Brazilian ace Andreas Pereira arrived at Old Trafford with bags of potential, but his time at Manchester United never quite worked out. Fulham snapped him up last summer, and Pereira looks to have finally found his home. Can the midfielder help the Cottagers into Europe this season?

Can the Cottagers Finish in Top Six?

Fulham were promoted from the EFL Championship as champions last term. Naturally, they were tipped for a relegation battle before a ball was kicked, but the Cottagers have proven the doubters wrong so far. The Londoners could even make a push for Europe. Looking at the latest English Premier League odds, Fulham are priced at 40/1 for a top-six finish. In contrast, you can get 250/1 for Marco Silva’s men to be relegated.

Busy Summer at Craven Cottage

Once the 2021-22 Championship title was sewn up, Silva got to work on building a squad capable of competing in the Premier League. The former Everton boss brought in some shrewd signings in the summer, with the likes of Issa Diop, Carlos Vinicius, Bernd Leno and Joao Palhinha arriving.

João Palhinha put in yet another impressive display for Fulham tonight.

Overall this season, his 251 defensive actions are more than any other Premier League player – 12 of those came at Stamford Bridge tonight. pic.twitter.com/XJabzTVz4Q

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) February 3, 2023

However, one of the standout captures was Pereira, who arrived from Man United for a reported fee of around £10 million. The midfielder, who has been capped by the Brazil senior side, never quite cut the mustard at Old Trafford, making just 45 Premier League appearances over the course of eight years. However, he has hit the ground running at the Cottage.

Pereira has become a massive hit with the Fulham fans this season, playing a pivotal role for the Cottagers in the heart of the midfield. The versatile No. 18 can play pretty much anywhere behind Aleksandar Mitrovic, and he has found the net on a couple of occasions. One of those goals came in a narrow 2-1 defeat to champions Manchester City in November.

It was a real coup for the promoted club when they persuaded Pereira to sign on the dotted line at Craven Cottage, and Fulham have certainly got their money’s worth. His calm presence in possession and tenacity without the ball have been priceless for the Cottagers this season. 

@FulhamFC 🖤🔥 pic.twitter.com/eSK5CWC2MH

— Andreas Pereira (@andrinhopereira) January 3, 2023

Can Pereira Help Fulham’s European Push?

Before the season started, Premier League safety was the priority at Craven Cottage. However, after such an impressive first half to the campaign, Fulham will be aiming a lot higher now. They have had some excellent results already, beating rivals Chelsea and holding Liverpool to a draw. Arsenal, Man City and Tottenham Hotspur all had to work extremely hard for their wins over Silva’s side.

Fulham have been very competitive on their Premier League return, and the west London outfit will back themselves to secure a top-six finish in the Premier League. With the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool faltering, the Cottagers have every chance of sneaking into Europe.   

Pereira has a big part to play for Fulham in the latter months of the campaign. Regardless of how their season pans out, the Pereira move to Fulham was one of the best bits of business done in the Premier League this season, and the Brazilian could go on to have a fine career at the Cottage.