Sunday Fulham Stuff - 04/10/26...

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After gruelling journey, Fulham midfielder arrives in Russia ahead of possible Nigeria debut
There is no going back on Fulham midfielder Chibby Nwoko's decision to switch his international allegiance from England to Nigeria.

Allnigeriasoccer.com can report with certainty that the former Chelsea schoolboy has reported for international duty in Nizhny Novgorod ahead of a possible Nigeria debut.

After earning three caps for England's Young Lions, the last of which came against Portugal on June 13, 2023, Nwoko is now on the verge of fulfilling his dream of representing Nigeria at senior level, with manager Eric Chelle naming him in a 24-man squad for the upcoming friendly against Russia.

With no direct flight available from London to Russia, Nwoko endured a gruelling journey of more than 24 hours to link up with the Super Eagles squad.

The Fulham midfielder flew from London to Qatar before continuing to Moscow, where he boarded another flight to Nizhny Novgorod, completing a lengthy and exhausting journey to join his new international teammates.

Chelle will begin running the rule over Nwoko during the Super Eagles' first training session on Russian soil, scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

The Malian tactician scouted the Fulham starlet and also consulted veteran Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi before handing him his maiden senior call-up.

Nwoko has started the 2026-27 season in blistering form, recording four goal involvements in seven appearances across Premier League 2, the EFL Trophy and National League Cup.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel



https://www.allnigeriasoccer.com/after-gruelling-journey-fulham-midfielder-arrives-in-russia-ahead-of-possible-nigeria-debut

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Fulham hero in a precarious position after fifth defeat in last six games
Vincenzo Montella is in hot water after Belgium inflicted a 3-0 defeat on his beleaguered Turkey in the Nations League yesterday evening.

Fulham star Timothy Castagne's Belgium ran riot thanks to a pair of De Bruyne stunners and a Romelu Lukaku tap-in.

KDB's first was the spitting image of the one he scored in a famous title decider against Arsenal in April 2023 with Man City.

He drove forward unchallenged with the ball before rolling a low effort beyond the goalkeeper's palms from distance. He repeated the feat with a beauty into the top corner after the interval. That was KDB vintage!

The trashing on Belgian soil came off the back of 1-0 and 4-1 defeats to France and Italy during this international break.

And the backdrop and contest weren't the easiest to navigate through as Arda Güler, Hakan Çalhanoğlu and company were eliminated from last summer's World Cup in the group stage after two defeats in three. So patience was already wearing thin and it doesn't look good for Montella, who was the first Italian in Fulham's 128-year history back in 2007.

After joining on loan from AS Roma on January 4, 2007, he went on to strike four times in his first five games at the club and five in total.

He opened his account with a brace in a 4-3 thriller against Leicester City in the FA Cup before repeating the feat against Stoke City in the same competition.

Tottenham and Blackburn were his Premier League victims as he bowed out with a return of five goals in only 14 appearances.  They were by no means Mitrovic stats, but they made for great reading nonetheless.

Yet a great footballing career only counts for so much, as Alvaro Arbeloa might be aware himself, with the Spaniard in dire need of wins at Craven Cottage to save his job.

It's an open secret that the man who was labelled L'Aeroplanino in Italy, due to his exhilarating celebrations mimicking an airplane, is on borrowed time and could be on his way home.

Despite leading Turkey to their first World Cup in 24 years, achieving the quarter-finals of the Euros in 2024 and promotion to Nations League A, a huge chunk of Turkish supporters present at Stade Sclessin yesterday were ferociously calling for his head and asking him to do the honourable thing and step down. His once-divine reputation on the Bosphorus is in the gutter.

Shockingly, the Milli Takım have lost their competitive edge and way. Montella has laid the blame on injuries to key players such as Yildiz, Çalhanoğlu and Mert Müldür, on top of the level of opposition he is facing.

And he might have a point, ahead of facing his Italy in Bologna on Tuesday in what could be his Turkey swansong. And a tremendous twist of fate.

If only he could have used the younger, playing-Fulham version of himself up front, things might look very different!



https://www.capitalfootball.co.uk/single-post/fulham-hero-in-a-precarious-position-after-fifth-defeat-in-last-six-games

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Sunderland, Everton and Fulham offered dynamic left back linked to Man U for potential January loan
Manchester United are considering signing Alejandro Balde, the talented Barcelona left back who has fallen out of favour.

The long international break has meant an early return for transfer rumours, and today we're hearing some chat about what Man U might do as they look for a new left back option.

TeamTalk claim that Barcelona are willing to let Alejandro Balde go – and importantly they would consider a deal in January. That would allow Man U to strengthen immediately in a position where they'd like to find someone with the dynamic attacking energy of Balde.

Of course it's not a sure fire hit – for all his talent, Balde has ended up losing his starting place for Hansi Flick. There's a reason Barca are willing to sanction his exit.

Man U see potential bargain in underused left back
But the 22 year old was a target for Man U in the summer and is clearly still on their radar. Barcelona, for their part, are happy to cash in and sign a replacement.

The report claims that Man U scouts see the underutilised Balde as a player with a much higher ceiling than we've seen so far. Given his situation at Barcelona, he could be a real bargain.

The club have "been spoken to about a potential January loan deal," and there's no doubt that the youngster is on their list of potential options when the window reopens. A loan feels like a low-risk way to see what the youngster is all about.

Barcelona have also apparently contacted the likes of Sunderland, Everton and Fulham as they look to move the defender on and free up some spending money.



https://www.caughtoffside.com/2026/10/03/sunderland-everton-fulham-dynamic-left-back/

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From Fulham's Swedish midfielder to Leeds prospect Bahoya: Frankfurt target €88 million from permanent transfers of seven loanees
FussballTransfers (FT) takes a closer look at the future of Eintracht Frankfurt's seven loanees.

Eintracht Frankfurt started Adi Hütter's second spell at the club with underwhelming performances and results. Meanwhile, they will hope to earn close to €100 million from the seven players currently out on loan.

If they reach their goal, they will look back at the 2026 summer as a successful transfer window since they have already recorded a €45 million net profit (according to Transfermarkt). FussballTransfers (FT) analyzed every case in detail before club football returns from the international break.

Hugo Larsson (22, CM, Fulham)
For a while, it seemed like the Swedish midfielder would stay at the club beyond the summer. However, he finally moved on deadline day after spending the final hours of the transfer market negotiating with multiple Premier League clubs.

According to FT, the loan arrangement with Fulham includes an easy-to-reach "obligation to buy" for €25 million. Considering they previously refused a way bigger offer from Saudi Arabia, it doesn't look like a good deal for the midfielder who is currently estimated at €28 million by Transfermarkt.

However, we should also consider that the Eagles have only paid €9 million when they signed him from Malmö three years ago. After the disappointment of missing out on Sweden's World Cup squad, Larsson played 90 minutes when Graham Potter's side drew 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina in Edin Džeko's farewell game.

The 22-year-old has only played 37 minutes of Premier League football for Fulham, though. After focusing on Real Madrid Castilla products in the summer, Álvaro Arbeloa is yet to win a league game, although they drew with Champions League participants Liverpool and Manchester United before the international break.

Jean-Mattéo Bahoya (21, LW, Leeds United)
Similarly, Bahoya left the club in the final hours of the window with an "obligation to buy" deal with Leeds United. According to reports, the transfer will become permanent after his tenth appearance for €30 million.

However, the French U21 international has only featured in their most recent game against Crystal Palace, which was also an injury-time cameo in a goalless draw at Elland Road.

In contrast, Bahoya is a key member of Les Espoirs as his goal against Estonia helped France to be on the verge of qualification for the 2027 U21 Euros. In addition to Daniel Farke's previous statement in which he called the move a "future investment", Markus Krösche and co. could find solace in the fact that he also started his Frankfurt spell at a slower pace.

Noel Futkeu (23, ST, SV Elversberg)
Frankfurt recalled Futkeu from Greuther Fürth using their buyback option, but they struggled to find buyers throughout the summer. The 2. Bundesliga top-scorer eventually joined Bundesliga's newly-promoted side Elversberg.

Considering they have only paid €1 million to re-sign the striker, the €6 million tag would still be a success if Elversberg exercised their option at the end of the season. The 23-year-old has featured in their last three Bundesliga games off the bench.

Elye Wahi (23, ST, OGC Nice)
After his starring role in keeping Nice in Ligue 1 on top of helping them reach the Coupe de France final, Wahi received a hero's welcome when he completed his return to Les Aiglons from Die Adler (both translated to the Eagles).

Wahi scored his 50th Ligue 1 goal in his first game back at Allianz Riviera, but it remains to be seen whether the French club can afford to activate their option to buy for €18 million.

Arthur Theate (26, CB, FC Bologna)
In a completely different way, Theate also returned to his former club this summer. However, the Belgian international didn't hide the fact that he wanted to stay in Frankfurt, which suggested that the management pushed his exit for financial reasons.

As expected, the versatile defender didn't need any time to settle at the Serie A club as he played every minute in the last three games before the international break. Frankfurt hope Bologna would sign him permanently for €15 million, but the Italian club first need to get out of the relegation zone.

Niels Nkounkou (25, LB/LM, OGC Nice)
Nkounkou also joined Nice with an "option to buy" arrangement for €4.5 million. It's the second loan deal for the Frenchman as he had an unsuccessful spell at Torino last term. However, he has started all three league games for Nice since his deadline day move.

Krisztian Lisztes (21, AM, Ferencvaros)
The Hungarian midfielder has only played fewer than 100 minutes for Ferencvaros last season, but they decided to extend his loan since his limited playing time was related to an injury. The U21 international is valued at €1.5 million by Transfermarkt.



https://bulinews.com/fulham-swedish-midfielder-leeds-prospect-bahoya-frankfurt-target-88-million-permanent-transfers-seven-loanees