 from Paris Saint-Germain and quickly became a regular starter for Steve Wigley’s U18s. His incredible talent was clear to see right from the off and it didn’t take long for him to make the big step up.
He went on to make his professional debut in November 2013 after coming on as a substitute in the 83rd minute in a 3-0 loss against West Ham United. It was reported that Tottenham were interested in the forward, but he chose a switch to Scotland and joined Celtic under Brendan Rodgers in 2016.
He continued to shine and helped his side win the domestic treble. He soon caught the eye of French side Lyon, who he signed for in 2018 for a hefty sum of £19 million. The 23-year-old has scored 42 goals since joining.
Marek Rodák:
The Academy opened its doors to the Slovakian shot stopper midway through the 2012/13 season before signing him permanently in the Summer of 2013.
He was offered a trial for Fulham and instantly impressed, being quickly selected for the U18s despite being much younger than his teammates. He became first choice and even pushed up to the U19s, who enjoyed a successful Dallas Cup campaign with him in between the sticks.
He played a crucial role for the U18s who claimed their second successive Barclays Premier League title and made it to the final of the FA Youth Cup.
Marek filled a spot on the bench for the First Team in the 2014/15 season for our win against Leeds United and finished the season having played 16 games for Fulham's U21s.
Rodak later spent time on loan at Welling United and League Two side Accrington Stanley before making his First Team debut at the beginning of the 2017/18 season.
Ryan Sessegnon:
Sessegnon played for local team Wandgas Football Club with his brother Steven (who remains at the club) and was spotted by Fulham aged eight. He was offered a six-week trial and soon joined the Academy permanently.
He attended Coombe Boys’ School in New Malden alongside his football development, which is a stone’s throw away from Motspur Park.
Ryan made his way through the ranks and eventually made his senior debut in 2016, aged 16. The attacking left-back became the first footballer born in the 2000s to score a goal in a First Team game and the youngest to score in the Championship.
He played a big part in Fulham’s promotion to the Premier league in 2017/18, scoring 15 goals. He totalled 25 goals in 120 games for the Whites.
It was this potential that tempted Mauricio Pochettino to pay a whopping £25 million for his signature.
Steven Sessegnon:
The English defender/midfielder joined us straight from school football and showed potential at a young age. He suffered a knee injury in 2015/16 whilst playing for the England U16s alongside his brother, but fought hard to make an eventual return for the Fulham U18s early the following season.
He became a regular figure for the U18s and was soon called up to the PL2 side by Peter Grant.
Steven signed a three-year professional contract in the Summer of 2017, with his brother, and went on to make his senior debut in a 2-0 Carabao Cup win against Wycombe Wanderers in August.
Sessegnon remains at the club today and has become a versatile First Team player, making 13 appearances in all competitions so far this season.
Patrick Roberts:
Patrick joined Fulham from AFC Wimbledon at the age of 13 and enjoyed spells playing for the U18s and U23s.
He signed a professional deal on his 17th birthday and made his Premier League debut against future side Manchester City in March 2014.
The Kingston-born winger struggled to regularly break into the First Team, who were fighting for top flight survival and his campaign ended with defeat in the FA Youth Cup Final with the U18s.
His only full season for the Whites saw him make 17 appearances before joining City for of a fee of around £12 million.
Roberts spent two-and-a-half seasons on loan at Scottish side Celtic, winning back-to-back trebles. He gained further loan experience at Spanish side Girona and Norwich City. He is currently on loan at fellow Championship outfit Middlesbrough.
Emerson Hyndman:
Hyndman joined the Fulham Academy in 2011 at the age of 15. He initially joined up with Mark Pembridge's U16 squad for the 2011/12 season before moving up to the U18s the following year.
In his first U18s game he put on a fantastic, man-of-the-match display scoring a hat-trick in a 7-1 thrashing over Wolves. His side went on to win the Championship in 2013 and the Dallas Cup.
His consistency saw him sign his first professional contract in April 2013 and after spells in the U21 side, he got his first taste of First Team football at the age of 18 in the league opener against Ipswich Town where he put on another superb display in midfield.
In 2016, Hyndman signed a four-year deal with AFC Bournemouth and has since signed for MLS side Atlanta United.
Cauley Woodrow:
The striker spent seven years at Fulham progressing through the ranks. He won the Premier Academy League in each of his first two seasons with the U18s as well as the Dallas Cup.
His senior debut came in 2013/14 and his first Premier League goal came on the final day of the season in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace. He went on to make 66 appearances for Fulham, scoring 12 goals in the process, including the 2016/17 goal of the season.
Cauley joined then League One club Barnsley in the Summer of 2018 and has enjoyed a strong season this year, with 14 goals to his name so far.
Harvey Elliott:
Like Sessegnon, Elliott also attended Coombe Boys’ School whilst playing in the Academy, making 29 appearances for the U18s and U23s combined in all competitions, scoring seven goals.
He broke into the U18s squad in 2017/18 despite only being 14 years of age. His consistently strong performances saw him make the trip to Spain with the First Team to take on Indian side ATK in a friendly.
His senior debut came in the EFL Cup when he was still just 15-years old. He later became the youngest player to play in the Premier League after coming on in a 1-0 loss against Wolves towards the end of the 18/19 season. He was 16 years and 30 days old, breaking the previous record held by former Fulham player Matthew Briggs.
In July 2019, he joined Liverpool having also received interest from Real Madrid and PSG.
Who do you think will be the next potential Academy superstar?