We brought you the exclusive on Thursday that Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic could be tempted to leave Craven Cottage with some big clubs in for him in January.

The Serbian has scored a quite remarkable 22 league goals already and looks destined to smash Ivan Toney's record of 31 goals in the division.

The Cottagers appeared to be home and hosed at the summit of the Championship a month or so ago but a run of four draws and one defeat has seen the gap between themselves and third place cut to just three points.

The recent poor run poses the question of just how much Mitrovic's goals have carried them this season and whether or not they would be as convincing automatic promotion contenders without him in the side.

Here, we have taken a look at one winner and one loser from Mitrovic's potential Fulham exit...

Winner: Rodrigo Muniz

Soccer Football - Championship - Blackburn Rovers v Fulham - Ewood Park, Blackburn, Britain - November 3, 2021 Fulham's Rodrigo Muniz celebrates scoring their sixth goal Action Images/Ed Sykes EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for furthe

The Summer signing from Flamengo, Rodrigo Muniz has looked good in flashes in his limited opportunities for the Cottagers this season.

It would have been difficult for Robert Lewandowski to break into the Fulham side at the top of the pitch, such has been the breath-taking form of Mitrovic, but Muniz will be ready in waiting to take his place and lead the promotion push.

The Brazilian has scored three league goals despite starting only once and could have a more significant part to play in the second half of the season, irrespective of whether Mitrovic stays put or not.

 

 

Loser: Marco Silva

Soccer Football - Championship - Preston North End v Fulham - Deepdale, Preston, Britain - November 27, 2021 Fulham's manager Marco Silva Action Images/Molly Darlington

Marco Silva's reputation will take a serious dent if he is not able to achieve automatic promotion with the embarrassment of riches at his disposal that is this Fulham squad.

The five game winless run will have triggered a lot of concern over the Cottagers' place at the top of the division and led to questions about Silva's methods.

Pulling away from the chasing pack will be much more difficult without Mitrovic and could force the Portuguese manager to completely alter the way Fulham attack teams.

Muniz provides excellent cover but losing Mitrovic would make Fulham a lot less intimidating to come up against.