After opening with goalkeepers, we look at who Fulham's greatest ever right back is as our series continues - comment below!
It is day two of our series, designed specifically to take us to the international break with some sort of enjoyment, as we look at Fulham’s all-time best XI.
On Tuesday, we looked at the three contenders for Fulham’s greatest goalkeepers.
We deliberated between Edwin van der Sar, Mark Schwarzer and Bernd Leno for that honour, with the Dutch keeper marginally preferred over his Australian and German counterparts.
Today, we move on to Fulham’s greatest right-back as we slowly and steadily move towards a full XI before the Cottagers are next in action on October 10.
So, without further ado, and having explained what we have already done, let’s talk you through who we think Fulham’s greatest right-back is, starting with the nominees.
Steve Finnan (1998-2003)
Just like Van der Sar yesterday, Finnan is undoubtedly on this list, but what he achieved after his time at Craven Cottage is what he is really remembered for.
The Irishman secured a move to Liverpool and went on to win the Champions League and FA Cup with the Reds.
Before that, Finnan joined Fulham from Notts County and enjoying two promotions in three years, as Fulham went from the Second Division to the Premier League.
In his first season in the top flight, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year, and helped Fulham qualify for the Intertoto Cup, a competition the Cottagers won the following season.
In his five-year spell in West London, Finnan made 209 appearances for Fulham, scoring seven goals.
Kenny Tete (2020-)
The past two seasons have not seen the best of Kenny Tete; that much is clear, but he does have a lot of credit in the bank and for that, he should be considered.
The Dutchman joined from Lyon in 2020, a season in which Fulham were ultimately relegated.
They bounced back from that under Marco Silva at the first time of asking, and in Fulham’s return season in the top flight, Tete was a very important player indeed.
He made 31 Premier League appearances that season, scoring once and assisting five times.
While his importance has fallen in the following years, Tete still makes this list due to how good he was in that season.
Overall, Tete has 132 appearances for Fulham and has scored five goals, assisting nine times.
John Paintsil (2008-2011)
After failing to properly make it at West Ham, John Paintsil made the move across London and became a key member of the Fulham team alongside Bobby Zamora.
Paintsill was heavily involved in his first season at Craven Cottage, in which Fulham finished seventh, and the following season, he was again crucial as the Cottagers went all the way to the Europa League final.
The end to his career at Craven Cottage was rather abrupt, as Martin Jol decided he had played his last game for Fulham, but his impact before that was clear.
Paintsil had played in 91 matches for Fulham, of which 75 came in the Premier League and he also became a key member of the Ghana team, being capped 81 times.
Conclusion
All three have legitimate claims to find their way into this team, but overall, Finnan is the winner.
He had the highest levels of performance, was there the longest and being named in the PFA team of the year is the cherry on the cake for the Irishman to find his way into the team.
