Calvin Bassey: Fulham get return date for Super Eagles star who pulled out of March friendlies
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has been projected to return to action on April 11 after sustaining a back injury last week, Soccernet.ng reports.
Bassey was named in Nigeria's 23-man squad for the friendly games against Iran and Jordan, but he withdrew last week due to a back injury.
The announcement came as a surprise, as the 26-year-old center-back had played the full 90 minutes in Fulham's 3-1 win over Burnley in their final game before the international break.
Nonetheless, coach Eric Chelle moved quickly to call up Trabzonspor star Chibuike Nwaiwu as his replacement.
In the meantime, Fulham have been relatively quiet regarding the Super Eagles star's situation, and the exact nature of his back problem has yet to be confirmed.
However, according to Premier League injury experts, the former Ajax man is expected to return to action on April 11.
This suggests that the only fixtures Bassey will miss are Nigeria's games against Iran and Jordan. Fulham do not have a game the first weekend after the international break, as they have already been knocked out of the FA Cup.
Consequently, they will return to action the following week with a big clash against Liverpool at Anfield.
Why Calvin Bassey's Injury Update Is Good News For Fulham
Calvin Bassey has been a pivotal figure for Fulham this season, featuring in 23 of their 31 Premier League matches. The only reason he missed the other seven games was due to his participation in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
His projected early return suggests that the back injury is not a serious issue and may have even been a precautionary withdrawal.
Hence, coach Marco Silva will be banking on him to deliver during the home stretch of the campaign, with just seven games remaining.
The Cottagers are currently competing for continental qualification. They sit in ninth place, just five points behind fifth-placed Liverpool, and genuinely have a good shot at securing European football.
If they can produce a solid run and win at least six of their remaining games, they could nick a spot in Europe.
Bassey will be integral to that push. He has been one of the club's standout performers over the last two years, even winning the Player of the Year award last season.
The Nigerian has been Fulham's rock in defense, and he will be hoping to end the campaign on a high with the prospect of playing European football again next season.
https://soccernet.ng/2026/03/calvin-bassey-fulham-super-eagles-march.html
Trust statement on Brentford away allocation
As we previously stated, the Fulham Supporters' Trust (FST) have sought to clarify with Fulham Football Club (FFC) the way in which some tickets were made available for individuals to purchase as part of the Brentford Riverside Run Matchday Package, thereby by-passing the Loyalty Point process.
The Club's response is:
"The limited tickets set aside for the package which combined the run with access to the match were from an allocation that wouldn't have been made available for supporters to purchase from the selling allocation.
There was equally a package for the run which didn't include match tickets to allow more people to take part as we understood the demand for tickets for this fixture as opposed to previous charity events linked to away matches."
We understand that under the Loyalty Point process tickets for this fixture sold out at the 1,000 point threshold which is the same level as last year.
But we do not believe the Club's answer provides sufficient detail, particularly around the number of match tickets allocated for the Riverside Run, to respond to fans genuine concerns about the process.
We will continue to push for a more detailed explanation as to how this position was allowed to arise for one of the highest demand away fixtures of the season. We will revert to this at our next meeting with the Club.
As we said before, the FST strongly support the work of the Fulham Foundation, but disagree with using entry to away games for fundraising. We would always expect the Club to make the maximum number of tickets available to Fulham fans.
https://www.fulhamsupporterstrust.com/news/2026/03/trust-statement-on-brentford-away-allocation/
Trust statement on season ticket pricing(https://www.fulhamsupporterstrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/fsasel-760x456-c-default.webp)
The Fulham Supporters' Trust Board have recently written to the Club with our comments to guide the Club in its discussions on ticket pricing for next season.
In line with the Football Supporters Association's Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign, which we signed up to earlier in the season along with the Fulham Fan Advisory Board, Fulham Disabled Supporters Association and Fulham Lillies, we have requested consideration be given to a ticket price freeze on all tickets for next season.
We have received an acknowledgement of our request.
As reported in our last Club meeting notes, pricing for the 2026/27 season is unlikely to be available until late April, early May.
https://www.fulhamsupporterstrust.com/news/2026/03/trust-statement-on-season-ticket-pricing/
Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton, Fulham vying for Roggerio Nyakossi
Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton and Fulham are all keen on acquiring the services of OH Leuven defensive sensation Roggerio Nyakossi.
Roggerio Nyakossi's sensational rise hasn't gone unnoticed; several top clubs from across Europe are keen on prising him away from the Belgian top flight. With only a year left on his deal, a departure in the upcoming transfer window looks very likely.
According to a report from The Sun, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton and Fulham are all keeping a close eye on the 6ft 4in Swiss defensive prodigy and would love to acquire his services ahead of next season.
Nyakossi has done wonders at OH Leuven since joining them from Marseille at the start of 2025. He has shown unreal consistency, and his performances have attracted a lot of interest. The maturity and composure that he has displayed at the age of 22 have impressed scouts from top clubs in England.
While clubs from Italy, Germany and England were after him in January as well, he decided to stay in Belgium to help Leuven survive relegation. With the objective now complete, the Switzerland Under-21s captain is set to join a big club.
Nyakossi could end up moving to England
Chelsea and Liverpool have been keeping tabs on him for some time and will continue to do so until the end of the season. The Blues consider him an ideal fit for their project that revolves around youngsters, while the Reds are looking at him as someone who could help them cope with Ibrahima Konate's potential departure. He could even help replace Virgil van Dijk in the long run.
The 6ft 4in giant is also being monitored by Fulham and Everton, who both lack depth at the back and want to address that on a priority basis. While all four clubs are very keen on signing him, Marseille could spoil the party as they have a buy-back agreement with the Belgian outfit and want to bring him back to France.
The Ligue 1 giants will still have to agree on personal terms with the player, which does give the English clubs some hope. The 22-year-old is expected to be available for just £8 million, which is a very affordable price for the Premier League teams.
https://thehardtackle.com/transfer-news/2026/03/29/chelsea-liverpool-everton-fulham-vying-for-roggerio-nyakossi/
Fulham Women 3-0 MK Dons Women
Fulham officially claimed back-to-back promotions as they sealed the FA Women's National League Division One South East title with a 3-0 victory over MK Dons.
All the damage was done in the first-half at Craven Cottage, with goals from Becky Stormer, Ellie Olds and Stella Gandee Morgan.
The win extended our unbeaten league run to two years, and with promotion rivals Norwich losing, it was time to celebrate becoming Champions once again.
Fulham began strongly and Lily Stevens was first to try her luck when a clearance fell to her on the edge of the box, but her low strike trickled narrowly past the post.
The home side's dominant start was rewarded when a corner was swung in from the left and Stormer rose highest in the box to head home the opener.
The balance of play continued firmly in Fulham's favour, and Hannah Mackenzie came close to converting from another corner, but her first-time effort was deflected behind.
The Whites hit the woodwork twice as they searched for their second. First, Leeta Rutherford rattled the crossbar with a powerful strike in the box, and Anna Gray also saw her shot come back off the upright when she worked her way through.
The advantage was doubled on the half-hour mark as Kayleigh Stead delivered a cross, and when Stevens couldn't quite control, Olds reacted quickest to fire past goalkeeper Jamie-Lee Bamford.
Gray thought she'd got her name on the scoresheet when she finished delicately over Bamford, but play was pulled back for a foul by Stead in the build-up.
Fulham didn't have to wait long for their third though. Olds found Gandee Morgan in the middle, and the forward finished coolly to extend the lead before half-time.
There was less goalmouth action after the interval, although substitute Leila Lister showed great skill to beat her marker and send a curling effort narrowly off target.
Olds could have completed her brace with just over twenty minutes left, as Izzy Milne whipped in an excellent ball and our number nine glanced a header just wide.
Rutherford almost claimed goal of the match when she spotted Bamford off her line, but her chip from all of 40 yards out hit the woodwork, and the 'keeper was just about able to gather.
A tense wait followed the final whistle, but the announcement that Norwich had lost sparked wild celebrations on and off the pitch.
Fulham Women are CHAMPIONS. 🏆
Gibbs, Milne, Rutherford, Stormer (C), Olds, Gandee Morgan, Stead, Stevens, Dale, Gray, Mackenzie
Subs: Tagliavini, Parsonson, Rolf, Mendes, Lister, Goldsmid
https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2026/march/29/fulham-women-3-0-mk-dons-women/
Fulham Women Secure Promotion to the Third Tier
Fulham Women are champions of the FA WNL Division One South East, while AFC Bournemouth and Cheadle Town Stingers won the knockout finals.
AFC Bournemouth edged Plymouth Argyle 1-0 at Loftus Road to lift the League Cup for the first time. Kenni Thompson scored early on directly from a corner kick.
Cheadle won the League Plate 3-0 on penalties after a goalless deadlock with Moneyfields.
The Northern Premier Division still has Burnley on top, pursued by Wolves, who saw off West Brom 1-0 in front of over 2,000 at Molineux. Loughborough Lightning are just a goal difference away from escaping the relegation zone after their victory over fourth-placed Stoke City.
Watford are one win away from clinching the Southern Premier Division after beating Exeter City 5-0 at Vicarage Road. Gwalia United scored the only goal at Real Bedford to stay four points clear of danger.
Huddersfield Town held the top spot in Division One North with a defeat of Chorley, sitting a point ahead of Leeds United with a game in hand after their 5-1 result at York City. Blackburn Rovers won the relegation 'six-pointer' against Doncaster Rovers Belles with a 90th-minute goal from Chung Man Karri Chan but remain at the bottom.
Despite Boldmere's 5-1 victory at Kidderminster Harriers, Peterborough United are all but confirmed champions of Division One Midlands after edging Barnsley Women 1-0.
Fulham beat Milton Keynes Dons 3-0 at Craven Cottage to win Division One South East, with title rivals Norwich City losing 2-1 at home to Chatham Town.
In Division One South West, Swindon Town's title hopes were dented by a home loss to Bridgwater United, giving Moneyfields the chance to overtake them from their game in hand.
https://womensfootballmagazine.com/fulham-women-secure-promotion-to-the-third-tier/
USA star Ricardo Pepi breaks silence on Fulham transfer drama following Belgium defeat
USA international Ricardo Pepi refused to go into detail when asked about the collapse of his move to Premier League side Fulham.
The Cottagers made an initial attempt to sign Pepi in the January transfer window, but PSV Eindhoven were reluctant to sanction his sale without signing a suitable replacement.
Fulham then set about securing a deal for the summer market, leading to an agreement between the two clubs over a transfer fee.
Pepi travelled to London to undergo medicals, as Fulham looked to get everything in place ahead of the summer window.
However, PSV technical director Ernest Stewart revealed that the proposed move has since broken down due to a disagreement about when the responsibility for the player would be transferred.
Pepi brushes off Fulham transfer question
Pepi was asked about the transfer drama following the USA's heavy 5-2 defeat to Belgium on Saturday.
The striker was reluctant to provide any details on the situation, insisting he is focusing on the current international window with Mauricio Pochettino's side.
"To be honest, at the moment, I'm just focused on being back with the national team, it's been a minute," Pepi said as per Peter Rutzler.
"I'm just really focused on the next game and whatever happens is going to happen."
Why is Pepi attracting transfer interest?
Fulham were seemingly keen to get a deal wrapped up in a bid to fend off interest from other potential suitors.
Everton and West Ham United are among those who have also been credited with interest in the 23-year-old.
Pepi has caught the eye with his performances in the Netherlands, first with Groningen and now with PSV.
The forward netted 13 times in 31 matches while he was on loan at Groningen from Augsburg, before he completed a permanent transfer to PSV in the summer of 2023.
Pepi has since gone on to score 39 goals in 96 competitive matches, including 10 goals in 20 Eredivisie appearances this season.
In regard to his international career, he has registered 13 goals in 35 games for the USA, although he was unable to add to that goal tally in his substitute appearance against Belgium.
The PSV star will be hoping to make a contribution when the USA take on Portugal in Tuesday's international friendly.
https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/transfer-talk/news/ricardo-pepi-breaks-silence-on-fulham-transfer-drama_594708.html
Over the weekend:
Josh King played the full 90m of England u21's 1-1 draw in Andora
Sam Amissah played full 90 of England u19's 1-0 win over Poland.