Monday Fulham Stuff - 01/09/25...

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Results

Sunday 31/08
Brighton	2-1	Man City
Forest	0-3	West Ham
Liverpool	1-0	Arsenal
Villa	0-3	Palace

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Jack and Loz Robbed by VAR - Blog 314
Date: 30th August 2025
Location: Stamford Bridge
Opposition: Chelsea and VAR
Score: 2-0 (except it shouldn't have been)
Fulham's wrongly disallowed goal scorer: Josh King
Weather: autumnal
Atmosphere: mind-blowing
MOTM: Alex Iwobi is back to his very best - fast, strong, skilful and intuitive. He was everywhere on the pitch on Saturday; too cool for school, too hot to handle.
Moment of the Match: the one that should have mattered was Josh King breaking free with the ball, sprinting half the length of the pitch, outskilling two defenders, baffling the goalkeeper and slotting the ball home with an expert and exuberant finish. Fulham may have been Robbed of 3 points or cheated out of 1 but the most heinous crime on Saturday afternoon was wrongly depriving one of England's brightest young talents of his debut Premier League goal. In a derby match. Away from home.
Brunch: Manuka
Drinks and pub grub: the Prince of Teck. Not to be confused with tech. Which is rubbish.

Stamford Bridge needs no introduction. It's an ugly but functional stadium, easy to get in and out of and even easier to get to. The view from the away fans' safe standing area is excellent and the acoustics are good.

Mr and Mrs Lion are neither scary nor cute mascots but the sign language interpreter next to the announcer on screen is a very nice touch. The bursts of white and blue smoke from the roof pre-kick-off are fun in theory but meant the match started in a cloud of acrid smog.

When the miasma had cleared, we could see that Fulham were playing well. Very well. Marco had gone with a back five (as he did in this fixture last season when VAR didn't intervene and we won) and the defensive line was firm but flexible. Sess skipped forward down the left; our favourite Country and Western duo Kenny and Timmy made music down the right while the rejuvenated Andersen and ebullient Bassey held firm in the middle.

Sander Berge has started the season slowly but this was a fantastic game from him, patrolling the middle of the pitch, block and intercepting so Lukić could link play and Josh slip in and out of pockets of space. Iwobi and Muniz were busy and combative. Passing was slick and smooth, combinations were neat and effective and an alien who'd just arrived at a very blue stadium on our very blue planet and never heard of Big Six Bias, would have thought Fulham were by far the better team.

Meanwhile, the Chelsea players kept hoofing the ball off the pitch and falling over to win free kicks.

In other circumstances we'd be saying that Josh's goal was well-deserved. Fulham capitalised on a period of dominance, Muniz demonstrated his strength and skill in keeping the ball and Josh showed the world what, as Marco would say, he is capable to do.

Instead, the injustice began. Not only had the goal been scored, it had been announced, celebrated and chalked up on the big screen before some men in a office, glancing at screens decided that, in the build up to the goal, Muniz had made a "careless challenge". This is extraordinary because Muniz had not, in fact, made a challenge at all. He had kept the he ball. In doing so, because he has 2 feet and had to put them on the ground, one of them touched a Chelsea player who was trying to take the ball from him. Said Chelsea player rolled around in his death throes, ensuring the incident was examined.

But why? The point of VAR is to correct a clear and obvious on-field error, not for the officials to become the Football Police and comb through every contact (in a contact sport) and find a reason to change history.

To compound the error, the referee, Rob Jones (a shocking example of nominative determinism) went to the TV screen, located not in a neutral area but amongst the Chelsea fans, and spent many Moments rewatching Muniz's skill. Instead of having the courage of his convictions and asserting that his initial decision to ignore the incident was correct, he agreed with VAR, and was was the only person in the world to do so.

This was a shambolic and shameful decision. And things only got worse.

Fulham - brave, resilient, spirited - played on, backed by the ceaselessly signing fans and a furious but proud manager. Unfortunately, just before half time - or when half time would have been had Robber Jones not wasted everyone's time with his incompetence - Chelsea remembered how to play football and started doing it quite well.

They ended the half strongly, winning a corner that was well defended. The 4th official had indicated there should be 8 added minutes. The corner routine ended in the 9th added minute with the ball going out of play. There had been no reason for Robber to extend the half further and he should have blown the whistle for half time at that point. Instead, he allowed Chelsea to take another corner and what happened was inevitable.

From 1-0 up, Fulham were unjustly 1-0 down. Marco waited, dark and dangerous, for the players to leave the pitch. With the air of a man who knows he's done wrong, Robber surrounded himself with 4 bodyguards and scuttled down the tunnel.

The second half can be reduced to just one Moment; the third example of gross incompetence in one 90 minute game. Chelsea were given a penalty for a handball when the ball hit Sess's arm. Sess knew nothing about it but these things are often given. However, this one was only given after yet another excruciatingly long review, and a foul on Iwobi and a Chelsea handball in the build-up were ignored. And it was given by a man who already knew he had got two decisions criminally wrong.

We have, kindly, used the word incompetence when describing the acts of the officials. Other people have used a word beginning with C and not one of Ali Mac's favourites or the one which was directed at Tosin on Saturday afternoon.

Ultimately, Fulham have been very shabbily treated and it feels profoundly unfair. But it's not just about us. This could have happened to any Club (except 6) and reflects badly on the game we all love. As Marco said, this isn't football anymore.

Random musings:-

- The Fulham fans literally did not stop singing. Our favourites were 40,000 Muppets, You're Getting Sold in the Morning (to the Chelsea subs) and Lukić in the Middle of the Pitch

- Was JT supposed to talk after his introduction but was put off by a deafening chorus of We Saw You Crying at Wembley?

- Kenny and Timmy's next single will be Your Cheatin' Heart. Later in the season they are hoping to release Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain

- Once again Calvin Bassey demonstrated that he needs more elastic in in the waistband of his shorts

- On arrival at the ground we were escorted to the front of the long queue of away fans awaiting to enter. This was purely because there was a lady patter-downer with not enough to do but the chivalrous comments from fellow fans were much appreciated

- A briefer farewell to Andreas Pereria than he deserves but his departure has been overtaken by events. He's set the revolving door spinning though and, at this writing, it looks like Godo will follow him out while, excitingly, Minions fan Kevin is on his way in

- We really hope Kevin, and fellow linkee Chukwueze, watched that match and thought - wow, a team that fights against all the odds to win. That's the team for me

- As for Mr Khan's comment, next time you want to pay Fulham fans a compliment try classy, respectful, knowledgeable; people who value hard work and fair play. People who know their true worth.

- After the Man U game, Marco said that "everyone in the world" saw the officials' mistakes. We thought that was an exaggeration but this week, literally everyone in the football world (except Chelsea fans) have been united in their condemnation of Robber & Co. Pundits, journalists, ex-players (even Chelsea ex-players), millions of other fans have spoken out. It was particularly interesting to see where the sometimes ambivalent Danny Murphy's heart really lies

On Sunday, PGMOL (incredibly, the P stands for Professional when any Sunday league amateur ref could do a better job) came out and apologised for the mistake, admitting Josh's goal should have stood. Cheap, easy words. The VAR moron was dropped for the much more important Liverpool v Arsenal match. So he gets a day off.

But Josh doesn't get his goal back, the game doesn't get replayed, Fulham just have to put up with the injustice.

Marco Silva, though, isn't the type to put up with things. For a man who struggles to hide his passion and control his emotions, he spoke calmly at the end of the game but those measured tones don't mean that Marco accepts the situation anymore than he will accept PGMOL's apology. Marco is fighting officials, opponents, and his own board to do what's best for Fulham.

Now he's angry, the players are angry, the fans are angry. And, finally, reinforcements are arriving. It might be Fulham against the world. But there's a hell of a lot of fight in this underdog.



https://werdsmith.com/p/AWeWrgmPYtdFSU

[WhiteJC]

Fulham fuming after Chelsea profit from costly VAR interference
A comfortable win for Chelsea in the end over London rivals Fulham, but the jarring feeling from yet another Premier League game was the influence of VAR.

At each painstaking moment, a referee blows his whistle and signals his intent to use a pitchside monitor, a little bit of enthusiasm dies inside each supporter.

And yet again, here at Stamford Bridge, the joy and delight of 18-year-old academy product Joshua King, seconds after putting his club in front against their bitter rivals, was extinguished.

King had beautifully dispatched the ball beyond Robert Sanchez and into the corner, displaying immense composure to turn Tosin Adarabioyo inside out after Sander Berge's exquisite through ball.

But this fiery first half soon ignited after VAR decided to examine Rodrigo Muniz's role in the build-up, prematurely halting the wild celebrations in the Shed End from the away fans. The Brazilian had controlled the ball, spinning and landing on Trevoh Chalobah's foot.

Referee Robert Jones, after VAR Michael Salisbury's advice, concluded that Muniz was at fault, despite possessing the ball and watching Chalobah come from behind. Enzo Maresca maintained it was "quite clear". Marco Silva disagreed.

"For somebody that loves football, I'm here as a Fulham manager, but I feel sad, really," Silva said. "It's clear, special game and the best competition in the world, millions watching on TV. How you disallow a goal like that, it's unbelievable, VAR is not here to re-referee the game, for us and the world it was unbelievable. I prefer not to say more because I will be punished. It's difficult for us, this type of decision.

"Eight minutes of extra-time, I accept, but eight minutes, I would like the chance to have a corner, but after the second corner, it's already nine minutes.

"The game didn't stop one time, I saw all of the eight minutes. It should stop after the first corner, yes we should defend better."

The Portuguese boss was left dumbfounded and quickly exploded in the vicinity of the assistant referee, with the rest of the Fulham bench left aghast at their perceived injustice.

"One of the worst decisions I've ever seen from VAR," concluded former Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder on BBC 5 Live.

It overshadowed a smart, diligent Fulham away performance, too, with chances created in addition to their organised defence. Joachim Andersen guided a shot wide from inside the box after combining with Timothy Castagne.

There was gorgeous build-up play on the stroke of half-time to slip King in behind, and the teenager's clever reverse ball found Castagne in on goal. But just as the Belgian's eyes lit up, Moises Caicedo delivered a desperate, lunging tackle to superbly clear the danger.

And moments later, Fulham's misery was compounded, with Joao Pedro glancing a header from Enzo Fernandez's whipped delivery to break the deadlock.

Fulham and their supporters were irate, and the feeling was underlined soon after the restart.

VAR again made a crucial intervention after Chalobah's low, swinging cross from the edge of the area was blocked by a spinning Ryan Sessegnon. The Fulham left-back's elbow was away from his body and it felt like another harsh judgment on the visitors.

It soon became apparent that there were multiple elements to this passage of play that VAR was eager to scrutinise. Fans have become accustomed to every element of the passage of play being forensically studied, and its effect was to dim the noise and atmosphere to leave widespread confusion.

Caicedo's touch to intercept the ball left Alex Iwobi limping away, then Pedro's involvement was studied. He appeared to flick the ball with his hand inside the box and a nudge on Andersen also threatened to dash home fans' hopes of a penalty.

But Jones sided with the hosts once more and Fernandez drilled the ball down the middle to double the lead and clinch precious breathing room.

"The penalty, yes, it's handball," an honest Silva said. "Definitely, but from that moment, two or three faults from ourselves. Our players went to the screen, they should not, but they saw stamp on Alex [Iwobi], hand ball from Joao Pedro.

"They found something unbelievable, but the stamp from Rodrigo [Muniz], the same people didn't see it for Alex. It's difficult to understand."

Chelsea will not care this time, at least, but these extended attempts at reversing decisions on the field continue to leave supporters deflated. The Premier League might ponder whether the system removes some of the joy from its evidently compelling product. And would the occasional mistake from an official be a worthwhile sacrifice to protect the league's rhythm?

The game naturally opened up as Fulham chased for a route back into the game. Estevao Willian, in again for the injured Cole Palmer, profited with a joyous run on the counter-attack to leave Calvin Bassey scrambling, only for his dragged effort to be stopped low down by Bernd Leno.

While Pedro thrived as a No 9, darting back to his own goal before spinning Andersen to open up space and send a blur of Blue beyond him.

The Brazilian then went beyond, gathering a Chalobah ball arrowed in behind, but just as the 23-year-old rounded Leno, the German's outstretched glove diverted the ball enough to keep the game alive.

Chelsea's No 20 is the only striker at Maresca's disposal for the foreseeable future, after Liam Delap limped off with a hamstring injury, ruling him out for at least six weeks. While Nicolas Jackson is set for Bayern Munich and Christopher Nkunku has joined AC Milan.

The former Brighton striker was inches away from connecting inside the six-yard box to grab a brace, only for Pedro Neto's cross to spiral just wide of the back post.



https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/fulham-fuming-after-chelsea-profit-from-costly-var-interference/a1958007890.html

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Fulham star hails teammate as "great player" – Proud of him turning things around
Fulham's Kenny Tete has hailed fellow defender Calvin Bassey, praising him for the manner in which he bounced back from his disappointing spell at Ajax.

Het Parool have an interview with the Fulham defender today, relayed by Ajax Showtime, in which he praises Bassey for getting his career back on track at Craven Cottage.

Bassey joined Fulham in a €22.5m deal in 2023 after a miserable year at Ajax following a €22m move from Glasgow Rangers in 2022.

He had impressed at the Scottish side under Steven Gerarrd after arriving on a free transfer from Leicester City's U23 side in 2020, earning rave reviews, particularly in Europe.

Ajax signed him as a replacement for Lisandro Martinez after he joined Manchester United that summer, but he never settled in the Netherlands, with a series of high-profile mistakes and an almost weekly criticism of some sort in the press.

He initially appeared determined to remain and fight for his place, but Fulham convinced him into the move to Craven Cottage, and he hasn't looked back since, establishing himself under Marco Silva over the last two seasons.

Tete plays alongside him and has been left impressed by what he's seen, insisting that players don't enjoy coming up against him.

"A fantastic player," he said.

"You can't get past him. At Ajax, he came at the wrong time. Luckily, Fulham were able to sign him. He repays the trust placed in him double and triple. I'm proud of him. Believe me, you don't want to play against him."



https://sportwitness.co.uk/fulham-star-hails-teammate-as-great-player-proud-of-him-turning-things-around/

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Transfer for Arsenal winger stalls as Fulham agree €40m+ Kevin deal
Reiss Nelson's future remains in doubt as Fulham agree a deal to sign Kevin but Crystal Palace are circling and could offer the player a way out of Arsenal.

Fulham's move for Reiss Nelson has reportedly stalled, with talks between the club and Arsenal dragging on without agreement.

Fulham reopened discussions last week but the chance of a deal slowed and now looks set to collapse completely. Disagreements over the structure of the transfer caused part of the problem, with Arsenal pushing for a permanent sale and Fulham preferring another loan, potentially with an option to buy.

There were also concerns over Nelson's fitness.

His previous loan spell at Craven Cottage was ruined by a hamstring injury that kept him out for 28 games, and Fulham wanted assurances he could stay fit across a full season, something no player could give.

The situation was complicated further by Fulham's interest in other wingers. According to David Ornstein on Sunday morning, Fulham have agreed a deal for Kevin from Shakhtar Donetsk worth €40m+ (with a 25% sell-on), which would seem to put an end to any move for Nelson.

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace have been linked with a £15 million move for the 25-year-old, with talks reportedly under way.

With the window closing at 7pm on Monday, Nelson's future is still unclear.



https://dailycannon.com/2025/08/nelson-arsenal-fulham/

[WhiteJC]

The Morning After: Chelsea 2–0 Fulham.
I can't put into words the vitriol I have towards those toasters down the road, VAR, Rob Jones, and modern football. With that said, I'll try and compose myself. Here's a message to PGMOL, Robert Jones, and the Premier League. And here's what we learnt from Fulham's underserved inter-Fulham defeat. Let's get stuck in.

A Day That's A Perfect Representation Of Modern Football
Before I get into analysis, I'll preface the article with this. Today is a complete indication of what modern football has become. Anybody in defence of VAR is completely out of touch with people who keep the blood pumping throughout football's veins – the match-going fans. It feels as if the game we knew even 10 years ago is done, lost, something we will never get back.

League Cup draws, rigged in the favour of big six sides. Football finances, rigged in the favour of big six sides. But referring decisions? Blaming referees for losing games?

It's easy to do just that, it's been done as the get out of jail free card since the dawn of time, but today that is absolutely not the case. If what I, as many others, would consider the worst VAR decision of all time didn't occur, it's a completely different game. Fulham get a just reward for their first half dominance, Silva's side grow in confidence and perhaps get a second, completely changing how the filth approach the rest of the game. I'll get onto the other decisions later...

Dean Jones' arrogance and smugness exiting the Stamford Bridge tells you all need to know about his approach to yesterday's game, and everything wrong with modern refereeing. Dean Jones made the SW6 derby about one man, and one man only. Dean Jones.

The criticism of VAR is justified, yesterday felt like a seismic shift on VAR discourse not just within the Fulham fanbase, but English football as a whole. But, let's not forget, Dean Jones was the man who flaked on his decisions after being put under suggestion by the video assistant referee. A man with backbone, conviction, and integrity sticks with his call. Dean Jones however, is a pathetic excuse for a referee, a man with an ego far beyond his means.

Decisions like yesterday are on PGMOL's head. If referees felt contention for their spots as the world's premiere officials, high standards of officiating, and a true want for the right decisions, not the convininet ones to please the money makers, the big six, Jones would of stuck with his original decision.

Jones, PGMOL, and us, Fulham fans shouldn't label Saturday's performance as an affair decided by one decision. Far from it, let's go through them all.

Reviewing The Decisions
The 'reckless challenge' that Rodrigo Muniz committed, according to Robert Jones makes a mockery of a contact sport. Muniz never puts in a challenge, he is in possession of the ball! It's Chalobah committing the challenge, Muniz is just using a terrific piece of skill!

For the corner preceding Chelsea's first goal, the Blues had a man offside, and they were playing a minute over the eight miniutes of added time, despite the ball going out of play just seconds earlier.

The Blues continued playing in additional, additional time caused by a decision deemed so clear and obvious that it had to be checked for over five minutes...

The penalty given by Jones in the second half, Joao Pedro makes his body silhouette bigger by outstretching his arm. At the close range? Sure, but it directly affects the goal.

You can't tell me those decision happen if the teams competing for said decisions were switched. No chance.

Analysing The Games, Frankly, Secondary Events
Listen people, if I keep rambling on about my distaste for what the game we love has become, and Premier League referees sheer ineptitude, I may well lose my cool more than I did at the Bridge yesterday.

It's certainly a hard match to analyse, I'm not sure the best sport physchologists in the world could of got any team in world football playing after that double whammy sucker punch either side of the interval, alongside such an egregious set of decisions. It even sucked the air out of rowdy Fulham away following, I can't blame the players one bit. But with that said, Let's get into things we learnt from Saturday's inter Borough clash.

Josh King: The King Will Soon Reign
Absolutely gutted for him. The sheer jubilation that Josh King showed after finishing and starting FFC's counteractacking first half move is everything I want to see in a Fulham player. One of our own getting one over them lot, at eighteen years of age, mugging of Tosin 'The Traitor'. That was Josh's moment. It was ripped away from him by a system, a system we have no defined proof for, but a system we all feel the notions of. That didn't deter King though, not at all.

Josh ran the show, he was everywhere in midfield, as he always is. King's role playing off Muniz, whilst still utilising his energy to contribute in a press, or transition, deep in midfield in a role we will see plenty more of, especially against top sides.

Don't get it twisted, this preformance will just spur King on, giving him yet more reason to believe he can not only mix it with best of them, he can shine. Is it fair too say Josh may already be as important to this Fulham team as Joao Palhinha was in his spell in West London? I'd say it's pretty, darn close.

Timothy Castagne: Truly Underrated
Not enough credit is given to Timothy Castagne for playing through injury for months in a crucial part of Fulham's season last term. Following that up with an honourable display in Walham Green and it's fair to say Timothy Castagne is one of the most undated players on the right side of SW6.

Castagne locked down Pedro Neto, also interchanging with Kenny Tete into centre half at numerous points of the first half. Timothy is illustrative of FFC's depth in many parts of Silva's squad. We certainly have two Premier League quality right backs by the River. A model professional, a credit to Fulham Football Club. Timothy Castagne.

Joachim Andersen & Emile Smith Rowe: Fulham's 24/25 Big Money Summer Business Paying Dividends
Emile Smith Rowe entered the fray with a Fulham team that looked dumfounded, flattened. ESR's introduction gave London's Original's some renewed attacking bite. Emile was showing for the ball, coming short, trying to progress the ball, beat his man. In every appearance Smith Rowe has had this season, he's impressed. The only question remains, how does Marco fit our record signing in the same team as Josh King? We may find out on September 13th. If we do, it could unlock this Fulham team.

Joachim Andersen continiues to improve on his much maligned second half of 24/25. Andersen looks every bit the defensive leader Fulham needed in that first 45 minutes. Not only that, but Joa displayed he still is the modern, ball playing centre back, Mr Khan paid £30M for, last summer. Name me eight defensive partnerships better than Andersen and Bassey? You can't.

Top eight is European football. You build your teams on the spine of your team, your back two is essential to that. Sounds good, right?

Set Piece Sloppiness... Again
Fulham cant go without any criticism for a derby day loss. Whilst the nuisances to how the corner came to be are valid, our marking for Joao Pedro's close range header was embarrassing.

The duo I just praised, Bassey and Andersen, got caught asleep, leaving the reasonably diminutive Pedro to leap up between two 6'0ft plus centre halves to head home. Shocking defending. The same story as United at home last weekend. Our zonal marking defensive mechanism is simply not working. It's almost like we could do with a set piece coach? Oh, wait we advertised for one earlier in the summer. Well, that never materialised. Are we 'tracking', or 'monotoring', a set piece coach, too?

Sander & Sasa: Steel & Set Pieces
I've pinpointed Fulham's need for midfield agro, steel, or solddifty. However you want to slice it, Fulham need a number six. I still believe that, but Lukic and Berge's breaking up of Chelsea's imfamous box midfield restores a lot of confidence between the our Sasa, and Sander pivot.

Berge utilised his physicality to go from sideline to sideline, dangling those lanky legs for, a game high, seven recoveries. I've believed In Berge's ability to control this Marco midfield for a long time, keep up these type of preforamces, and he'll be there.

Lukic had less flashy intervions out of possession, but the Serb's set pieces... Wow. Such a far cry from Andreas Pereira's dead ball pain. Small mercies, eh?

Need X-Factor: Need Signings
In that first half, Fulham looked slick, playing at tempo, at speed, of a rigid base, Marco's men got into plenty of great opportunites to carve out a clear cut chance, but largely to avail.

The Cottagers are screaming out for somebody with that something, something. That X-factor. We already knew that, yesterday's huffing and puffing put it into practice. The unpredictable nature of a Kevin, or Chukwueze would have gone a long way in fixing that.

It's almost as if we should have done our business in time for our biggest game of the season. Sorry, I'm asking too much, aren't I, Mr wrestling tycoon?



https://medium.com/@LondonsOriginal/the-morning-after-chelsea-2-0-fulham-808a458847cd

[WhiteJC]

Fulham on course for club-record Kevin signing
Fulham have agreed a club-record £34.6m deal to sign Kevin from Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Brazilian winger, 22, has travelled to London for a medical and is expected to complete the move ahead of Monday's transfer deadline.

The deal will surpass the £34m paid by Fulham for Emile Smith-Rowe from Arsenal last summer.

Kevin is on course to become just Fulham's second summer signing, with goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte from Montpellier their only arrival so far.

Whites boss Marco Silva has made his frustration clear at the club's lack of signings.

He has been keen to sign two wingers – a deal for AC Milan's Samuel Chukwueze is also in the offing.

"The reality is that two seasons ago, or even last season, at this stage of the season we have signed probably two or three players, but this season is completely different," Silva said recently.

"We had a plan and the plan did not go through. Simple as that and we have to look for ourselves."



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-on-course-for-club-record-kevin-signing

[WhiteJC]

Fulham close in on £35m deal for Shakhtar's Kevin
Fulham are closing in on a club record £34.6m move for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Kevin.

The move for the 22-year-old Brazilian is expected to surpass the club's current transfer record - the initial £27m they paid to sign attacker Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal last summer.

Kevin predominantly plays on the left wing and has scored 17 goals and provided 10 assists in 57 matches for the Ukrainian side.

His signing would be a boost for Fulham boss Marco Silva, who previously complained about the club's slow pace in the transfer market.

Silva said the Cottagers had been "passive" in the summer window, having only added French goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte from Montpellier.

Fulham are still believed to be in the market for an additional attacker and have expressed an interest in Chelsea's Raheem Sterling and Basel's Philip Otele.

The Cottagers have two points from their opening three Premier League games and were 16th in the table after Saturday's fixtures.

They followed up opening draws at Brighton and at home to Manchester United with a controversial 2-0 defeat at west London rivals Chelsea.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cn9201jejlgo

[WhiteJC]

The FFC Rumour Mill: Kevin fee agreed as Pereira departs
Jack Stroudley with the final weekly round-up of the summer transfer window ahead of Monday's deadline.

Over the Chelsea game yet? No, me neither. Cool, let's move on. It's amazing that despite the heavy injustice Fulham received on Saturday the club need to tend to this wounds quickly with deadline day being on Monday at 7pm and Fulham still needing to sign two-to-three players, according to boss Marco Silva.

Incomings
The winger merry-go-round appears to once again be in full force with Fabrizio Romano claiming on Sunday that Fulham and Shakhtar have agreed a fee of €42m for Kevin. This follows Romano's news onWednesday Fulham are now in advanced talks for both Kevin and Samu Chukuweze with fees of over €40m and €25m for the two wingers respectively. If you want to know more about the pair, I wrote an article on Wednesday about what they could offer Fulham.

These aren't the only rumours surrounding those wide areas. Pete O'Rourke from Sky has suggested that Fulham are in advanced talks to sign Strasbourg winger Dilane Bakwa while Ben Jacobs reported that Fuham still hold an interest in Basel winger Philip Otele and watched him on Wednesday against FC Copenhagen.

Finally on the winger front, Fulham remain the closest to signing Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling according to the Daily Mail (one that could happen late on Deadline Day) and Eduardo Bargos has reported that Fulham hold an interest in Abdul Fatuwu from Leicester City viewing him as an alternative to Chukwueze.

In terms of other positions, Matteo Moretto has reported that Ukrainian forward Artem Dovbyk has turned down the opportunity to sign for Fulham with Marco Silva's side also holding an interest in Chelsea striker Tyrique George, according to Sky Sports.

Finally, both West Ham and Fulham have sent scouts to watch Middlesborough midfielder Hayden Hackney with the East Londoners making an offer for the 23-year-old.

Outgoings
Andreas Pereira has now left Fulham to join Brazilian side Palmeiras following their long-standing interest. Pereira had a medical in Brazil on Thursday before signing for a reported €10m.

Well, here we are then. A day from deadline day and we are none-the-wiser as to who on earth Fulham are going to sign. Being linked with every winger under the sun and a few murmurings from other positions makes me think it will be a lively one. Whatever happened Fulham need at least three in: get it done.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/p/the-ffc-rumour-mill-kevin-fee-agreed

[WhiteJC]

Fulham agree fee for Shakhtar's Kevin; eye Milan's Chukwueze - sources
Fulham are looking to make a double signing before the transfer window shuts on Monday, having agreed a fee for Brazilian winger Kevin from Shakhtar Donetsk while they are also interested in signing Samuel Chukwueze on loan from AC Milan, sources have told ESPN.

The west London club have agreed a fee with Shakhtar for Kevin which is in excess of £34.6 million ($46.7m) with bonuses for what would be a club-record transfer.

The player is yet to agree personal terms but there is optimism from both clubs the transfer will go through for a fee which would surpass the £34m Emile Smith Rowe cost when he moved to Craven Cottage from Arsenal in 2024.

Kevin has represented Brazil at under-20 level and joined Shakhtar in 2024 from Palmeiras. Fulham have held a long-standing interest in the winger and have been in dialogue with Shakhtar for most of the summer. Kevin is set to arrive in London on Sunday to move the transfer forward.

Chukwueze is also on Fulham's radar and having made progress in talks last week, there is renewed optimism this deal can get done before the window closes.

If terms between Fulham and AC Milan can be agreed, Chukwueze would likely join Fulham on loan with an obligation to make the move permanent if certain criteria are met, sources have told ESPN. The winger joined AC Milan in 2023 from Villarreal and has 46 caps for Nigeria.

It's been a quiet summer for Fulham to date with 34-year-old goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte their sole arrival. They saw Andreas Pereira leave last week for Palmeiras while Carlos Vinícius left on a free transfer.



https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_/id/46118960/fulham-agree-fee-shakhtar-donetsk-kevin-eye-ac-milan-samuel-chukwueze-sources

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Fulham 'agree Kevin fee'
Shakhtar Donetsk winger Kevin is on his way to London for a medical after Fulham agreed a £34.6m fee to sign the Brazilian winger.

The deal bring the talented 22 year-old to Craven Cottage will comfortably surpass Fulham's record transfer fee – which is currently the initial £27m they paid Arsenal to sign Emile Smith Rowe last summer. Kevin, who usually plays on the left wing but can play up front or from the right flank, has scored seventeen goals in 57 matches for Shakhtar, also contributing ten assists.

He was outstanding as Shakhtar came from behind to beat Servette in the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off on Thursday night, scoring a penalty that helped the Miners secure a place in the group phase of the competition. The protracted deal to bring in the pacey winger would be Fulham's second of the summer and their slow recruitment has angered head coach Marco Silva.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2025/08/fulham-agree-kevin-fee/

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Godo completes Strasbourg medical
Fulham winger Martial Godo has passed a medical at Strasbourg this afternoon ahead of a proposed £6m move to the Ligue 1 side.

The 22 year-old is set to complete a move to France in the coming hours and team up with former Fulham full back Liam Rosenior, who has been in charge at Stade de la Meinau since last July. Godo, who enjoyed an excellent loan spell at Wigan Athletic in 2023-2024, had been the subject of a bid from Coventry City but has opted to join Le Racing, who qualified for the Europa Conference League after Rosenior guided them to a seventh place finish in Ligue 1 last season.

The Ivory Coast under-23 international had made six senior appearances for Fulham following a meteoric rise having been spotted playing for Margate, but had not featured for the Whites since playing against Sheffield United in a behind closed doors pre-season friendly. He had made clear that he wanted to play regular first-team football, whilst the deal represents pure profit for Fulham under the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2025/08/godo-completes-strasbourg-medical/

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Fulham close in on second summer signing as club-record deal agreed for Kevin
The Cottagers have left much of their summer business to the last minute

Fulham have reached an agreement to sign Shakhtar Donetsk winger Kevin.

Fulham will pay a club-record €40million (£34.6m) fee for the 22-year-old, eclipsing the initial £27million they paid for Emile Smith Rowe last summer.

Kevin is in London for a medical ahead of his proposed move, though Fulham are yet to reach an agreement with the player's camp.

Kevin, who scored nine goals and provided four assists last season, netted from the penalty spot as Shakhtar sealed their place in the Conference League on Thursday.

The Brazilian joined Shakhtar from Palmeiras in January 2024 and impressed in last season's Champions League, scoring against Bayern Munich and Brest in the league phase.

Fulham have been in the market for a winger all summer and also pursued a deal for Arsenal's Reiss Nelson, who spent last season on loan at Craven Cottage.

Talks have also been held with AC Milan's Samuel Chukwueze as Fulham look to add options in attack, having scored twice in their opening three Premier League games.

Fulham have endured a difficult summer, so far only bringing in backup goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte, and Marco Silva said this week that the club had no other choice but to make more signings before the deadline.

Having focused on contract renewals for much of the summer, Fulham have now stepped up their efforts to bring players in before Monday's deadline.

Fulham's move for Kevin is not expected to be the last deal they pursue as Silva looks to bolster his squad after taking two points from Fulham's opening three league games.



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-kevin-transfer-latest-b1245254.html

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Player Ratings: Chelsea 2-0 Fulham
The ratings are in from a frustrating SW6 derby.

Rob Jones. Do I dare say more? A superb team effort from Marco Silva's side and a beautiful moment for Josh King were both ruined by a game full of scandalous officiating. Here's the lowdown on how we performed...

Bernd Leno
Thought Leno played a big part in our build-up play, frequently being trusted to help the ball go from side to side to help play through Chelsea's press, in the end completing more passes than most of our outfield starters. Made a few decent run of the mill saves and one superb save from Estevao around an hour in. Struggled to command his crowded box for the first goal and will be frustrated to see the penalty go off his legs and down the middle of the goal. 6.5/10.

Kenny Tete
Fairly standard performance from Tete who I thought was reliable on the ball throughout. Looked to have a good relationship with Castagne on the right side and clear that he enjoyed the additional freedom to overlap a bit more when we went to a back four. Still think personally that Tete is best utilised a bit wider than as a wide centre back but he's adapting well and adding increased versatility to his game. 6/10.

Joachim Andersen
For the second week running, Andersen was comfortably our best centre half. Must be said, it's also probably the second week running where the Dane might have been gutted not to score, seeing a header cleared off the line in added time. Joa was the key man in playing out of Chelsea's press, and unsurprisingly played the most accurate long passes of anyone in black and white. Defensively I thought he was superbly strong in holding off the likes of George and Pedro and showed a decent amount of recovery speed when needed. He looks fresh this season off the back of some criticism last year. 7.5/10.

Calvin Bassey
I have to be honest, I thought Bassey was very poor. On the ball, of the three centre backs, he may have completed the most passes but he also looked the most shaky on the ball and failed to be as progressive as Tete or Andersen. Defensively it was scary how easily he was frequently beaten. I lost count of the number of times Estevao stood Bassey up, drew in a poor challenge and ran past our defender. After a frustrating weekend last time out, he needs to get his head up over the break and get back to his best when league football returns. 4/10.

Timothy Castagne
As I said previously, I'm really enjoying how well Castagne and Tete are working together on the right side. Castagne defensively was superb too, reducing Neto to very little. Every time the Portuguese winger stood him up or tried going either side, Castagne stood firm and made a number of quality blocks. It still just frustrates me how little he offers in the final third for someone playing the wing back position. 7/10.

Sasa Lukic
Another really good industrious performance from the Serb who must've covered every blade of grass on the pitch whilst contributing at both ends of the pitch. Not only did he make the most tackles of any Fulham player, he also made the most key passes too. Make no mistake about it, Lukic can become a key cog in the number eight position if he continues to push up the pitch and contribute more in the final third whilst also posing a promising threat from set-piece deliveries. 7/10.

Sander Berge
We were so close to a first Sander Berge goal contribution for the club (sadly he still has zero, unfortunately that is factually correct as a statistic). Not only did he play the ball through for Josh King in the first half, but he also nearly tapped in after Andersen's late header was cleared off the line. While Berge's ball retention was good, I thought he was a bit soft on Chelsea's technical players, Joao Pedro especially turned him slightly too often. 6.5/10.

Ryan Sessegnon
Offered far more than Castagne did from a wing back position in terms of an attacking threat, connecting really well with King especially at times to get down the left. Defensively I think Sess did really well in covering whenever Bassey struggled and made two or three important interventions in the box in the first half. Will be frustrated with how the penalty was conceded, but football players aren't allowed to have arms anymore, apparently. 7/10.

Alex Iwobi
Iwobi frustrated me in this one. The way we set up, it just feels like somebody with his attacking intent and abilities should be getting further up the pitch far more often than he did, leaving Muniz and King far too isolated far too often. He looked constantly annoyed at the lack of space he was getting but ultimately his movement and ball retention had to be better itself. 5.5/10.

Josh King
I said to those around me at the Bridge, I know that Fulham bias comes into how horrifically terrible or unbelievably amazing a player is. I thought Josh King was a big talent, but this is the game where he stood up and showed that, actually, he's even better than we could have ever imagined. He made a mockery of the hundreds of millions pounds worth of Chelsea talent on the pitch, running rings round them with confidence and ease. The fact he's lost that moment thanks to some horrendous officiating is heartbreaking, but he will have more moments for sure. He was the best player on the pitch by a mile, an astonishing performance. 9/10 - Man of the match.

Rodrigo Muniz
I think we have to talk about how stupidly careless Muniz was to deliberately stand on Chalobah in the build up to the King goal. I am of course joking, however that moment did just add to a growing sense of frustration around Muniz who fed off of scraps with so little bodies around him and long balls often going above him to Tosin or Sanchez. I don't want to criticize him too harshly, because I just don't think a striker can do much without service or other forward players to link with. 5.5/10.

Substitutes

Raul Jimenez
Played the last half an hour in place of a frustrated Muniz. Whereas last week I thought Raul added a lot to our attack and contributed strongly, this time at the Bridge I thought he just ran around like a headless chicken with no clear idea of what to do to change the game. 5/10.

Harry Wilson
H coming on for Castagne for the last 30 minutes helped in the way it changed our shape but it still felt like he was receiving the ball way too deep to affect any noticeable change on the game. Maybe at that point spirits had dropped after Fernandez added a second goal but Wilson will be gutted he couldn't make a difference. 6/10.

Antonee Robinson
Lost the ball a few times on the left hand side and looked hesitant to cross early when in decent positions. Of course, his fitness and sharpness needs taking into account and ultimately it's a positive that he got near on half an hour into the legs in place of Sess, but his best is definitely still to come. 5.5/10.

Emile Smith Rowe
I think out of all the subs ESR probably showed the most intent to make a difference but still struggled as much as the rest. Came on for King at the same time as Jedi, which Maresca did quite well to counteract with the introduction of Andrey Santos which closed up the Chelsea midfield and nullified our subs' threats near the penalty area. 6/10.

Adama Traore came on too late to be fairly assessed.

Marco Silva
I liked how we set up to play around Chelsea's press and for the most part we executed that well, especially through Tete and Andersen. Again, I love the freedom given to Josh King, but it was noticeable how little support he was receiving. It's okay to set up with a back three against any opposition, but you can still make it more offensive. Iwobi, Castagne, Berge are the three that come to mind especially but as a unit he needs to find a way to make everyone outside of the back three contribute more to our attacking play. Whilst it would be easy to criticize how little the subs changed the game, I more think that actually the second goal killed a game that had been so emotionally driven to a point where our players had little left to give. Lots to ponder over the international break, for sure. 6.5/10.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/p/player-ratings-chelsea-2-0-fulham

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Fulham transfer target 'arrives for medical' following £36m agreement with Shakhtar Donetsk
Fulham transfer target Kevin has reportedly arrived in London for his medical ahead of his proposed move from Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Cottagers are looking for a strong end to the transfer window, having made Benjamin Lecomte their only addition of the market so far.

Fulham have been pursuing Kevin as a potential target for the last few weeks, but they have found it difficult to agree terms with Shakhtar.

However, it has been reported that they have now reached an agreement with the Ukrainian side over a £36m transfer.

Kevin arrives for Fulham medical
The deal is set to surpass the £34m they paid Arsenal to make Emile Smith Rowe their club-record signing last summer.

Kevin will not play in Shakhtar's Ukrainian Premier League game against Oleksandria on Sunday because he is set to arrive in London to finalise his move.

According to Sky Sports News, the 22-year-old attacker is set to undergo a medical ahead of his proposed switch to the Premier League.

However, there is a belief that he still needs to agree personal terms before he can become the newest member of Marco Silva's squad.

Why are Fulham signing Kevin?
Silva has made it clear over the last week that Fulham need to bring in reinforcements before the transfer window slams shut on Monday.

The wide positions are one area that are in desperate need of strengthening following the departures of two wingers at the end of last season.

Willian left the club as a free agent at the end of June, while Reiss Nelson returned to Arsenal following his loan stint at Craven Cottage.

As a result, Silva is currently working with Alex Iwobi, Adama Traore and Harry Wilson as his main wide options.

Martial Godo is also part of the first-team squad, but he is expected to complete a move to French side Strasbourg.



https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/transfer-talk/news/fulham-transfer-target-arrives-for-medical-following-gbp36m-agreement_580478.html

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PGMOL admit King error
The Daily Mail's chief sports writer Mike Keegan reports that the PGMOL board technical director Howard Webb has contacted Fulham to apologise for the error that led to Josh King's goal in the SW6 derby being wrongly ruled out yesterday.

King's first senior goal for his boyhood club looked to have given Fulham the lead at Stamford Bridge – but referee Rob Jones agreed with video assistant referee Michael Salisbury that Rodrigo Muniz had impeded Trevor Chalobah as he trod on the Chelsea defender's foot when turning whilst in possession of the ball in the build-up to the goal.

Webb has reportedly contacted Fulham regarding the incident this morning and the PGMOL have acknowledged that an error was committed. They now believe that the previously outlined 'high threshold' for VAR intervention was not met in this incident. Salisbury has been stood down from the Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal this afternoon, where he was also due to act as a video assistant referee, as a result of his mistake.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2025/08/pgmol-admit-king-error/

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VAR official changed in Liverpool vs Arsenal clash after Fulham goal is controversially disallowed
Michael Salisbury has been removed from VAR duties for Liverpool vs Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.

Salisbury has been replaced by John Brooks after his controversial role in Chelsea's 2-0 win at home to Fulham.

Fulham believed they opened the scoring through Josh King in the 21st minute at Stamford Bridge.

However, Rodrigo Muniz was contentiously adjudged to have stepped on Trevoh Chalobah's foot in the build-up to the goal.

Referee Rob Jones confirmed the decision after a review and the goal was chalked off.

Chelsea were awarded a penalty early on in the second half as Ryan Sessegnon handled in the box from a Chalobah cross.

Experienced referee Brooks will now be the VAR when Liverpool host Arsenal in the Premier League clash.

VAR continues to make the headlines
The 2025/26 campaign is the seventh season in which VAR has been used across all matches.

When Liverpool hosted Bournemouth in the opening match, they felt as though the visitors should have had a men sent off.

Marco Senesi handled the ball near the halfway line at Anfield but avoided a red card.

VAR checked and confirmed the decision that was made by referee Anthony Taylor.

It was deemed not to be 'a clear handball offence nor denial of a goal scoring opportunity'.

Two days later, Eberechi Eze had a goal disallowed by VAR against Chelsea, with referee Darren England checking the pitchside monitor.

Marc Guehi was adjudged to have fouled Moises Caicedo when the free-kick was taken.

"After review, away number six is less than one metre away from the wall as the shot is taken," the Premier League Match Centre said.

"Therefore, it's an indirect free kick and a disallowed goal."

Last weekend, Muniz's own-goal was allowed to stand for Manchester United despite Leny Yoro appearing to push Calvin Bassey.

However, VAR Darren England checked the goal and did not believe Bassey was fouled.



https://talksport.com/football/3516326/var-changed-liverpool-arsenal-fulham-goal-premier-league/

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VAR official dropped for Liverpool vs Arsenal after Fulham goal error
Howard Webb issued a personal apology to the Cottagers after Josh King was denied a well-taken opener

PGMOL have removed Michael Salisbury from VAR duties for Liverpool vs Arsenal after admitting he made a mistake in disallowing Fulham's opener against Chelsea on Saturday.

Josh King thought he had opened the scoring at Stamford Bridge with a well-taken breakaway goal, but play was pulled back as Rodrigo Muniz was deemed to have fouled Trevoh Chalobah in the buildup.

It proved a pivotal moment in the match, which Chelsea went on to win 2-0 despite being outplayed for long stretches.

It was not the only contentious VAR decision in the match, either, as Chelsea were later awarded a penalty as Ryan Sessegnon was convicted of handling the ball after Joao Pedro got away with a similar offence.

PGMOL have now issued an apology to Fulham, though, acknowledging that Salisbury's decision went against the 'referee's call' principle, which holds that VAR can only intervene after a clear and obvious error.

Howard Webb, PGMOL's Chief Refereeing Officer, contacted the club personally.

John Brooks has been elected to replace Salisbury on VAR duties at Anfield on Sunday.

Fulham boss Marco Silva was left incensed by the decisions, saying at full-time: "The second decision was completely unbelievable, for that penalty, and it was an unbelievable decision [for the first].

"You have many decisions to talk about. I have spoken about referees so many times. I am not in the best mood to do it."

Enzo Maresca disagreed, though, saying he did not find either decision controversial: "I don't think so because the foul is a foul and the penalty is a penalty. For me, it's quite clear.

"If I had some doubt, I would say. But it's quite clear that the foul is a foul and the other one is simple."



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/var-arsenal-fc-chelsea-liverpool-fulham-b1245266.html

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VAR official dropped after PGMOL admit mistake over Fulham goal
Official Michael Salisbury has been dropped for Sunday's Premier League game between Liverpool and Arsenal after Professional Game Match Officials Limited said it was a mistake for the video assistant referee to disallow Fulham's opening goal at Chelsea on Saturday.

Josh King scored 22 minutes into the game only for it to be chalked off following a VAR intervention for a foul by Rodrigo Muniz in the build-up.

Muniz was deemed to have stepped on the foot of Chelsea centre-back Trevoh Chalobah while trying to turn him near the halfway line.

Posting on Instagram on Sunday, Fulham's Antonee Robinson, along with teammates Joachim Andersen and Ryan Sessegnon, criticised the way VAR was working in the Premier League.

"If they can check something for five minutes and still get it wrong, then what's actually the point?" Robinson wrote. "Standard of officiating has been shocking in the Prem for too long now."

On Saturday the VAR decision was announced to the crowd.

"After review, Fulham Number 9 commits a careless challenge, stands on the foot of the Chelsea defender, therefore we disallow the goal and we restart with a Chelsea free-kick," referee Robert Jones told the Stamford Bridge crowd.

To make matters worse for Fulham, Chelsea's opening goal in their 2-0 victory came nine minutes into eight minutes stoppage time at the end of the first half.

Referees chief Howard Webb has spoken to Fulham and declared the decision was an error.

He said the decision to rule out the goal did not reach the high bar of a VAR intervention as it was not a clear and obvious error by the referee and should have been a 'referees' call' instead.

As a result, referees' body PGMOL has replaced Salisbury with John Brooks for the Sunday's match at Anfield.

Fulham manager Marco Silva was furious with the officials after the defeat, describing the decision to disallow the goal as "unbelievable".

"How you disallow a goal like that is unbelievable," Silva told TNT Sports after the game, which left Fulham winless after three Premier League matches.

"We have meetings with referees and people in charge, we all want to win. VAR is not here to re-referee the game.

"I would prefer not to say something more because I would be punished. I want to be on the touchline next week to help my team, I don't want to be fined.

"But it has been a difficult start to the season with some decisions."

It was the second Premier League home game in a row that Chelsea have benefited from a VAR intervention, after Eberechi Eze's free-kick in a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace was disallowed on the opening weekend because Marc Guehi was deemed to have interfered with the wall.

Burnley boss Scott Parker said the use of VAR was threatening to turn football into "the most sterile game there is" after his side lost to a controversial late penalty at Manchester United.

Ruben Amorim's team were awarded a penalty deep into second-half stoppage time when Jaidon Anthony was penalised for grabbing Amad Diallo's shirt inside the area.

Referee Sam Barrott initially waved play on, but after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor he awarded the spot-kick and Bruno Fernandes held his nerve to earn the hosts a 3-2 victory.

"It's the way the game has gone - quadruple checking everything every minute," Parker told BBC Match of the Day.

"On the field, the referee didn't give the foul, then we've re-reffed it. It's not the ref, it's a fella 200-odd miles away in a box."



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/ce93l9j0xk8o

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Fulham close in on club-record £34.6m deal for Brazilian winger Kevin
The 22-year-old has scored 17 goals in 57 matches for Shakhtar Donetsk.

Fulham are close to agreeing a club-record £34.6m deal to sign Brazilian winger Kevin from Shakhtar Donetsk.

The 22-year-old, who has scored 17 goals and made 10 assists in 57 matches since moving from Palmeiras in 2023, will become just the second signing of the summer for Marco Silva's side.

He will bring European experience to Craven Cottage having played seven times for Shakhtar in last season's Champions League.

The club's previous record fee was the £27m spent to bring in Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal a year ago.

It has been frustrating window for Silva after he guided Fulham to a record Premier League points tally of 53 last season.

So far, back-up goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte has been their only signing, the 34-year-old joining from Montpellier for £500,000.

Fulham have picked up just two points from their opening three league fixtures and were beaten 2-0 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in Saturday's west London derby.



https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/kevin-fulham-shakhtar-donetsk-arsenal-palmeiras-b2817336.html