Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 08/04/26...

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Fulham Fix: Back-to-back Champs

With Fulham Women making it back-to-back league titles recently, Felix & Ivan caught up with two key members of the team in Becky Stormer and Stella Gandee Morgan, as well as Head Coach Steve Jaye, to celebrate two years unbeaten in the league, which has led to their promotion to the third tier!

https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2026/april/07/fulham-fix-fulham-women-back-to-back-champs/

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Goal of the Month Result: March

Farhaan Ali Wahid has won the Club's Goal of the Month award for March for his beautiful curling strike away to Brighton Under-21s.

Having trailed 2-0, the goal brought us level in Sussex, and set us on course for an impressive 4-3 away victory.

The winger was given far too much space 20 yards out for a player of his calibre, and had the time to collect an infield pass from the left, compose himself as he set the ball up to hit on the edge of the box, and let fly around the 'keeper and into the postage stamp.

It's the third time Ali Wahid has taken the accolade this season, also winning GOTM in September and October.

Almost half (48.7%) of the vote went in his favour this time around. His goal against Stoke City also made the top three (14.7%), with the two efforts sandwiching Alex Iwobi's stroked finish against Spurs (27%).



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2026/april/06/goal-of-the-month-result-march/

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The Europa Conference League is not worth it for Fulham
Sam Eccles would love a trip to Pristina as much as the next person, but not at the risk of relegation.

I was there, that one time. When we lifted the Intertoto on that fateful summer's evening at Loftus Road.

I've grown up now, though. The club has too.

With mid-table stability now firmly secured after a long, painful road, the back end of this season once again presents a genuine chance to push on and finally return to Europe. However, to progress from either a footballing or financial perspective, we should avoid the poisoned chalice of the Europa Conference League and go all out for the promised land of the Europa proper.

Money talks
Before even getting to the footballing reasons, competing in the Conference League goes against the club's wider business strategy: growing revenue to achieve financial sustainability. The club would barely make a profit if it participated in the Conference League. According to The Swiss Ramble, if we qualified but lost every game, the club would receive just €3.17m. That's not a lot in footballing terms, but it's even less once travel and operational costs are factored in.

Compare that with the £127.8m Tottenham received for coming 17th in the Premier League last season, it's pretty clear whether dedicating attention to that competition at the expense of the Premier League is worth the risk.

Granted, the Europa League doesn't offer relatively much more than the Conference for participation, €4.3m in total, but the pedigree of the competition and the teams that play in it make that potential risk to our league form more worthwhile. On that note...

The road to the Championship hell is paved with good intentions
Unlike the butter on my hot cross bun this Easter, clubs that qualify for Europe typically spread themselves far too thin the following season and struggle in the league. This is especially true for clubs outside the traditional 'top six' that don't have the depth required to compete on multiple fronts.

Nottingham Forest are a clear example for this season, with Palace flirting with the bottom three for parts of it too, although they qualified via the FA Cup.

When Burnley qualified for the Europa League by finishing seventh in the table in 2017/18, they finished 15th and six points above the drop zone the following season.

West Ham were also just six points above the relegation zone by the end of season they won the Conference League, having finished seventh the season prior.

Even 'top six' club Spurs have struggled. They finished 17th last season when they won the Europa League, coming fifth to qualify but face a real threat of relegation again this season.

There are of course caveats to all these examples - from a grumpy Aussie stubbornly pursuing kamikaze football, to one club owner cycling through managers faster than a divorced dad in Lycra.

The point being, while these clubs just about survived relegation the season after they qualified for Europe, it clearly doesn't set them up for success in the long-term.

It starts a toxic spiral of low morale due to poor performances in the league and possibly Europe too, leading to personnel exits that creates further turmoil, causing even worse performances and ultimately a club less desirable for quality players and managers to join that also now benefits from less revenue due to a lower league finish.

Given the risky pursuit of European glory for clubs like ours, we should at least make it worth our while. That means, with seventh potentially being enough, we must not settle for the Conference and push on so the Europa League's prodigal son can finally return home.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/p/the-europa-conference-league-is-not

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FST welcomes formation of Citizens Trust
The Fulham Supporters' Trust formally welcomes the news that Manchester City fans have formed the Citizens Trust to represent the interests of City fans.

The Citizens Trust will provide a democratic, accountable, inclusive society for City fans to advocate for their interests and build power in local communities, whilst also seeking to celebrate the history, heritage and traditions of Manchester City Football Club.

As interim chair Nick Clarke said in the Citizens Trust statement this morning:

"The lack of a supporters' trust at City has long been a missing link in the chain between the club and its fans. Now, our fans have an opportunity to build a strong, collective voice to reinforce that link.

Supporters across the country feel increasingly disconnected from the modern game, often feeling powerless to decisions impacting both their clubs and traditions they've built over generations – Blues are no different. This is our chance to begin reversing that trend at City in a really positive way."

The chair of the Football Supporters Association, Tom Greatrex – the founding chair of the Fulham Supporters' Trust in 2003 – added:

"It's always great to see supporters joining forces and it's a pleasure to welcome aboard our newest members at The Citizens Trust.

Manchester City fans have been a strong campaigning force on various important issues such as ticket prices and facial recognition technology in recent seasons.

The trust will provide a democratic, inclusive, powerful voice for the club's fans and we'd encourage all supporters to get involved as members."

The Fulham Supporters' Trust have worked closely with Nick and a number of the other members of the interim board of the Citizens Trust in recent years, including the fabulous Fans Supporting Foodbanks initiative on matchdays at the Etihad Stadium and the FSA's Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign. We look forward to campaigning alongside the Citizens Trust in the weeks ahead and meeting up with their representatives at this summer's FSA AGM.



https://www.fulhamsupporterstrust.com/news/2026/04/fst-welcomes-formation-of-citizens-trust/

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'Quality' – Fulham Urged To Go For Watford Star By Journalist
Fulham have been urged to swoop for Watford midfielder Imran Louza, who has been in superb form in the Championship, when the summer transfer window opens.

The 26-year-old has been part of the Hornets squad since 2021, joining from Nantes when the Vicarage Road club were in the Premier League, initially signing a deal until 2026, which was extended in 2022 until 2028.

He also had a short six-month loan spell back in French football at Lorient in 2024.

Since returning, Louza has become a prominent and integral part of Watford's midfield, winning the club's Player of the Season award and wearing the captain's armband since last year.

This season, with Edward Still's side pushing for the playoffs, Louza is leading by example, both in terms of performances and goal contributions.

He has scored seven goals and registered ten assists across all competitions, the highest goal involvement tally in the Watford squad, made even more impressive by the fact he operates from central midfield.

Earlier this season, Birmingham City boss Chris Davies singled out Louza as one of the Championship's top midfielders and other sides are also sure to have taken note of his form.

Club	Years
Nantes	2017-2021
Watford	2021-
Lorient (loan)	2024

Imran Louza's career history

Last summer, there were links between the Moroccan star and Russian outfit Lokomotiv Moscow, but nothing progressed into a deal.

Fulham could be in the market for a player like Louza in the summer and journalist Richard Cawley is keen to see the Cottagers sign him as he believes he is a quality player who would add more quality and control in midfield.

Cawley wrote on X: "Would love Fulham to sign Watford's Imran Louza.

"Quality player."

For Fulham, adding a technically gifted player like Louza could provide a boost, especially with midfielders such as Tom Cairney, Harrison Reed and Sasa Lukic entering the final year of their respective contracts.

With Louza continuing to impress at Watford, interest in his services could grow further, and a move to the Premier League may be the next step in his development if the right opportunity arises.

However, his immediate focus will be on helping the Hornets finish the season strongly, with the side currently seven points off the playoff places with just five matches remaining.

Louza clocked the full 90 minutes for Watford in their Easter Monday draw with Charlton Athletic and assisted the Hornets' goal as it ended 1-1.

Still's men are currently on a three-game winless run in the Championship and sit tenth in the table with 57 points.



https://insidefutbol.com/2026/04/07/quality-fulham-urged-to-go-for-watford-star-by-journalist/709953/

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Liverpool Fan Groups Plan Ticket Price Protests for Fulham Match
It's been a horrible year for Liverpool. Now we're getting protests thanks to the club's anti-fan ticketing decisions.

In case you'd somehow missed it, things have gone rather poorly for Liverpool on the football front this season, with the Reds following up last year's title win by forgetting how to press, pass, defend, and finish and so almost immediately dropping out of the title race.

The performances have mostly been poor, and with the players folding at the slightest adversity and too often looking like they simply can't be bothered, the mood around the club and in the stands has begun to take on an exceptionally sour note. Into that mix, late last month the club announced ticket price increases for next season—and committed itself to more in the years to come.

This has gone over about as one would have expected with fan groups, which is something the club would have entirely expected. Assuming there's anyone competent in the decision-making chain. Regardless, said fan groups are now planning protests and boycotts.

"Liverpool FC has chosen to ignore clear, overwhelming opposition from its own supporters and push ahead with plans to increase ticket prices for the next three seasons," read a statement from fan group Spirit of Shankly. "Fans do not accept this decision. And if the club's owners won't listen, then we make them.

"This is no longer about consultation. That opportunity has been and gone. This is about action. Supporter groups are already organising a coordinated response. We are doing so at speed because time is against us. But the direction is clear: protests will take place. If the club does not value supporter voices, we will make ourselves difficult to ignore."

While not all details have been set, with plans still evolving as supporters seek to formulate a response quickly with the season nearing its end, protests are set to begin against Fulham on Saturday and one of the first planned avenue for protest is seeking to limit in-stadium spending.

To that end, fan groups are requesting that anyone attending upcoming Liverpool matches make no purchases while in Anfield or via official club channels, instead choosing to support local businesses outside of Anfield when sourcing souvenirs, food, and beverages.

At the core of the pushback is the idea that the club are doing something that hasn't been done before by locking in future ticket price increases, trying to hide the extent of the rise by spreading it over multiple years while making those increases a simple fact of life and more difficult to push back against once established.

"This is Liverpool FC's owners locking in price rises for years to come and removing meaningful annual scrutiny from supporters," Spirit of Shankly added. "No other Premier League club is doing this. If it goes unchallenged, it sets a precedent. Not just for Liverpool, but across the game.

"At the end of these three years, it would be a fifth increase in six seasons. Tickets heading towards £70. Season tickets beyond £1,000. And for what? A club generating record revenues still wants more, and has decided supporters will be the ones to pay for it.

"This isn't just about price. It's about direction. It's about what kind of football club Liverpool chooses to be. One rooted in its people, or one that sees them as a revenue stream to be pushed year after year. Future supporters will live with the consequences of what happens now."



https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-fc-news-coverage/79606/liverpool-fan-groups-plan-ticket-price-protests-for-fulham-match

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Said El Mala: Everton and Fulham likely to enter bidding – Newcastle United sent away
Brighton and Hove Albion's pursuit of FC Köln forward Said El Mala is stalling, with Everton and Fulham 'likely to enter the bidding' for the 19-year-old, and Newcastle United sent away.

Sport BILD report on the winger today and how Köln are keeping Brighton at arm's length and waiting for other suitors to come forwards.

According to their information, Brighton have offered €35m plus €5m to sign El Mala ahead of the summer. Cologne, though, are refusing to budge from a €50m minimum valuation.

For now, no agreement is in sight and Brighton's patience is being tested. Talks are taking place behind the scenes.

Big transfer desired
Inside Köln, the stance is clear. Said El Mala's sale next summer is already baked into the club's financial planning.

Sporting director Thomas Kessler and Tim Steidten are maintaining active contact with clubs and agents across England. They know that selling El Mala is essential to fund the next phase of their squad planning.

Chelsea have shown interest but are yet to submit a formal bid. Newcastle United attempted to open talks, but they were rebuffed by the player's entourage. They, reportedly, indicated a preference for Brighton.

El Mala camp sending mixed signals
While Said El Mala's family have told Newcastle that they are leaning towards Brighton, the situation is more nuanced behind the scenes.

In discussions with Köln, El Mala's mother Sabrina, who is now representing him, has made it clear she is open to other clubs. That's even if Brighton is the preferred destination.

The family will only consider Brighton's offer after the Premier League reaches an agreement with Köln over a transfer fee. There is no pressure being applied on the German side. That stance keeps the door open for new bidders.

Everton and Fulham expected
While Brighton are unable to close the gap, other Premier League clubs are preparing to move. Everton, Brentford and Fulham are considered as potential suitors.

The feeling is that they are 'likely to enter the bidding' for El Mala at some point. That could certainly happen is the current stalemate continues.

Köln are in no rush. They have El Mala tied to a deal until 2030 and that does not include a release clause. El Mala is considered a rare long-term asset, and they want a top fee for him.

A transfer saga set to run on
Brighton remain in pole position in terms of the player's preference, but their reluctance to pay €50m has created an opening.

Everton, Fulham and Brentford are now lurking in the background as a result. Chelsea are still hovering too, while Newcastle could even make a second attempt despite being rejected.

The battle for Said El Mala appears to just be starting. His agents are certainly leaving the door open to anything, despite the apparent preference for Brighton among his representatives.



https://sportwitness.co.uk/said-el-mala-everton-and-fulham-likely-to-enter-bidding-newcastle-united-sent-away/

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Ricardo Pepi speaks: Fulham may have big task to revive transfer
Fulham's failed move for Ricardo Pepi has already become one of those transfer stories that does not fully go away once it collapses.

The Premier League club had agreed a deal with PSV in March. The package was reported at €40m (£34.4m) including bonuses. Pepi travelled to London for medicals and the move looked on track.

Then it fell apart late in the process because the two clubs could not agree on when responsibility for the striker would officially pass from one side to the other. That detail proved decisive, and the transfer was called off.

As we covered at the time, Pepi was left "severely disappointed" by Fulham. However PSV technical director Earnie Stewart also made clear a future deal should not be ruled out.

This detail is key for our last update from the Netherlands.

The striker is not a player trying to force his way out of Eindhoven at all. He signed a new PSV contract until June 2030 last year. The Dutch club are still in a strong position.

For Fulham, then, this is not simply about returning with the same money. They cannot expect everything to click back into place.

Roller coaster season gives context
Ricardo Pepi first reflected on the season when he was asked how he looked back on the campaign and what stood out for him.

He gave an interview to Dutch outlet Voetbal International while celebrating PSV's Eredivisie title. It was a league campaign in which he contributed 10 goals in 21 appearances.

"Yeah, I think it was a little bit of a roller coaster," he said. "I had some unfortunate injuries, of course, but at the end of the day it's not normal to come back from two or three injuries in a season and still perform."

He continued: "So I feel like I've had an overall decent season. Just remembering all the Champions League goals I scored this season, I think those are special, of course, but winning this trophy is obviously even more special."

In other words, Fulham are not dealing with a player who needs rescuing from a bad situation. The failed transfer looks like water under the bridge.

Moreover, they are dealing with a striker who made his mark while dealing with serious injuries. He is now ending it with silverware.

The key answer for Fulham
Ricardo Pepi was then asked directly about the transfer rumours. More specifically, the interviewer asked whether this felt like a goodbye, or whether he could still think, "maybe next year, PSV, why not?"

That framing is important, because his answer was not a random comment about the future. It came after a clear prompt about whether he was leaving or staying.

Pepi said: "Yeah, it's difficult to say. Of course, at the moment I'm still with PSV, so as of now, I'm still back next year. We'll see what happens. I'm really focused on finishing the season strongly and then seeing what comes up in the summer."

He does not shut the door on a move and he does not rule out Fulham, or any other option, for the summer. At the same time, he offers no warmth towards a revived transfer either.

That is where the earlier disappointment becomes relevant. Fulham may still have a path back in. However, Pepi's tone suggests they would have to rebuild confidence around the deal.

He is not presenting himself as a player waiting for that move to be rescued.

Ricardo Pepi is well settled in Eindhoven
Ricardo Pepi's final answer was lighter, but it also needs the question around it to make sense.

He was asked whether he had learned any Dutch words, and which word he had heard the most during the celebrations.

Pepi replied: "Oh man, I know a few Dutch words. I've been here for three, three and a half years, so I pretty much understand every single Dutch word. Speaking it is a little bit difficult, but yeah, I know a lot for sure."

That may seem minor, yet it reinforces something important for Fulham. Pepi sounds settled and comfortable in the Netherlands. He sounds like someone who has built a proper place for himself at PSV.

That does not mean he will stay, but it does add to the wider picture.

Fulham would not be trying to sign a player frustrated with his surroundings or eager to escape. They would be trying to sign one who seems happy where he is, valued by his club, fresh from a title, and still under contract until 2030.

So while the old deal may not be dead forever, Fulham would now be trying to sign a player who no longer has any reason to see Craven Cottage as the obvious next step.



https://sportwitness.co.uk/ricardo-pepi-speaks-fulham-may-have-big-task-to-revive-transfer/

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Premier League secures fifth Champions League spot for a second season running
Fifth-place Premier League finish will be enough to secure Champions League qualification; England earns additional Champions League spot for second season running; Arsenal's quarter-final first leg win at Sporting confirms extra place with PL top of European Performance Standings

The Premier League has secured a fifth Champions League spot for next season's competition.

A fifth-place finish will now be enough for Champions League qualification after Arsenal's 1-0 win at Sporting in the quarter-final first leg sealed the extra place.

It is the second consecutive year that the Premier League has earned an additional spot, with the Premier League top of the European Performance Standings.

Currently, Liverpool sit fifth in the Premier League but Arne Slot's side are only a point ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea.

However, there could be further representatives for England in next year's Champions League.

If Aston Villa, who are currently fourth, win the Europa League and finish outside the top four, then England will have six teams in Europe's top-tier competition.

The same scenario applies for Liverpool in the Champions League.

If either win a European trophy and finish in fifth, then sixth place would qualify for the Champions League. If both were to win a European trophy and finish in fifth and sixth, then seventh place would qualify for the Champions League.

Nottingham Forest could also play Champions League football next season by winning the Europa League.

Who could get second additional CL spot?
UEFA awards an additional place to two leagues, so with the Premier League guaranteed one of those, the race is on for the other spot.

Spain are on course to secure it ahead of Germany and Portugal.

How does the coefficient table work?
Each nation is awarded points based on the performance of their clubs in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.

Its points totals are then divided by the number of clubs it has competing in European competition, with nations ranked in the table by their average scores.

Wins are worth two coefficient points, draws are worth one, and defeats are worth none.

Additionally, bonus points are awarded according for finishing positions in the league phase tables, and progress through each knockout round.

The bonus points are far higher in the Champions League compared to the other two competitions.

The team finishing top of the Champions League phase table earns 12 bonus points, compared to six for the team finishing top of the Europa League league phase table, and four for the team finishing top of the Conference League league phase table.



https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/13529094/premier-league-secures-fifth-champions-league-spot-for-a-second-season-running