Luc de Fougerolles

[ahmedou]

De Fougerolle's Caption: Unforgettable experience @copaamerica honoured to be part of the team ❤️🍁

[Kadenge]

If he could handle the Uruguay forwards, he should at least be able to play in the Championship. I hope his club doesn't waste another half season

[El Diego]

Fulham signing Joachim Andersen, clear that LDF is not close to senior team this season. Hope he gets a loan.

[Macksam]

3 hours ago, Kadenge said:

If he could handle the Uruguay forwards, he should at least be able to play in the Championship. I hope his club doesn't waste another half season

He was good but he had Alistair Johnson constantly backing him up and covering for him just in case. Not sure anybody in the English club game would provide the same level of support for the kid. 

Edited August 21 by Macksam

[Kadenge]

9 minutes ago, Macksam said:

He was good but he had Alistair Johnson constantly backing him up and covering for him just in case. Not sure anybody in the English club game would provide the same level of support for the kid. 

If it was the EPL yes, but in England 2nd tier he should be able to cut it. He certainly didn't look out of place in the 1 cup game he played vs Ipswich who were in 2nd place in the league at the time and are now in the Prem.

[Obinna]

I would be happy with a League One loan for LDF.

Knight-Label dropped two divisions to become a starter on loan, so maybe we should expect the same for Luc? If he's going out on loan, he may as well play and be a starter to make it worth it. I believe he could play for a Championship side, but would he be a locked-in starter? That's probably more likely in League One. 

[blueseeka]

Everytime this thread gets bumped up, I come looking to see where he is loaned too. It has to be soon.

I know people complain about JKL, League 2 loan but it is a great level for such a young player. I would be happy with this level as a starting point for LDF too.

He just needs a loan before the window closes

[Obinna]

Thinking about his situation and wondering what will happen if he takes a sub-Championship loan, such as League One or even League Two. I mean, I know what will happen, he will play a lot of minutes (hopefully), but I wonder how things will shake out with the NT. Correct me if I am wrong, but he's been part of every camp since Japan, does that change if he's playing in say League Two? And would it be too hard for the fans to stomach, having a League Two player on our roster? Maybe it will depend on the actual club and division, since if he's playing in League One, and it's a strong club, I don't think much changes. What if he goes to a mid-table League Two side, or worse?

And just thought of this - what if he goes out on loan to the SPL? Seems to be League One level, give or take, and with it being a first division that several of our players feature in, I am pretty certain nothing will change in the eyes of the fans.  

[cronaldo7]

1 hour ago, Obinna said:

Thinking about his situation and wondering what will happen if he takes a sub-Championship loan, such as League One or even League Two. I mean, I know what will happen, he will play a lot of minutes (hopefully), but I wonder how things will shake out with the NT. Correct me if I am wrong, but he's been part of every camp since Japan, does that change if he's playing in say League Two? And would it be too hard for the fans to stomach, having a League Two player on our roster? Maybe it will depend on the actual club and division, since if he's playing in League One, and it's a strong club, I don't think much changes. What if he goes to a mid-table League Two side, or worse?

And just thought of this - what if he goes out on loan to the SPL? Seems to be League One level, give or take, and with it being a first division that several of our players feature in, I am pretty certain nothing will change in the eyes of the fans.  

Agree with everything you said. At this point, he’s in his developmental phase and we shouldn’t have to rely on him to play any real minutes before WC ‘26 (lucky for us, we have proper CBs now — what a development that has been. Who knows if LDF plays any consistent meaningful minutes for us in the next decade). This means, *any* professional football is going to be > youth football or sitting on the bench/training with the Fulham senior team. Get this kid some reps, he’s so young for his position and clearly has a high ceiling — small sample for us, but he looks ready to play against men. Luckily for us, he’s in good hands with FFC making decisions best for his/their interest.

[InglewoodJack]

1 hour ago, Obinna said:

Thinking about his situation and wondering what will happen if he takes a sub-Championship loan, such as League One or even League Two. I mean, I know what will happen, he will play a lot of minutes (hopefully), but I wonder how things will shake out with the NT. Correct me if I am wrong, but he's been part of every camp since Japan, does that change if he's playing in say League Two? And would it be too hard for the fans to stomach, having a League Two player on our roster? Maybe it will depend on the actual club and division, since if he's playing in League One, and it's a strong club, I don't think much changes. What if he goes to a mid-table League Two side, or worse?

And just thought of this - what if he goes out on loan to the SPL? Seems to be League One level, give or take, and with it being a first division that several of our players feature in, I am pretty certain nothing will change in the eyes of the fans.  

I think we’ve shown that we’ll call guys up if we think they’re going to be big players for us long term- see Bombito getting calls under Herdman when he was nowhere near ready to play. Also, if I remember correctly, Liam Millar was still getting calls when Liverpool was loaning him out- LDF would be in the same camp as him at that point. 
 

Haven’t seen anything about a loan rumour though for him. Not that a Fulham academy player is typically subject of loan rumours, but I think there’s a possibility that they just keep him on the roster all year, he trains with the team, maybe plays a cup match again. He’ll still only turn 19 this year, so even a year on the bench, two years out on loan, and he’d still only be 22 by the time Fulham thinks he’s ready. Purely speculation, and watch me be proven wrong shortly, but I think the chances are decent he just sticks around with Fulham.

[GasPed]

1 hour ago, InglewoodJack said:

I think we’ve shown that we’ll call guys up if we think they’re going to be big players for us long term- see Bombito getting calls under Herdman when he was nowhere near ready to play. Also, if I remember correctly, Liam Millar was still getting calls when Liverpool was loaning him out- LDF would be in the same camp as him at that point. 

While that's true, I do think there's going to be a perception (perhaps valid) that someone (even a youngster like LDF) playing in League One or Two doesn't really deserve a call-up over guys playing regular minutes in MLS - e.g. Waterman, McGraw, Miller, Hiebert, MacNaughton, etc.  Don't get me wrong, I think LDF has a much higher ceiling than any of our MLS guys, but in terms of competition level, MLS is the definitely the better league.

[Kadenge]

I know LDF is young for a CB but how old was Yoro when he was starting for Lille? There are other examples of young CBs starting for their clubs. Our own Doneil Henry was a teen when he started for TFC. He needs lots of playing time for sure, but I really think he is good enough to play for a mid level Championship club. How old was Tomori when he was loaned out to Hull by Chelsea?

[InglewoodJack]

8 minutes ago, GasPed said:

While that's true, I do think there's going to be a perception (perhaps valid) that someone (even a youngster like LDF) playing in League One or Two doesn't really deserve a call-up over guys playing regular minutes in MLS - e.g. Waterman, McGraw, Miller, Hiebert, MacNaughton, etc.  Don't get me wrong, I think LDF has a much higher ceiling than any of our MLS guys, but in terms of competition level, MLS is the definitely the better league.

Perception, absolutely, but I don’t think Marsch & co. see it that way. He was apparently sniffing around Poku at Forge even though he haven’t called a guy at that level since…?
 

Casual fans won’t think much about LDF  until he’s a regular at a club they’ve heard of, but I think he’s solidly one of our top four CBs at this moment, and obviously the potential is clear to anyone who has watched him, but if we’re bringing in our top say, 5 best CBs to any given tournament, right now it’s DC, Bombito, LDF, Miller, and (I guess) Waterman, regardless of the club they’re at. 

[Kadenge]

Btw does League One/Two break for FIFA windows?

[maplebanana]

53 minutes ago, Kadenge said:

Btw does League One/Two break for FIFA windows?

Based on playing FIFA, no they don't.

(but also based on Wrexham playing on Sept 7 & 10, also no).

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

1 hour ago, Kadenge said:

I know LDF is young for a CB but how old was Yoro when he was starting for Lille? There are other examples of young CBs starting for their clubs. Our own Doneil Henry was a teen when he started for TFC. He needs lots of playing time for sure, but I really think he is good enough to play for a mid level Championship club. How old was Tomori when he was loaned out to Hull by Chelsea?

Tomori had turned 20 in the summer before he went to Hull.

He was 19, when he played a few games for Brighton in the back half of the season before. 

 

So if De Fougerolles went on loan in the second half of this season it would be similar. 

 

[costarg]

2 hours ago, GasPed said:

While that's true, I do think there's going to be a perception (perhaps valid) that someone (even a youngster like LDF) playing in League One or Two doesn't really deserve a call-up over guys playing regular minutes in MLS - e.g. Waterman, McGraw, Miller, Hiebert, MacNaughton, etc.  Don't get me wrong, I think LDF has a much higher ceiling than any of our MLS guys, but in terms of competition level, MLS is the definitely the better league.

While a CB in MLS will face tougher situations 1v1 vs individual strikers (DP type guys), I still believe League 1 in a team sense, system, formation and development could offer a lot more than some MLS teams.

[Bigandy]

4 hours ago, InglewoodJack said:

I think we’ve shown that we’ll call guys up if we think they’re going to be big players for us long term- see Bombito getting calls under Herdman when he was nowhere near ready to play. Also, if I remember correctly, Liam Millar was still getting calls when Liverpool was loaning him out- LDF would be in the same camp as him at that point. 
 

Haven’t seen anything about a loan rumour though for him. Not that a Fulham academy player is typically subject of loan rumours, but I think there’s a possibility that they just keep him on the roster all year, he trains with the team, maybe plays a cup match again. He’ll still only turn 19 this year, so even a year on the bench, two years out on loan, and he’d still only be 22 by the time Fulham thinks he’s ready. Purely speculation, and watch me be proven wrong shortly, but I think the chances are decent he just sticks around with Fulham.

Bombito was 100% ready to play for our B squad when he was called up. 

We become so dramatic that he played out of position but he was fine when he was playing CB and lets be honest, if he was playing dm for his club, then his performances at the gold cup were not bad with the exception of one bad game where he was pulled before half (with a tactical sub of a winger). 

He was dealt a tough hand at the gold cup but he was more than ready to play. 
 

[GasPed]

3 hours ago, InglewoodJack said:

Casual fans won’t think much about LDF  until he’s a regular at a club they’ve heard of, but I think he’s solidly one of our top four CBs at this moment, and obviously the potential is clear to anyone who has watched him, but if we’re bringing in our top say, 5 best CBs to any given tournament, right now it’s DC, Bombito, LDF, Miller, and (I guess) Waterman, regardless of the club they’re at. 

I like LDF a lot, but I'm not sure that at this moment he's actually better than Waterman or MacGraw or MacNaughton (ok, right at this moment he's better than MacNaughton 😉).  He certainly does some things better than all of them.  But at 18 years old, his size and physical strength are inferior, as are his aerial abilities.  I do expect that a year or two of development (even in League One or Two) will put him well beyond the MLSers.  But I think our recent call-ups for him were based largely on his potential (and I'm totally ok with that).

[InglewoodJack]

1 hour ago, Bigandy said:

Bombito was 100% ready to play for our B squad when he was called up. 

We become so dramatic that he played out of position but he was fine when he was playing CB and lets be honest, if he was playing dm for his club, then his performances at the gold cup were not bad with the exception of one bad game where he was pulled before half (with a tactical sub of a winger). 

He was dealt a tough hand at the gold cup but he was more than ready to play. 
 

That game he was subbed out at ‘35, and the one prior he looked super raw. I’m happy he got called and I think he served the opportunity, but he was clearly brought in because Herdman (correctly) saw him as a future big player for us.

 

56 minutes ago, GasPed said:

I like LDF a lot, but I'm not sure that at this moment he's actually better than Waterman or MacGraw or MacNaughton (ok, right at this moment he's better than MacNaughton 😉).  He certainly does some things better than all of them.  But at 18 years old, his size and physical strength are inferior, as are his aerial abilities.  I do expect that a year or two of development (even in League One or Two) will put him well beyond the MLSers.  But I think our recent call-ups for him were based largely on his potential (and I'm totally ok with that).

I was really impressed by his game at Copa. He got better as the game went on, and more than held his own against a really good Uruguay. I am really not a big on ZMG, and I think he’s less limited than Waterman. If you want to argue LMN is ahead of him this moment, I’ll hear it- he seemed to have taken a leap before his injury, but LDF’s Copa performance was much better than a lot of what I’ve seen from our other depth CBs.

He’s certainly brought in based on potential, but I was really impressed with his performance and he gave us enough to earn a call based on what he can provide *now* and not just getting acclimated with the team as a future piece. 

[Bigandy]

53 minutes ago, GasPed said:

I like LDF a lot, but I'm not sure that at this moment he's actually better than Waterman or MacGraw or MacNaughton (ok, right at this moment he's better than MacNaughton 😉).  He certainly does some things better than all of them.  But at 18 years old, his size and physical strength are inferior, as are his aerial abilities.  I do expect that a year or two of development (even in League One or Two) will put him well beyond the MLSers.  But I think our recent call-ups for him were based largely on his potential (and I'm totally ok with that).

Sure, if you just compare whos strongest, the LDF isnt the best option. 

Marsch says LDF is one of the best in training which included waterman and presumably the other 2 who were not on the squad. Would marsch really start a youngster at CB in a bronze medal game against uruguay for "potential" if he was no where near ready?

If you watch his games for fulham or CMNT he isn't lacking compared to the other guys. 

Sure he had some early nerves playing against uruguay in a major game when he has like 5 pro games under his belt. However, waterman got gutted by bahrain in a friendly. 

The mls guys are roughly at the hiebert level and hiebert couldnt hang with the dutch in a friendly for 5 minutes. I fully expect any of those 3 guys to get chewed up by uruguay. LDF didn't. He played well. His performance in a bronze medal game should speak enough about how he was at COPA on merit and not potential.

 

[Bigandy]

1 minute ago, InglewoodJack said:

That game he was subbed out at ‘35, and the one prior he looked super raw. I’m happy he got called and I think he served the opportunity, but he was clearly brought in because Herdman (correctly) saw him as a future big player for us.

But how was he in the one game he played cb? or in the knockouts vs the US? 

He was clearly nervous, in a position he never plays, in extreme temperatures with a less than perfect field and didnt have any proper midfielders around him to dominate the park. Those factors doesnt mean he wasn't there on merit. 

My point is that if he can look fine against the USA and good in a CB role then he was at the level required. He just had a subpar performance in one game...which all pro's have. 

[An Observer]

3 hours ago, GasPed said:

I like LDF a lot, but I'm not sure that at this moment he's actually better than Waterman or MacGraw or MacNaughton (ok, right at this moment he's better than MacNaughton 😉).  He certainly does some things better than all of them.  But at 18 years old, his size and physical strength are inferior, as are his aerial abilities.  I do expect that a year or two of development (even in League One or Two) will put him well beyond the MLSers.  But I think our recent call-ups for him were based largely on his potential (and I'm totally ok with that).

Agreed.  The fact he is 18 and highly thought of by Fulham, a premier league side, means he has loads of potential.  He also passes the eye test when you see him.  He needs a year playing consistently. Probably League One.  Then who knows the following year.  I still see him as potentially a starter in 2026 or at least a roster player. Depends a lot on his progress over the next two years plus what players like Bombito and Cornelius do.  I also think Stefanovic has an outside chance of at least making the roster but he has had a rough 2024.

[jordan]

Not with the U21s this morning

[narduch]

If he's getting a loan it has to happen today