Will Lewis Holtby be a hit at Fulham? Read our assessment and offer your own verdict here.
Lewis Holtby
To:
FulhamFrom:
TottenhamFee:
On Loan
Age:
23Position:
MidfielderNationality:
German
Bio
Holtby, the Germany international with the English name, began his professional career with Alemannia Aachen before making the move to Schalke in 2009. He enjoyed a successful loan spell at Mainz before returning to Gelsenkirchen, where he earned senior international honours in November 2010. A transfer to Tottenham in January 2013 has not worked out as planned and new manager Tim Sherwood was happy to let Holtby join Fulham on loan.
He says
Speaking to Bild in December: "At the moment, from a sporting perspective, there are constant ups and downs. Despite the great competition and my relatively few games, I have also achieved nine assists and three goals so far this season. That's a good rate. However, I am itching to start more games and reluctant to keep coming back to the warmth of the substitute bench."
They say
"Fulham is a very well-run club with an excellent manager Rene Meulensteen. The system and philosophy how Fulham play fits well with Lewis. He will play games in his favourite position. Then we'll see how things are in the summer. A move to the Bundesliga was shattered by circumstances beyond our control." - Holtby's agent Markus Noack
Hit?
What's not to like? A member of Germany's golden generation heralded as a superb capture for Tottenham just one year ago now finds himself at lowly Fulham. This has coup written all over it. Already handed the prized No 10 shirt, it seems Meulensteen has big plans for Holtby and is willing to build the team around him. That's the sort of attention that Holtby was denied at Spurs and could see him bounce back to his best. He's only 23, after all.
Miss?
Sceptics will look at Holtby's non-existent impact at Spurs and wonder what will be different at a struggling Fulham side. Such is the malaise at the west London club, it is a huge ask for Holtby to have a transformative effect on their fortunes. Will he thrive in a relegation battle? Or will he flitter around the midfield for a few months before getting the summer move to the Bundesliga that it seems he pined for in January?
Verdict
A great signing for Fulham and while the player has not ruled out a permanent move, it would be no surprise if he moves on to bigger and better things elsewhere in the summer. In the meantime, he might just keep the Cottagers in the Premier League.
