Saturday Fulham Stuff - 04/07/26...

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Fulham transfer news: Trabzonspor receive N44 billion offer for Nigerian star
Turkish giants Trabzonspor have reportedly received an improved offer worth around N44 billion (€28 million) from Premier League side Fulham for Super Eagles defender Chibuike Nwaiwu, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 22-year-old enjoyed an outstanding second half in the 2025-26 season after joining the Black Sea Storm in January, quickly establishing himself as one of the team's most important players.

He was also very impressive as Trabzonspor recorded a 2-1 win over Konyaspor in the Turkish Cup final in May and his rapid rise has attracted interest from several clubs across Europe, including teams in the Premier League and Serie A, making a summer transfer increasingly likely.

According to Turkish outlet Fotomaç, Fulham have now returned with an improved offer worth a total of €28 million for the Nwaiwu. The deal is made up of a €25 million fixed fee and an additional €3 million in performance-related add-ons, in an attempt to persuade Trabzonspor to sell the Nigerian defender.

The Premier League club had previously seen a €20 million bid rejected, with Trabzonspor remaining firm that they will not consider selling Nwaiwu for less than €30-35 million. The Turkish side are under no financial pressure to sell and are comfortable keeping the defender, who remains under a long-term contract.

Why Fulham want summer move for Chibuike Nwaiwu
The Super Eagles defender's performances since arriving in Turkey have been more than enough to justify Fulham's interest. Despite moving from the Austrian Bundesliga midway through the season, he adapted immediately to Turkish football and became one of Trabzonspor's standout defenders.

Fulham, meanwhile, are looking to strengthen their defence with a long-term solution amid uncertainty surrounding several of their current centre-back options.

Moroccan defender Issa Diop, who was an important member of the squad under former manager Marco Silva, entered the final month of his contract on July 1. With contract extension talks yet to progress, his future at Craven Cottage remains uncertain and he could even end up leaving the club this summer.

There are also doubts over the future of fellow Nigerian defender Calvin Bassey, who has yet to agree a new contract and has been linked with a potential move to Inter Milan this summer.

Those uncertainties have convinced Fulham to move quickly for Nwaiwu, whom they view as a long-term investment capable of strengthening their defence for years to come. The Cottagers are keen to complete a deal early in the transfer window rather than risk scrambling for replacements later if they eventually lose one or more of their current centre-backs options.

However, Fulham's latest €28 million proposal still falls short of Trabzonspor's valuation. While the bid could test the Turkish club's resolve, it remains to be seen whether they will lower their asking price or continue to stand firm on their valuation.

If an agreement is eventually reached, Nwaiwu would become the latest Nigerian player to make the move to the Premier League.



https://soccernet.ng/2026/07/fulham-trabzonspor-nigerian.html

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Fulham, Everton And West Ham 'Among The Most Interested' In 22-year-old Forward
Midtjylland forward Franculino Dju is continuing to attract attention, with Fulham, Everton and West Ham United 'among the clubs most interested' in securing his signature.

Midtjylland forward Franculino Dju is continuing to attract attention, with Fulham, Everton and West Ham United 'among the clubs most interested' in securing his signature.

The 22-year-old enjoyed a sensational first half of the last campaign in Denmark before a knee injury sustained in the final match before the winter break sidelined him until March.

Prior to that setback, Franculino had scored 17 goals and provided three assists in 21 Danish Superliga appearances, finishing as the league's top scorer despite missing a significant portion of the season.

Midtjylland also lifted the Danish Cup, with Franculino making two appearances in the competition and getting on the scoresheet in the opening round of the campaign.

Now back to full fitness, the Guinea-Bissau international continues to attract strong interest from England.

According to Danish outlet PL Bold, Dju remains on the radar of Fulham, Everton, and West Ham, with the trio 'among the most interested' in his signature.

The left-footed striker, who has been with Midtjylland since 2023 and is under contract for another three years, is expected to be available to be sold if the right level of offer is made.

Everton's last five league finishes

Season	Position (Premier League)
2024–25	13th
2023–24	15th
2022–23	17th
2021–22	16th
2020–21	10th

Interest in Franculino is nothing new, with Bayern Munich previously seeing what would have been a record-breaking bid for Hedens Drenge rejected by the Danish club.

Of the three English clubs in the race, West Ham will be playing Championship football next season, while Fulham and Everton can offer Premier League football, albeit without European competition after finishing 11th and 13th, respectively.

A product of Benfica's academy, Franculino is capable of operating through the middle or off the right flank, and his impressive performances have continued to attract attention from clubs across Europe.

It is unclear just what level of fee Midtjylland would be seeking for the forward in the weeks ahead.

A bidding war between a trio of English sides would though suit the club well and help to maximise the price from any sale of the 22-year-old.



https://insidefutbol.com/2026/07/03/fulham-everton-and-west-ham-among-the-most-interested-in-22-year-old-forward/718898/

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Will Tom Cairney ever get a testimonial?
As TC moves into his 12th season, we ask when will he get his celebratory match?

Hands up anyone who's been to a testimonial match?

Chances are you're over 40, then, because the concept - a game bestowed on a long-serving player to acknowledge service and provide funds for retirement - has been overtaken by the rise of the Premier League. These days, professional footballers in the higher echelons of the game should leave it set up for life.

Ten years used to be the recognised qualifying period, which means Tom Cairney should be in line for a testimonial. But while the chance to acclaim a club legend would be welcomed by all, our Lamborghini-driving captain is probably not in need of a bob or two. And, given fixture congestion and injury worries, the likelihood of other clubs allowing their players to participate might be slim.

It wasn't always thus. Fulham have a long and distinguished record of staging testimonials at the Cottage.

The last of the line, to date, was in 2000 when Simon Morgan, the long-time captain who led the team in the pre-Fayed era and just crept into Jean Tigana's management spell, hosted a Tottenham Hotspur side on 2 August. A pre-season friendly in all but name, a Fulham Veterans v Chelsea Veterans match preceding it.

The game was more than just 90 minutes, however: it was the culmination of a year of fundraising events expertly co-ordinated by Fulham director Dave Gardner; golf days, discos and quiz evenings swelled the coffers. One final event would take place two months later, a dinner at the Ramada Hotel at Heathrow. "The only downside (to the year)," Gardner quipped, "is that he's enjoyed himself so much he is threatening to stay around long enough for a second testimonial."

Morgs managed to swing a highly appropriate sponsorship deal with Captain Morgan rum, in whose honour he was pictured on the front of the Spurs testimonial programme cradling a bottle of said spirit.

Humble origins
The first Fulham player to receive a so-called 'benefit match' was legendary goalkeeper Jack Fryer, who not only captained the club but led us to two Southern League championships in 1906-07. He pocketed £630, obviously a very substantial sum, in March 1909, from a game against Clapton (now Leyton) Orient. It was a League match rather than a specially organised fixture, but the proceeds were no less welcome as his career ended the following year after 142 Fulham appearances.

Fryer's successor between the sticks, Arthur Reynolds, was first to have a specially arranged game, which took place in April 1923, Chelsea the visitors. Reynolds' career from 1909 to 1924 set an appearance record, so the accolade was well deserved. Comparatively few testimonials happened between the wars, 1956 seeing the concept revived for Reg Lowe, whose career was halted by injury. The single-sheet programme for the game against Luton Town would become a major Fulham collectable.

All-star exhibitions
Fulham played an 'All-Star XI' in 1960 as a testimonial for Joe Bacuzzi and Arthur Stevens. This took place in May after the season had concluded, Fulham winning 7-6. Fast forward to the end of the 1960s and a Johnny Haynes XI was to play a Bobby Moore XI in late April 1969 in what was billed as Haynes' '20 Season Celebration'. Despite Fulham suffering successive relegations from the top flight, a bumper crowd of 24,444 - the second-highest attendance that season - thronged the Cottage.

Johnny had, of course, famously become the first £100 a week footballer in 1961, smashing the previous £20 wage cap. He captained England 22 times and appeared in two World Cups, while Moore, skipper of the 1966 winners, would finish his League career at Fulham.

Seven months later our own Jules Rimet winner, George Cohen, enjoyed a testimonial. Like Haynes, he has a statue at the Cottage and, also like the Maestro, his one-club career was ended prematurely through injury. So the £7,000 proceeds of a match between a World Cup XI and an International XI were probably welcome. Sadly, George was suffering from pleurisy on the day and was unable to take the pitch. The World Cup side won 10-7 nevertheless!

More heroes honoured
The 1970s saw Stan Brown (1970), Steve Earle (1975), Les Barrett, and Alan Mullery (both 1976) all awarded testimonials. Earle's unluckily came the year after he had left Fulham for Leicester, and the attendance was a correspondingly low 1,776 as his past and present club drew 2-2.

Future Fulham manager, then England captain, Kevin Keegan arrived at the Cottage in 1982 to honour Les Strong, bringing with him the national team that was about to fly to Spain for the World Cup. Fulham had just won promotion to the second tier, and the 7,120 present to see England win 3-0 swelled Strongy's pension pot to £17,000. Four years later Gerry Peyton was to see only 2,210 attend his game against Chelsea. This reflected a relegation season, after which the Irish keeper departed to Bournemouth on a free transfer.

John Marshall had not one but two games in his honour in 1990, shared with fellow midfielder Peter Scott. Their team-mate, the legendary Gordon 'Ivor' Davies, celebrated his two spells with the club between 1978-84 and 1986-91 by picking a side in 1991 full of his national team-mates over the years. Wales beat Fulham 4-1 in front of a 3,892 crowd.

Glenn Cockerill's match in 1997 raised eyebrows, but it seems it was part of the deal that brought the veteran midfielder to Fulham for a single season. He was signed by one-time Southampton colleague, now FFC manager, Micky Adams and played a key role with 40 appearances in helping Fulham to the first of three promotions in five years. His fixture brought Alan Shearer, another ex-Saint, to the Cottage - and the pundit-to-be played in Fulham white.

Why not?
Maybe testimonials have had their day. But Tom Cairney qualifies for one, going by the ten-year criterion - and long-time team-mate Tim Ream clocked up an impressive nine years (2015-2024) before departing without an official farewell. How about a Tom'n'Tim testimonial as a pre-season friendly next summer, Scotland v USA? The proceeds could go to a nominated charity; maybe a football-related cause like the Fulham Foundation.

As someone once said, "We can dream..."



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/p/will-tom-cairney-ever-get-a-testimonial

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West Ham facing Everton, Fulham transfer threat in race for 22-goal star
West Ham are heading towards an extremely busy summer transfer window on all fronts, as Nuno Espirito Santo looks to build a side capable of gaining promotion out of the Championship at the very first attempt while rebuilding the squad, reducing the wage bill and recouping vital funds following relegation from the Premier League last season.

The Hammers were able to net a stunning upfront £85 million windfall earlier this week after sanctioning the sale of Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham Hotspur, and further stars are expected to join the talented Portuguese midfielder in leaving the London Stadium this summer.

Crysencio Summerville is another hot property on West Ham's books right now, and with Manchester United launching talks to bring the Dutch winger to Old Trafford after he starred under Ronald Koeman at this summer's World Cup, his departure also feels likely in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, there remains a viable chance that the likes of talismanic forward Jarrod Bowen, Taty Castellanos, El-Hadji Malick Diouf and Aaron Wan-Bissaka - among others - could all depart East London before the club's first Championship campaign in 14 years commences next month.

Nuno will be looking to revamp the squad at his disposal this summer and incomings will be targeted in equal measure to outgoings, which has seen West Ham linked with a host of players across the EFL and the wider continent.

Another target has now re-emerged on the Hammers' transfer radar, although the Championship promotion hopefuls are facing the threat of being forced to fend off rival interest from Premier League clubs in a new update.

West Ham facing Everton and Fulham transfer threat in race for Franculino Dju
The player in question is sought-after Midtjylland forward Franculino Dju, who has surfaced as a reported target for a series of top-flight sides in England across recent times owing to his displays for the Danish outfit.

It would appear as though the 22-year-old has been courted by West Ham for some time, with a report from TEAMtalk all the way back in August of last year linking the Hammers with a move for his services.

That interest has seemingly not gone away, and a new update from Danish outlet PL Bold has reported that Dju's signature remains on the radar of West Ham alongside Premier League pair Everton and Fulham.

It's said that Dju is likely to be sold this summer if the right offer is lodged following a stunning campaign in Denmark's top-flight, although Midtjylland's exact asking price remains unclear after Mike Tullberg's side previously rejected a significant offer from Bayern Munich.

Dju was linked with Ipswich Town and Newcastle United in April, although it's West Ham, Everton and Fulham who are now described as the leading contenders to land the 14-cap Guinea-Bissau international this summer.

Formerly of Benfica's academy, the striker has proven a major hit in Denmark since joining Midtjylland in the summer of 2023.

Dju's eye-catching return of 55 goals from 107 appearances overall, including 17 strikes in just 21 league outings and 22 in all competitions across an injury-disrupted 2025/26 term, means that ever-intensifying interest from top-flight sides represents little surprise, although the talented forward's stance on moving to the second-tier is unknown at this moment in time.

Franculino Dju could light up the Championship with West Ham
The capture of Dju would show a real statement of intent from West Ham, who will be eager to flex their muscles in this summer's window and have a serious transfer kitty to summon after the aforementioned sale of Fernandes.

Although the Danish top-flight is arguably at a lower overall standard than the Championship, Dju has found the back of the net with regularity in European competition and would likely face no difficulties in adapting to second-tier football.

Just how plausible that really is remains to be seen, as the Hammers could struggle to sell their project to Dju in light of opportunities elsewhere to play in the Premier League come August.

However, the fact that West Ham are rivaling seasoned Premier League sides in this emerging race remains indicative of the club's lofty transfer ambitions, which could leave Nuno well-placed to oversee a successful promotion charge in 26/27.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/west-ham-everton-fulham-transfer-threat-race-franculino-dju/

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Fulham set to confirm Arbeloa as new boss
Fulham are set to confirm Alvaro Arbeloa as the club's new head coach.

The 43-year-old is expected to sign a three-year contract, taking over from Marco Silva at Craven Cottage following the Portuguese's departure for Benfica.

Arbeloa, who played for Liverpool and later West Ham, took charge at Real Madrid in January after Xabi Alonso – now Chelsea boss – was sacked.

The Spaniard led Real to a second-place finish in La Liga and they reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Arbeloa's first competitive match in charge of Fulham will be against Alonso's Chelsea during the opening weekend of the Premier League season.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-set-to-confirm-arbeloa-as-new-boss

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Everton Compete With Fulham For 27-Year-Old Argentine: Why Should They Walk Away?
Goodison Park needs goals. It is the oldest story in football, and right now, it is David Moyes' biggest headache. With the summer window open, the rumour mill is already turning at a ridiculous pace. The latest name linked with a move to Merseyside is West Ham United forward Valentín "Taty" Castellanos. According to Italian transfer insider Matteo Moretto, Everton and Fulham have both made initial contact about the 27-year-old Argentine.

Everton must steer clear of the Taty Castellanos transfer trap
West Ham only paid Lazio around £26 million for him in January. He scored six goals in 18 games in the PL in 2025/26, showing a massive engine and plenty of fight. It was not enough. The Hammers suffered a shock relegation to the Championship, and now their best players are up for grabs. Fulham want him. Everton are keen too, seeing him as the answer to their blunt frontline. They are wrong. This has panic-buy written all over it.

High price, low return
David Gold and David Sullivan know how to drive a hard bargain. West Ham have reportedly slapped an "off-limits" tag on the striker to help their push for immediate promotion. That is classic posturing. What it really means is they want an astronomical, inflated fee. You are looking at upwards of £35 million for a player who managed just six Premier League goals in 18 appearances. That is bad business.

Castellanos is a useful footballer. Nobody is denying that. He runs himself into the ground, presses defenders with real aggression, and will always be remembered for putting four goals past Real Madrid during his time on loan at Girona. Traditionalists love that kind of work rate. But Moyes does not need another high-pressing workhorse who goes missing when a chance falls to him in the six-yard box. He needs a cold-blooded finisher. A regular, reliable goalscorer to guarantee safety and lift the club up the table.

Spending elite money on a developmental project that has never played a full, gruelling English season is a massive gamble. The recruitment team must look elsewhere. The recent signing of Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney proved that Moyes wants hungry, young talent at the right price. They need to replicate that smart thinking upfront.

Coventry City's Haji Wright represents far better value in the current market. Alternatively, a loan move for an out-of-favour striker at a top-six club makes much more financial sense while the squad is being rebuilt. Let Fulham overpay for Castellanos if they are that desperate. Everton should walk away.



https://the4thofficial.net/2026/07/everton-compete-with-fulham-for-27-year-old-argentine-why-should-they-walk-away/

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Bellanova targeted by Everton, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and Fulham
Italy international Raoul Bellanova is expected to leave Atalanta, attracting interest from Premier League sides Tottenham, Everton, Nottingham Forest and Fulham.

The 26-year-old plays primarily on the right wing, but can also shift over to the left when required.

He is not believed to be part of the plans for new coach Maurizio Sarri, so could leave Bergamo in the summer.

Premier League interest in Bellanova
According to Tuttomercatoweb, his most likely destination is the Premier League, where there has been plenty of interest.

Tottenham Hotspur under Roberto De Zerbi, Nottingham Forest and Fulham had already been linked with a bid for Bellanova.

Now Everton have stepped up the pressure in asking about his availability.

Atalanta paid €24.3m plus add-ons to buy him from Torino in the summer of 2024, but his previous clubs include Milan, Cagliari and Inter.

Bellanova made 36 competitive appearances for La Dea last season, contributing two assists, though he did struggle with muscular injuries.

He has six senior caps for Italy since making his debut in March 2024.



https://football-italia.net/bellanova-everton-tottenham-nottingham-fulham/