After guiding the club to safety with one game of his Caretaker reign to spare last season, Lawrie Sanchez landed the Fulham job on a full time basis, and the former Northern Ireland manager has already begun a major overhaul of his squad in an attempt to avoid another relegation battle.

The 47-year-old was handed an “indefinite, rolling contract” by Chairman Mohammad Al Fayed and has already been entrusted with significant funds - to the tune of nearly £20m - to finance the reshaping of his squad.

The problem Fulham faced last season, much like Newcastle, was a lack of numbers and depth of their squad. This was evident by the fact they could only take 15 senior players to
Middlesbrough on the final day of last season. So Sanchez has set about boosting his options ahead of the new campaign and for me, Fulham have bought well this summer.

So far, six players have arrived at Craven Cottage this transfer window, with QPR midfielder Lee Cook expected to become the seventh later this week. As expected, Sanchez has recruited some of the players he coached in his time at Northern Ireland, including Southampton’s Chris Baird and former Newcastle defender Aaron Hughes, a player previously recommended by Buying From Our Premiership Rivals 2007.

Furthermore, Diomansy Kamara was prolific in the Championship last season and if David Healy can take his international form into the Premiership; they have a very good goalscorer on their hands. Paul Konchesky is an impressive signing, while Steven Davis, signed from Aston Villa for just £4m, looks a shrewd buy.

So with the influx of new players and the impending return of midfielder Jimmy Bullard, who looked set to have a major influence until he suffered a horrific injury at St James’ Park last season, it is certainly not unrealistic to suggest Fulham might surprise a few and go on to have a decent season.

One Fulham player who has been linked with Newcastle over the last few weeks is their French left back Franck Queudrue. The left back position has long been a problem at St James’ Park, with Celestine Babayaro never failing to frustrate since his arrival in January 2005 and the utter disaster of Olivier Bernard’s return last season. Indeed, Sam Allardyce has identified left back as one of the areas his is looking to strengthen this summer and he could certainly do a lot worse than former Middlesbrough favourite Queudrue.

During his time at the Riverside, Queudrue gained a reputation as an uncompromising player and soon became a fans favourite on Teesside. However, his discipline often let him down at times and he was no stranger to picking up cards and suspensions. His assertive nature is and desire to get stuck in is quite the opposite of the tame Babayaro – and I would argue that is exactly what Newcastle need at the back. Someone with a bit more aggression, bite and character, who won’t go hiding and will put their foot in and not shirk a challenge.

Queudrue is also player who can get forward to good effect and was during his time at Middlesbrough was renowned for his ability from set pieces, with many of his 13 goals for the club coming from dead ball situations. The arrival of Paul Konchesky from West Ham earlier this month is sure to push Queudrue further down the pecking order, and could signal his exit from Craven Cottage. The latest quotes from Queudrue this week saw the player saying a move to Tyneside would be “tricky” and these were followed up by his manager telling the press that should Queudrue leave, the club would be looking to get their money back on a player who cost the Cottagers £3m last summer. Certainly many supporters would be looking for a bigger name than Queudrue to fill the left back slot - Wayne Bridge, Gabriel Heinze and Leighton Baines appear to be the favourites on this site - but at the very least he would be tremendous back-up. However, whether the player would want to go from being second choice at one club to the same position at Newcastle is another matter.

In summary, Queudrue could definitely do a good job, short-term at least, as first choice. There is no doubt he is an improvement on what we currently have and would be a relatively cheap option. Queudrue is also the same age as Babayaro, 28, so his signing would really be a no-lose situation. And when you consider Fulham paid just over £3m for Chris Baird, a similar price for Queudrue looks a bargain.

Another player in the Fulham squad who always catches the eye is their powerful and robust centre midfielder Papa Bouba Diop. Diop seemed to be on his way out of Craven Cottage during the January transfer window last season, with Wigan reportedly close to sealing a £5m swoop for the Senegalese international. However Diop rejected the move to the North West and in the next game he came off the bench to outmuscle Steven Carr and set up the winning goal for Brian McBride in Fulham’s 2-1 victory against Newcastle.

One thing that has certainly been missing from Newcastle teams in recent seasons is height, and at 6’4, Diop would certainly add that. United conceded too many goals from set pieces or balls into the box last season and with someone of Diop’s size in the side, the team would be better protected in defensive situations. In addition, Diop’s presence would also add to the threat posed by Allardyce’s men going forward. For a supposed defensive midfielder, Diop certainly knows where the goal is and how to strike a ball and scored a real cracker against Manchester United in his first season in England.

With Nicky Butt, the only defensively minded midfielder in the squad, out of contract at the end of the season, the club must look at alternatives. Sam Allardyce is known for liking big, strong players in his side from his Bolton days and the man nicknamed The Wardrobe certainly fits that mould. One accusation of United last season was that they were not physical enough and had a soft centre. Diop would certainly eradicate that and make Newcastle a more imposing outfit and add a bit more steel to the side. He would also be a cheaper and more viable option than, say, Fenerbache’s Steven Appiah, a player who many would like to see at St James’ Park.

Clubs such as Arsenal and Manchester United are thought to have cast envious glances in the past and if Diop, who joined Fulham from Lens in 2004, can recapture the form of a few years ago, there is no doubt he would be a terrific signing.

Would Queudrue and Diop be good signings for Newcastle? How will Fulham fare next season under the guidance of new boss Lawrie Sanchez?

Have your say below.

Previously, Buying From Our Premiership Rivals 2007 recommended the following players:

Arsenal
Matthieu Flamini
Justin Hoyte
Johan Djourou
Armand Traore
David Dein (as a potential Chief Executive)

Aston Villa
Aaron Hughes (Has moved to Fulham)

Birmingham City
Gary McSheffrey
Sebastien Larsson

Blackburn Rovers
Ryan Nelsen
David Bentley
Morten Gamst Pedersen
Benni McCarthy

Bolton Wanderers
Nicholas Anelka
El-Hadji Diouf
Gary Speed

Chelsea
Wayne Bridge
Khalid Boulahrouz (Has moved to Sevilla on loan)

DerbyCounty
Giles Barnes
Lewin Nyatanga

Everton
Mikel Arteta
Jospeh Yobo

Fulham
Franck Queudrue
Papa Bouba Diop