Day four of our daily series sees us compare three more centre backs to join Brede Hangeland in Fulham's all-time Premier League XI.
Our daily ultimate international break series continues as we move on to day four of our very own all-time Fulham Premier League XI.
In an ingenious way (or at least I think it is ingenious), we are doing an 11-part series to clock our way down to Fulham’s next Premier League match, against Ipswich on October 10.
Edwin van der Sar was our pick for Fulham’s best goalkeeper in the Premier League, while Steve Finnan was elected at right back and on day three we chose Brede Hangeland as one of Fulham’s centre-backs.
Now, on day four, and part two of our centre-backs for this series, we choose our next option for the Cottagers’ back line.
So, who will join Hangeland and Finnan in Fulham’s all-time Premier League back four?
The nominees and our decision are listed below.
Alain Goma (2001-2006)
Alain Goma has already had a very strong career by the time he joined Fulham, having spent eight years with Auxerre, where the side won Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France title twice.
He also spent time at Paris Saint-Germain and 18 months at Newcastle United, before joining Fulham
At Craven Cottage, Goma played a key part in the early seasons of Fulham’s life in the top flight, and also played in eight matches on the way to Intertoto Cup glory in 2002.
Goma was at the club for five seasons but his influence dwindled towards the end, though there can be no doubt he had an important role at Fulham when the Cottagers first came into the Premier League.
Tim Ream (2015-2024)
Tim Ream’s dedication to football should never have been doubted when he cancelled his own honeymoon to sign for Bolton.
After relegation from the Premier League and three seasons with Bolton in the Championship, Ream joined Fulham, where he spent three more seasons in the Championship, before four seasons of yo-yoing between the Premier League and the second division.
In Fulham’s stunning 2021-22 season, in which Marco Silva’s men breezed their way back to the top flight, Ream played in all 46 matches, before playing in 33 the following season in the Premier League as the Cottagers finished 10th.
He had one more solid season at Craven Cottage, before moving back to the MLS.
In total, Ream played 312 matches for Fulham, scoring five goals.
Joachim Andersen (2020-2021 & 2024-)
A modern-day favourite, Joachim Andersen made a big impression at Craven Cottage during his loan spell in the 2020-21 season, despite the club going down, and was even nominated for Premier League player of the month in February.
As a result, Andersen moved to Crystal Palace, where he spent three seasons before moving back to Fulham ahead of the 2024-25 season.
The Dane has always been a dependable member of the Fulham side and while he has seemingly recently lost his place in the starting XI to David Affengruber, a player of his class and experience will surely find his way back in the side before long.
Conclusion
Probably the hardest decision so far of this team, with all three having a genuine chance of making this side.
However, for a Fulham best-ever XI, the man who guided the side back into the Premier League and ensured they became the side they are today has to be there.
That is of course Tim Ream, who is another captaincy contender and a player who could complement Brede Hangeland very well in the heart of the Fulham defence.
