Friday Fulham Stuff - 05/09/25...

[WhiteJC]

How dysfunctional Fulham nightmare has set them up for Premier League relegation battle
Marco Silva's shown frustration at his side only signing one outfield player permanently this summer

After the worst Premier League season for at least 20 years last campaign for everyone except Liverpool and Nottingham Forest fans, 2025/26 is shaping up to be a vintage campaign with intriguing battles at both ends of the table, but that could be bad news for Fulham.

You don't need to have worked in football professionally to tell that signing two first-team players, one on loan, isn't usually the foundation of a hugely successful season - not every team can be the Reds. But Marco Silva may need to pull off an Arne Slot-style miracle as that's the exact position he finds himself in after the transfer window slammed shut on Monday leaving behind only the bitter taste of frustration.

Samu Chukwueze and Kevin are both talented players but they're unproven in the Premier League and Fulham's inactivity throughout the entirety of June, July and August mean they'll need to hit the ground running - this headline isn't a knock on who Fulham have signing, it's illuminating the problems created by who they haven't.

The collapse of the Tyrique George deal was a hammer-blow for the Cottagers but even if the talented 19-year-old had moved a couple of miles across West London, it would've been lipstick on a pig of a transfer window that could cost Fulham not just their longest-serving and arguably best manager of the Premier League era but their top-flight status.

Marco Silva has broadcast unease at Craven Cottage
As yet another VAR decision went against Fulham at Stamford Bridge last weekend, Marco Silva looked like a harrowed new father in his third week of parenthood that had just been jolted from drifting off to sleep by the baby waking up and bawling, again.

And tracking his comments from the final days of the transfer window it's not hard to see why. "It's not an ideal scenario," Silva said on the eve of the Premier League season kicking off. "I didn't expect us to be this passive... Of course not. We need to reinforce. In some positions, we are very short.

After securing points against Manchester United and Brighton, he doubled down with more foreboding: "I think my situation and my future, and the future of the players can never be something that can be a distraction at all. Fulham is the main thing for all of us. We have to [sign players]. This is the situation. I'm answering this way to you, and it's not to put any more type of pressure at all. It's because we don't have other solutions."

And ahead of that fateful game against Chelsea, Silva sounded resigned to his fate: "I think as a manager we don't have other solutions if not to do it [sign players] because, if not, we are going to be not in the condition that we should be to play in the Premier League. In the end of the window you can see. I think we waste a lot of time. It's already too late."

What must be extra frustrating for Silva is the way Fulham have failed to maximise their returns on the pitch as well as in the market. Lucky to claim a point from Brighton, the football gods over-corrected against Manchester United with the Cottagers on the end of two questionable VAR decisions and history repeated itself in the West London derby against Chelsea.

Fulham have the joint-smallest squad in the Premier League at 23 players, the oldest by over half a year on average and according to Transfermarkt only four are less valuable. It's not as if they've been gutted of their best players like Crystal Palace or Brentford either - these problems at the start of September were present at the end of May.

One of four remaining winless sides in the top flight, Wolves are the only one of their current miserable companions that look likely to remain in the relegation battle while Everton, Leeds, Sunderland and Burnley have all made better starts than expected this season.

Brentford and West Ham are also set to struggle this season but while Fulham have the upper hand on them right now despite their summer woes, that will all change if Silva departs Craven Cottage. And after so publicly voicing his frustration at his club's summer, other owners will be watching Silva's plight with interest.

Silva could become belle of the managerial ball
Notwithstanding his doomed spell at Everton, Silva's built up quite the managerial CV and it's one that is only going to attract more and more suitors however Fulham play this season.

He's also had some strange dismissals too - sacked by Sporting for not wearing their official suit to a cup match after winning the club's first silverware in seven years, parting ways with Hull City following relegation despite having the Tigers 13th in the form table since his arrival, and the drama over his protracted move from Watford to Goodison Park.


But having been linked with Manchester United, Juventus and the Saudi Pro League including a £40 million offer from Al Ahli (who it's not even a joke to say would offer more options in the transfer market than Fulham), it's surely only a matter of time before Silva receives an offer that seriously tempts him.

Silva's in something of a win-win situation at Craven Cottage now - if he outperforms the club's investment this summer it will only add to his reputation while if they do struggle the blame will fall higher up and shouldn't be held against him. If does depart Fulham will be in real trouble and prime candidates for relegation and it'll be a problem entirely of their own making thanks to this summer transfer window.



https://www.3addedminutes.com/sport/football/fulham/fulham-summer-transfer-window-nightmare-relegation-battle-5298258

[WhiteJC]

Relax - Fulham have had another successful transfer window
It's time for a bit of perspective as we prepare for the rest of the season with our finalised squad.

So the dust has settled on another summer transfer window - and a pretty chaotic one at that. On a podcast, The Athletic's David Ornstein reflected on the window by saying that "every day felt like deadline day" given the amount of business taking place. I don't think he included Fulham in that description - there is only one true deadline day at Motspur Park.

While I'm negative about many things Fulham, I'm generally a bit less bothered about the way Fulham do their transfer business. I personally think that some football fans place too much importance on transfers, and don't look at the squad as a whole.

I find the talk of who 'won' and 'lost' the window a bit tedious, and don't get me started on the growing type of football fan who only seems to enjoy the transfer window and not the actual game on the pitch.

Quite often I see supporters talk about the stress of leaving all our deals to the last minute. Who exactly is stressed? You as a fan? I don't think we are in a position to moan (rightly) about ticket prices etc being too high, but then expect Fulham to just throw away millions of pounds just to save us from some stress.

I said a few weeks ago that I would judge Fulham's transfer activity on 2 September, not beforehand. By that metric Fulham have had a good window. I understand the complaints about the process, but have we got a good squad? Yes. Have we got depth in every position? Yes.

I know that there are complaints about central midfield, but it's clear that Alex Iwobi is being primed as the progressive alternative to Berge and Lukic. We also have Harrison Reed, Tom Cairney, Josh King and Harry Wilson who could all drop deeper if required.

The other rebuttal I can foresee in the comments will be along the lines of keeping Marco Silva happy. I love Marco, and I do believe his complaints are genuine, but also, it is in HIS best interests to complain.

Football management is an insecure business. Silva has credit in the bank, but if he lost five matches in a row, he'd be under severe pressure. Complaining has two clear benefits:

1) it puts pressure on the board to get him better players that help avoid the above scenario.

2) if he does lose his job, he can prove to his next employers that he wasn't backed in the market.

Ultimately, Marco doesn't care about the money because it's not his money. He probably won't even be here in two years' time when the PSR points deduction comes through.

Of course Marco wants players ready for pre-season, but is it a massive deal that two wingers and a third-choice striker weren't in place?

Nearly every club did some sort of business on deadline day - we aren't unique in that sense. What was unique was that we only sold Andreas, and even that was done late. We had no urgent positions to fill, except back-up goalkeeper. If Kenny Tete had left and we didn't get a right-back until deadline day, then I'd understand the complaints in this regard more.

Look, don't get me wrong, I find the fact that our Director of Football runs a wrestling franchise mind-boggling. I wrote many years ago about how he should pick a lane. I hate the way that Alistair Mackintosh treats the fans, and Shahid Khan's recent interview with The Observer shows how monstrously out of touch he is with the everyday supporter.

However, many of those issues are separate from transfer activity in my opinion. In my opinion, we haven't had a bad summer transfer window since 2019, the famous 'let's buy aging Championship wingers on massive contracts' summer.

Since 2020, our squad has improved each year and in 2025 we even reduced the age profile, which was getting concerning. Sure, we never do business in January, but nor do many clubs in the top flight.

I must admit that it feels a bit like our success is more luck than judgement, but then again can five decent summers in a row be considered lucky? Maybe there is some method to our madness.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/p/relax-fulham-have-had-another-successful

[WhiteJC]

Late Fulham deal labelled as "insane" – Marco Silva's side may not be smart choice
Jonah Kusi-Asare's deadline day transfer move from Bayern Munich to Fulham has been labelled "insane".

Sky Germany cover the situation today and the 'transfer chaos' that surrounded the youngster's late move to Fulham on Monday.

They explain that the 18-year-old moved to Fulham late on deadline day, signing on loan with an option to buy. But before that happened, Bayern extended his deal until 2026. They've also secured a buy-back option to 'maintain access' to the youngster.

Sky explain that he had originally been a part of their long-term plans and that was made clear to him throughout the summer.

But a late deal for Nicolas Jackson to arrive from Chelsea ultimately changed their plans and Kusi-Asare was allowed to leave for Fulham late into the transfer window. It was a late change and created some transfer insanity according to journalist Kerry Hau, who labelled the whole affair as "insane."

"Bayern informed the player in mid-August that he should reject all loan offers and that they were planning to use him," he said.

"As a backup for Harry Kane. As a player who would then regularly get minutes. That's what we reported, and sporting director Christoph Freund confirmed it at a press conference.

"It was clear to the player: 'Okay, I'm staying at Bayern, I'll get my chances here.' He actually didn't want to leave. Then the topic of Nicolas Jackson came up, then rumours of further signings for the attack began to swirl – and then, a few days before the transfer window closed, the sporting authorities informed the player that he was free to look for a new club after all."

That was "very unfortunate" according to the journalist, who believes that other, perhaps better suited clubs have ended up missing out on the player due to Bayern's indecision.

"I don't see any real plan behind it," he added, while former Bayern man Torben Hoffmann questioned if Fulham was the best destination for him.

"Fulham, Premier League – that's a smooth announcement. Perhaps a middle step, a club lower down, would have been better for his development," he added, labelling the Premier League as "even faster" and "even tougher" than the Bundesliga.



https://sportwitness.co.uk/late-fulham-deal-labelled-as-insane-marco-silvas-side-may-not-be-smart-choice/

[WhiteJC]

Leno up for Save of the Month

Bernd Leno has been nominated for the Premier League's Coca Cola Save of the Month award for August.

The stop in question was against Manchester United, when he showed remarkable reflexes to push Matheus Cunha's volley aside.

Leno's competition comes from Mads Hermansen, Jose Sa, Guglielmo Vicario, Matz Sels and James Trafford, and voting is open from now until 12pm on Monday 8th September.

https://x.com/FulhamFC/status/1960273515552338349



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2025/september/04/leno-up-for-save-of-the-month/

[WhiteJC]

Moment police swoop on teen with imitation gun
Footage has been released of police officers tackling a teenager dressed in tactical clothing with "a handgun" as he was walking near thousands of football fans.

In audio played over the footage, a member of the public called 999 and told operators: "There's a guy walking out the front of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in full tactical gear and a gun on his hip and he's absolutely not a police officer."

The video then shows unarmed officers run towards the 16-year-old and tell him to get to the floor, before taking the firearm, which they later discovered was an imitation handgun.

The teen told police he was dressed in costume and that he was on his way to a comic convention.

The street, Fulham Broadway, was crowded at the time, as football fans were leaving nearby Stamford Bridge where Fulham had just played Chelsea on Saturday, 30 August.


Unarmed police removed what they thought was a gun from a holster

The arrest came after reports of someone in military-style clothes, including a helmet and what appeared to be a handgun in a holster as well as a bag used to carry longer weapons.

Police quickly confirmed that the weapons were imitations and discovered that they were brightly coloured when bought and had been sprayed black to make them look more realistic, according to the Met.

The 16-year-old has admitted possession of imitation firearms and has since been referred to the Youth Offending Team for consideration of an appropriate out of court disposal.

Inspector Rob McDonald, match commander for the fixture, said: "This was a highly unusual and extremely concerning incident which occurred at the worst possible time."

'Incredible bravery'
Insp McDonald praised the unarmed officers who spotted the suspect and "acted spontaneously and with incredible bravery".

He said: "They tackled him to the ground to secure the firearms without thought for their own personal safety, only that of tens of thousands of football fans in the immediate area."

Commander Adam Slonecki, who was in charge of policing across London on the day of the incident, added that dressing up as characters where weapons or armour were involved should "ideally take place in organised environments where it is obvious to everyone what is going on".

He added: "Wandering around in public, particularly in crowded places, while carrying these items is irresponsible.

"While those taking part may know their weapons aren't real, the public do not and nor do our officers."



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqxzjlj27w8o

[WhiteJC]

Exclusive: Marco Silva 'unhappy' at Fulham as Nottingham Forest plot Nuno change
Marco Silva is "unhappy" at Fulham and is in firm contention to be the next Nottingham Forest manager, sources have told Football Insider.

Nuno Espirito Santo's future at the City Ground is up in the air after a public fallout with owner Evangelos Marinakis.

Football Insider revealed last week that Silva is Forest's top target to replace Nuno if he is sacked.

It is now believed that the London club's longstanding manager is not happy and would be interested in another Premier League post.

Marco Silva and Nottingham Forest have hidden link
Like Nuno, Silva is represented by Jorge Mendes' Gestifute agency, who do a lot of player trading with Marinakis and his clubs, including Forest.

That adds another subplot to the potential change of manager at Forest, which is likely to be determined by results after the international break.

Nuno is under pressure following a poor start to the campaign and on the back of a difficult summer in which he did not see eye to eye with the club's new recruitment chief Edu Gasper.

That resulted in him going public about the internal disagreements, voicing his displeasure with Marinakis and Gaspar, as well as admitting that the trio are set for 'crunch talks'.

Nottingham Forest agree deal for Rangers sensation
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest have agreed a deal to sign Rangers sensation Blaine McClure, sources have told Football Insider.

An announcement regarding the 18-year-old defensive midfielder's switch to the City Ground is expected imminently, after the deal has been finalised.

Sources say that McClure will move to Forest on an initial loan, with a view to a permanent transfer in the future.

The Northern Ireland Under-19 international joined Rangers from Northern Ireland club Linfield in the summer of 2023, but never made an appearance for the first team.



https://www.footballinsider247.com/exclusive-marco-silva-unhappy-at-fulham-as-nottingham-forest-plot-nuno-change/

[WhiteJC]

Chelsea could 'tear up' Raheem Sterling's contract to allow him to join Premier League rivals
Chelsea could "tear up" Raheem Sterling's contract at Stamford Bridge and allow him to find a move on a free transfer after the deadline.

That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that Enzo Maresca has no plans to reintegrate the forward into his plans.

This comes after Football Insider revealed on 23 August that Chelsea were struggling to sell Sterling as a result of his "huge" weekly wage at Stamford Bridge.

Both West Ham and Fulham were both believed to be interested in signing the 30-year-old but opted against making a move on deadline day due to his situation at Chelsea.

Fulham made a late approach for Sterling amid doubts about their efforts to sign Kevin from Shakhtar Donetsk, but the Brazilian was eventually signed.

The forward is earning around £300,000 per week at Chelsea, putting off any potential suitors who would be unable to match his lofty demands.

Chelsea to agree Raheem Sterling exit amid West Ham news
This article contains exclusive comment from Mick Brown, a football transfer expert and former chief scout for Man United and Sunderland among others.

rown told Football Insider on 21 August that West Ham were interested in signing Sterling after speaking to his agent, who made contact with a number of clubs.

The former scout, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, insisted that Chelsea could now take drastic measures to force him out of Stamford Bridge.

"It's a possibility that Chelsea could tear up his contract," he told Football Insider.

"Fulham and West Ham are clubs I've heard want him, but they haven't been able to do deals with Chelsea or meet the wages they're paying him.

"If Chelsea know a move is there for him, they might cut their losses and let him go for free.

"That would allow him to go wherever he wants to go without them getting involved.

"At the moment, it's been difficult to agree a deal both with Chelsea and with Sterling, and clubs are more likely to move if there's no transfer fee involved.

"Plus, it would allow him to move outside of the window so there's no restriction there.

"I think that's a better scenario than having him collecting his wage and never playing."



https://www.footballinsider247.com/chelsea-could-tear-up-raheem-sterlings-contract-to-allow-him-to-join-premier-league-rivals/

[WhiteJC]

Exclusive: Why Fulham really pulled the plug on Leeds United's Harry Wilson transfer
Leeds United were left scrambling around on deadline day for Harry Wilson's signature, only to see Fulham pull the plug despite signing two wingers of their own.

Leeds United and deadline day is a combination for chaos, with several examples in years gone by of the club frantically looking to complete business in the final hours of the window, often coming out with egg on their face.

2025's deadline was no different, as Leeds were in a mad dash to thrash out an agreement with Premier League rivals Fulham over winger Harry Wilson.

Leeds United failed with Harry Wilson deal as Fulham pulled the plug late on
Monday's 7pm deadline brought pressure for Leeds' recruitment heads, needing a right-winger through the doors to add an extra layer of creativity to Daniel Farke's front lone after missing out on Facundo Buonanotte, who is surely already regretting his move to Chelsea.

Fulham's Wilson was the man they turned to for final talks on deadline day, initially rebuffed with a loan approach, unsurprisingly knocked back with the Welshman into the final year of his contract and therefore going to leave for nothing if he was loaned out.

Leeds then continued talks towards a permanent deal as reports claimed United believed they had a sufficient offer on the table, signing deal sheets to take the process down to the wire, only for the Cottagers to pull the plug at the last minute.

Meanwhile, Wilson's place in the Fulham squad has taken a serious blow with Fulham's incoming business at the same time, signing Shakhtar Donetsk star Kevin and AC Milan's Samu Chukwueze, two wingers.

Sources: Leeds United had Harry Wilson in sight for "months" despite deadline day chase
The club have since had to front up to the justified criticism that followed an unsuccessful and panicky deadline, but Wilson was actually someone on the club's list of targets for some time, sources have revealed to LeedsAllOver.

Enquiries were made at different stages much earlier in the summer over the Wales international, but Fulham were unwilling at those points to negotiate a move for Wilson to join Leeds.

As a result, the reason for Leeds only being able to enter more advanced talks on Monday was due to Fulham's own business to strengthen out wide, softening their stance on the 28-year-old and showing more willingness to enter concrete discussions.

Chukwueze and Kevin's transfers were completed while their talks with Chelsea brought an agreement for teenager Tyrique George, but that latter transfer not happening ultimately sparked a re-think from Fulham on Wilson's exit to Elland Road.

George was all set to join Fulham from their West London rivals for a reported £22million fee, which should have paved the way for Leeds to get their man, but a deal with Chelsea collapsed in the 11th hour due to documents not being signed in time, leaving Fulham unwilling to green light Leeds' transfer.

That failure to get George's signature in turn prompted Fulham to backtrack on allowing Wilson a move to West Yorkshire, meaning he stays put at Craven Cottage, ironically facing Farke's side next after the international break.

Leeds United left it too late to get Harry Wilson over the line
Of course, Fulham making this decision is what caused a deal to collapse on deadline day for Wilson, but the bigger picture is that it was left far too late, and Wilson's decision isn't an excuse for what unfolded.

He would have been a solid signing at the right price, adding a new dynamic to our attack, but he's not the only player that could have done this.

For our talks over a winger to come down to the final afternoon of deadline day isn't great, and leaving it so late has left us alarmingly short in the final third.

We still have plenty to be impressed with from this window, but that final piece of the puzzle could prove to be a really pivotal one we're lacking.



https://www.leedsallover.com/exclusive-why-fulham-pulled-plug-leeds-united-harry-wilson-transfer/