Monday Fulham Stuff - 07/09/26...

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Results

Sunday 06/09
Everton	2-2	Man Utd
Arsenal	2-1	Chelsea

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Eintracht Frankfurt to receive €22m from Fulham as Larsson move becomes permanent
Fulham's obligation to buy Hugo Larsson from Eintracht Frankfurt has reportedly already been triggered.

Eintracht Frankfurt are set to receive €22 million from Fulham for Hugo Larsson, according to Kicker.

The Swedish midfielder joined the Premier League club on loan with an obligation to buy that would be triggered under certain conditions.

According to Kicker, the clause was already activated when Larsson came on for his Fulham debut in Saturday's 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace.

The Swede has therefore left Eintracht permanently after three years.

He made a total of 119 competitive appearances for the Bundesliga club, scoring 10 goals and providing seven assists.



https://bulinews.com/eintracht-frankfurt-receive-22m-fulham-larsson-move-becomes-permanent

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Fulham can hand Southampton transfer envy after £10.3m capture of World Cup player
The summer transfer window has officially slammed shut for another year, and as for Southampton, they must be pleased with the business they have managed to conduct.

Southampton, having started the season on -4 points following their role in the now-infamous 'spygate' scandal at the end of last season, in which they were also thrown out of the play-offs, have put that disappointment behind them.

Victories over Stoke City and Millwall followed a 2-1 defeat at Watford on the opening day, with a 1-1 draw away to Birmingham City on deadline day bringing the Saints to three points in the Championship now.

Despite seeing each of Ross Stewart, Shea Charles, and Taylor Harwood-Bellis leave the club, German head coach Tonda Eckert will likely be pleased with how the window panned out.

Southampton sold Taylor Harwood-Bellis to Aston Villa this summer
Harwood-Bellis' £29 million departure to Aston Villa left a hole in their defence, which they have since replaced with the additions of Zach Abbott on loan from Nottingham Forest and Keven Schlotterbeck in a £3 million deal from Augsburg.

The 24-year-old made 134 appearances for the Saints across all competitions in three years at the club, remaining a mainstay in the heart of defence under the likes of Russell Martin, Ivan Juric, Will Still, and, most recently, Eckert.

Southampton fan pundit, Louis Harris, has previously stated that replacing Harwood-Bellis would be a 'tricky' task, and earmarked him as 'intstrumental'.

Replacing the once-capped England international was always going to be a difficult feat for Saints, especially his ball-playing ability, though with Schlotterbeck netting in just his second game for the club and Abbott highly-rated, Southampton will be pleased with their business.

However, Abbott was only identified after one of their other targets made it clear they were moving elsewhere, as they could yet be handed transfer envy over this missed deal.

Southampton identified David Affengruber as a potential replacement for Taylor Harwood-Bellis
According to Sacha Tavolieri via X, Southampton had earmarked Elche's Austrian centre-back David Affengruber as a potential target to replace Harwood-Bellis at the back at St Mary's.

Tavolieri reported that the club were in talks with Elche over a potential deal, but it quickly became clear that competition from elsewhere could scupper the deal, as that proved to be the case.

Premier League outfit Fulham were looking to reinforce their defensive options this summer, and sealed a deal worth €12 million (£10.3 million), plus add-ons, for the defender on deadline day.

The 25-year-old, unsurprisingly, picked the Premier League over the Championship, and whilst Southampton won't be too shocked by his decision, they will still feel disappointed nonetheless, and could be met with transfer envy should he come good in the English top flight.

Why Southampton wanted to sign David Affengruber
Affengruber, 25, came through the ranks at Austrian giants RB Salzburg, but made just six first-team appearances for the club, instead playing predominantly for their youth side, FC Liefering, before being given a starting berth at Sturm Graz in 2021.

The once-capped Austrian international, who was a part of Ralph Hasenhuttl's squad for the recent World Cup in North America, made 126 for Sturm Graz, and made the decision to join La Liga 2 side Elche in the summer of 2024.

He'd help the club back to the top-flight in his first year there, remaining an ever-present in the heart of defence in Alicante, and stayed a pivotal part of their side in La Liga, making 36 league appearances last season.

Now, the 25-year-old is ready to take the next step of his career, as Fulham are the beneficiaries of this deal, whilst Southampton hope they won't be hit with too much transfer envy in years to come.

Tonda Eckert will be hoping to not rue missing out on David Affengruber after Fulham switch
Eckert will have his sights firmly set on a place in the Championship top eight this season, as having been kicked out of the play-offs last time around in unprecedented circumstances, the German will feel as though he has a point to prove.

Whilst he will be disappointed to have missed out on Affengruber, both Schlotterbeck and Abbott are fine alternatives, and the Saints will remain sturdy with those pair offering competition.

Affengruber will provide competition for the likes of Joachim Andersen, Jorge Cuenca, and Calvin Basset at Craven Cottage, and though he will likely struggle to initially get in the side, the Austrian could be a mainstay before too long, as Eckert will be hoping not to rue this missed deals in years to come.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fulham-can-hand-southampton-transfer-envy-after-103m-capture-of-world-cup-defender/

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Pointless Fulham with early relegation fears, after gifting Palace's first win of the season
Fulham (2) 2 v Crystal Palace (1) 3

Crystal Palace gained their first points of the new Premier League season with a vital victory at Craven Cottage, producing a spirited comeback from being behind at half-time to leave Fulham in despair after three consecutive defeats.

All three Palace goals were scored by their left-sided wing-backs, with two from Tyrick Mitchell and then the winner by his replacement, Ben Chilwell, prompting the away fans in the Putney End to delightedly sing "Left-back again, olé, olé!"

Fulham had earlier established a first-half advantage with Josh King's second goal in two home matches and César Palacios's first goal for his new club since his summer transfer from Real Madrid.

But ultimately Álvaro Arbeloa's opening couple of games at the Cottage as the Fulham head coach have both finished with his team losing 2-3 in two London derbies to Chelsea and Crystal Palace in turn.

After another encounter between two clubs with new men in charge, it was Palace's latest manager, Pierre Sage, who ended the afternoon relieved at finally securing his first win in the Premier League.

On a beautiful sunsoaked late summer's day beside the River Thames, there was an added tension in the air for a meeting between capital rivals who were two of the top flight's five sides to have been beaten in both their first matches.

Arguably, the away team were in the worse situation before kick-off, as no other Premier League club had conceded more goals (six) or had a poorer goal difference (minus five) following the initial pair of matchweeks.

Furthermore, having already had to accept the sales of Maxence Lacroix and Daniel Muñoz, Sage has to manage for the moment without Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaïla Sarr, who have each been affected adversely by transfer speculation.

Interestingly, neither Arbeloa nor Sage have chosen to change the formations favoured by their predecessors, keeping Marco Silva's 4-2-3-1 structure and Oliver Glasner's 3-4-3 system respectively.

Within that framework, Fulham's tactics are being tweaked more evidently, pressing with greater intensity, higher up the pitch, looking to win the ball in more dangerous areas, but as a result leaving themselves far more open at the back.

Up to now, it has made for thrilling football at the Cottage but has been unequivocally unsuccessful. There were some audible boos from the Fulham fans at full-time, and the negativity was primarily directed towards Arbeloa.

"With that spirit and character, if we play in this way, the victories will come" he responded, pointedly praising his side in stark contrast to the criticism he expressed after last week's defeat at Sunderland.

"We did many good things to win the game. It was similar against Chelsea, but we lose. For the players it's a difficult situation, difficult moment, but I am very proud of them."

Fulham had 61.5% possession and 14 attempts on goal against Chelsea, then followed that up with 64.7% possession and 25 shots against Palace, but found that it was not enough in the end to earn even a point.

Fulham: (4-2-3-1) Leno - Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson (Sessegnon 79) - Charles (Larsson 79), Iwobi (Muniz 83) - Bobb (Smith Rowe 79), King, Palacios (Berge 61) - García

Crystal Palace: (3-4-3) Henderson - Richards, Disasi, Canvot - Khalaili, Timber (Hughes 74), Wharton, Mitchell (Chilwell 74) - Kamada (Mingueza 89), Nketiah (Strand Larsen 46), Pino (Osorio 89)

Attendance: 27,230



https://www.capitalfootball.co.uk/single-post/pointless-fulham-with-early-relegation-fears-after-gifting-palace-s-first-win-of-the-season

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De Fougerolles joins Real Salt Lake on loan
Luc De Fougerolles has joined MLS side Real Salt Lake on loan until June 2027.

The loan agreement includes an option for the Club to recall De Fougerolles in January.

The move represents an opportunity for De Fougerolles to gain more valuable first team experience.

His loan stint at FCV Dender last season was followed by an impressive World Cup campaign for Canada, where the 20-year-old played in all five of Les Rouges' matches as he helped them reach the Round of 16.

Everybody at the Club wishes Luc the very best of luck during his time in Utah.



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2026/september/05/luc-de-fougerolles-joins-real-salt-lake-on-loan/

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Fulham have built a new era on sand
Alvaro Arbeloa is already on the brink after a summer of short-term pain

CRAVEN COTTAGE – The only place to start is with Tyrick Mitchell's second goal, which from a Fulham perspective might be the worst you will ever see conceded in the Premier League. Sparking a revolt in the Hammersmith End is not easy but at full-time, Alvaro Arbeloa was pointedly reminded this was not a first offence.

If you were to be harsh on Crystal Palace, all three of the goals that earned them a first win of the season were the result of appalling defending. Whether Bernd Leno beaten at his near post, Gonzalo Garcia's clearance pinballing around his own box, or Antonee Robinson losing his man, Fulham's susceptibility to Palace's full-backs on the break left them 19th in the table with three losses from three.

Having led twice, Arbeloa was jeered by the home fans, subjected to chants of "what the f***ing hell was that?" and then faced questions over his future. Those he batted away and said he "believes in this football". Fulham had "lost a game they didn't deserve to lose", which is probably correct – 25 attempts, nearly 65 per cent possession. He also suggested, in perhaps the biggest indictment of all, that Palace's goals had reminded him of the three shipped on the opening Monday night of the season against Chelsea.

The mitigation. Centre-back David Affengruber and the other late arrivals are not ready to start yet, and by the time they have played five games Fulham will have faced Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United. This was not a summer that would set anybody up for a quick fix. Arbeloa signed three Real Madrid players, Manuel Angel, Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios, and the latter now has his first goal. Josh King looks ready to play for England after dazzling in front of Thomas Tuchel.

All was geared towards a transition from Marco Silva to Arbeloa's approach, which would rely on even greater possession and more pace through the middle. It is the ev-Ange-lical approach everybody wants to see with the results nobody wants to accept.

Without Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez, the charge before the season began was that nobody could see where the goals would come from. Silva's Fulham could be blunt, but they were at least organised. Fulham's problems have, in effect, been turned on their heads. A month in, they look incapable of keeping a clean sheet.

It is not for want of trying that the squad is still on the ageing side and that moves for Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, Raphael Le Guen and Chrislain Matsima did not come off. Pierre Sage was dealt the same hand at Crystal Palace and aside from Axel Disasi, his defence largely showed why the club were so desperate for late signings.

Fulham's bench is at last more promising, but largely because it was where so much of the experience lay. Neither Sander Berge nor Emile Smith Rowe started. Rodrigo Muniz can evade tight spaces and he might well be ideally suited to the new system if he stays fit. He too was reserved for a late cameo.

Unless something changes, it will not matter. Fulham's foundations are made of sand. If their business has been geared towards the long term, Arbeloa has to get there first.



https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-have-built-a-new-era-on-sand-4752356

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Charles: Look forward
Shea Charles was left frustrated by the second half goals conceded that proved so costly against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Having led 2-1 at the interval, Fulham flew out of the blocks after the restart, but a freak Tyrick Mitchell goal restored parity, before his replacement Ben Chilwell won the contest with his first touch of the football.

"Obviously, first of all, really disappointed," Charles said when asked for his assessment. "Especially after the first two games, we really wanted to come back and win at home.

"I thought the performance was really good – at half-time we were up, and it felt like we came out strong in the second half, which is what we said to do.

"The goal just came from nothing really. We built up really well, lost it, switch of the ball, couple of ricochets in the box, and it was evens again. Similar with the third goal. Just really disappointing.

"I thought there was times where we defended really well and stopped some really promising attacks from them. Obviously conceding three is disappointing, but I think the manner of the goals was really unfortunate.

"We've just got to look at the game again on Monday, and then we go again next week."

Fulham did look good going forward, and perhaps should have had more to show from our 25 efforts on goal, and Charles – making his first Premier League start for the Club – believes there were positives to take in an attacking sense.

"I thought we were really patient in the build-up, and there was times where we built from the back straight to the front. Even winning second balls and starting play again I thought was really good.

"Obviously, it's a new manager, we've got to adjust to his style of play, but I think we've done that well, every game we've got better at it, so now we look forward to next week."



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2026/september/06/shea-charles-look-forward/