Fulham struck gold with £6m Bristol City agreement - clutch Wembley moments followed | OneFootball

Fulham's £6 million deal to sign Bristol City's Joe Bryan will never be forgotten, many thanks to his 2020 Wembley exploits.

Arriving in the summer of 2018 from Bristol City, Joe Bryan proved crucial for Fulham and their future promotion endeavours.

Despite Fulham's relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2018/19 season, just a year after promotion, the club bounced back twice before eventually establishing itself as a stable Premier League club once again.

A name synonymous with Fulham's promotion campaign in 2019/20 is Joe Bryan, who came up with two fantastic moments at Wembley to earn Premier League status again for Scott Parker's side.

His arrival in the summer of 2018 for a reported £6 million fee turned out to be a fantastic bit of business, allowing Fulham to carry on stabilising to the point they are today.

Joe Bryan is in talks with Millwall, according to reports

Joe Bryan's Bristol City form earned him a big step-up - and big cash for the Robins

Born just outside Bristol, Bryan was offered a contract by his local club in 2011. Taking the step-up to the first team, he accrued over 200 appearances in Red before his career with the club came to an end in 2018.

Following Fulham's play-off final victory against Aston Villa, Fulham were free-spending as they prepared for the Premier League.

Among big-name signings such as Jean-Michael Seri, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, the loan arrivals of André Schürrle and Luciano Vietto, and Aleksandar Mitrovic, who signed permanently, Bryan's signing went under the radar in comparison.

For Bristol City, however, the £6 million received was a superb bit of business for a player with one year left on his deal.

Going through three managers in Slavisa Jokanovic, Claudio Ranieri and Scott Parker, Fulham were relegated following a disappointing season. Bryan picked up 28 Premier League appearances along the way despite an injury-hit period heading into the new year.

Bryan's Wembley exploits went down in Fulham folklore

Keeping the faith in Scott Parker, Fulham recruited well following their relegation.

Ivan Cavaleiro, who tasted promotion with Wolves in 2018, alongside Anthony Knockaert, another promotion expert, and Bobby De Cordova-Reid, all arrived as big Championship names. And these all proved vital as Fulham stayed in the promotion race throughout a fantastically competitive Championship campaign, before securing an eventual fourth-place finish.

Fulham beat Cardiff City, also relegated twelve months prior, in the play-off semi-final. They were set for a crucial showdown with Premier League football on the line against none other than West London rivals Brentford.

While the pair of London outfits finished level on points, third-placed Brentford went into the final as potential favourites after the exploits of their 'BMW' front line, featuring Said Benrahma, Bryan Mbuemo and Ollie Watkins, who had scored 57 Championship goals between them.

But with the sides locked at 0-0 heading into extra time at Wembley, it would be Joe Bryan who provided the magic to send Fulham back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

A magnificent surprise 40-yard free-kick in the 105th minute caught out David Raya at his near post to send Fulham's squad into raptures in an empty Wembley Stadium. And just 12 minutes later, Bryan added a second after a wonderful 1-2 with Aleksandar Mitrovic before rolling the ball under the onrushing Raya.

Making 46 Championship appearances for the Whites on their way to promotion in 2020, Bryan was a well-trusted figure and mainstay in the starting 11 under Scott Parker.

Following Fulham's second relegation a year later, Bryan went on to make just 16 Championship appearances for Fulham as they achieved promotion again, before he went through an injury-ridden spell on loan with Ligue 1 outfit Nice.

Signing for Millwall in the summer of 2023, Bryan has gone on to become, yet again, a fantastic Championship professional.

Following over 200 appearances with his local club Bristol City, a taste of Premier League football and a fantastic play-off story, Joe Bryan's £6 million move to the capital in 2018 proved extremely worthwhile for all parties involved.