🌞Summer Silly Season Transfer thread 2026

[sarnian]

Diop has been a good servant for us but at 70kpw we are clearly releasing funds from higher/ older earners to hopefully get in hungry cheaper players. I think the starting team age must have dropped to about 25-26 now.

I think the ostensibly small margins between and old squad like ours (average age say 27.5) and typical PL squad (average approx 25.5) belies how big a problem it really is. To move the dial between those numbers across the squad we'd have to ship out 9-10 players like Diop (29) and bring in 9-10 like Nwaiwu (23). It's a 3-4 year project. The last few youngsters we've signed like Bobb and Kevin have hardly made a difference, with players like Stansfield going the other way. That's just to bring us around the middle range, not even a particularly young squad.

Raul out- JKA/Garcia replace him.
Wilson out- Real Madrid youngster to replace him.
Castagne out- Norton-Cuffey to replace him.
Diop out- Nwainu in

You can't really deny that they're all positive changes in terms of looking to the future?

Only look good Jim when they actually sign, until then won't set my sights too high.

[demeant0r]

Apparently Raul Garcia is still on. He was told he would have a part to play at Real this season but only a small one so he wants to move.

[jayffc]

Diop has been a good servant for us but at 70kpw we are clearly releasing funds from higher/ older earners to hopefully get in hungry cheaper players. I think the starting team age must have dropped to about 25-26 now.

I think the ostensibly small margins between and old squad like ours (average age say 27.5) and typical PL squad (average approx 25.5) belies how big a problem it really is. To move the dial between those numbers we'd have to ship out nine players like Diop (29) and bring in nine like Nwaiwu (23). It's a 3-4 year project. The last few youngsters we've signed like Bobb and Kevin have hardly made a difference, with players like Stansfield going the other way. That's just to bring us around the middle range, not even a particularly young squad.

Ran the numbers - it certainly doesn't need to take that long at all, if we landed the targets we're rumoured to be in for we could do it in one window.

Fulham's average squad age is 27.6 now.

IF we were to sign the currently most heavily rumoured targets (or similar aged players) :

Nwaiwu
Gonzalo Garcia
Mastantuono (Loan)
Cesar Palacios
Jorge Cestero
Norton Cuffey
Shea Charles

Sell:
Castagne
Reed

squad age: 25.5 - two years off in one window.

Speculative of course, but not unachievable and in line with all the targets we're being linked with (we have signed this many players or more in multiple windows over the last decade.) Largely suspect Madrid players would likely be on Paz like deals - lower cost but with cheap buybacks initially

Then:
By end of next year's summer window - it's highly likely that 3 of the 4 eldest members of our squad are most likely gone. Minimum 2.

Tom Cairney 35
Harrison Reed 31
Lecomte 35
Leno 34

(3 of those 4 players are fringe subs So base figures don't tell the full story really anyway but I digress.)

Replace these with younger players too as we inevitably will and we're comfortably within the average age mentioned or potentially significantly lower (before you even include any promotion of Academy players and/or prospect of selling any of Tete/Anderson/Leno/Robinson/Iwobi/Lukic/Berge)

Regardless of if one thinks we'll sign all those mentioned this window. It's entirely plausible and I'd say, much more likely,  we'll be in that range far earlier than in 3-4 years.

[demeant0r]

Let's not replace ALL of our experienced players otherwise you'll get a Chelscum situation where everyone is a baby

[sunburywhite]

Even at 28 Marc Cucurella is still a big baby

[LC]

I think Charlie Cresswell would be a good pickup following Diop's exit.

[jayffc]

Let's not replace ALL of our experienced players otherwise you'll get a Chelscum situation where everyone is a baby

Actually agree here.
But we don't need to right now.

Add those mentioned above and we still have plenty of experience in the squad.

We'd have only let go:
Raul
Wilson
Diop
Castagne
Reed

(And not renewed Chuk)

Which is a fairly normal turnover - 2 of which are not our first choice in their position

[Angus Telford]

Diop has been a good servant for us but at 70kpw we are clearly releasing funds from higher/ older earners to hopefully get in hungry cheaper players. I think the starting team age must have dropped to about 25-26 now.

I think the ostensibly small margins between and old squad like ours (average age say 27.5) and typical PL squad (average approx 25.5) belies how big a problem it really is. To move the dial between those numbers across the squad we'd have to ship out 9-10 players like Diop (29) and bring in 9-10 like Nwaiwu (23). It's a 3-4 year project. The last few youngsters we've signed like Bobb and Kevin have hardly made a difference, with players like Stansfield going the other way. That's just to bring us around the middle range, not even a particularly young squad.

Raul out- JKA/Garcia replace him.
Wilson out- Real Madrid youngster to replace him.
Castagne out- Norton-Cuffey to replace him.
Diop out- Nwainu in

You can't really deny that they're all positive changes in terms of looking to the future?

Don't disagree Jim no. My point is just that even with four speculative transfers like those you've mentioned there, and even disregarding anyone "young" like Muniz potentially leaving, that would only move the dial from "very old squad" to "moderately old squad". To get a decent young squad will takes years and cost hundreds of millions - it's a deep hole we dug ourselves into.

[jayffc]

As above.

IF we signed most of the players we're linked too or similar age profiles... 3 of them are Madrid players with same agent as AA. If Paz deal was anything to go by, one or 2 can likely be signed without insane up-front costs initially,  but with low buyback options and/or significant percentage sell on fees.

We can certainly do it far quicker than is being suggested imo if we want to.

I actually don't mind the steady process personally and don't see it as such a problem when most of the eldest players are fringe players or GKs... but it certainly doesn't need to take 3-4 years from what I can see.

[General]

People seem to forget what happened when we got rid of experience and overindexed on youth under Magath.

We're also seemingly OK getting rid of players permanently contracted to us for players who may only replace them with those on loan, again something we did before and constantly left us at a disadvantage in transfer windows when players would leave for us to have to replace them, and then also deal with permanent players, instead of just bringing in better players to improve the squad where needed and having a strong and permanent base to build on

[Jim©]

Don't disagree Jim no. My point is just that even with four speculative transfers like those you've mentioned there, and even disregarding anyone "young" like Muniz potentially leaving, that would only move the dial from "very old squad" to "moderately old squad". To get a decent young squad will takes years and cost hundreds of millions - it's a deep hole we dug ourselves into.

Maybe, but I get the impression from what Marco said previously that it was a considered choice- get experience in to help cement our place in the Premier league. Now that has worked, I can see why a shift would be prudent.
 

[jayffc]

People seem to forget what happened when we got rid of experience and overindexed on youth under Magath.

We're also seemingly OK getting rid of players permanently contracted to us for players who may only replace them with those on loan, again something we did before and constantly left us at a disadvantage in transfer windows when players would leave for us to have to replace them, and then also deal with permanent players, instead of just bringing in better players to improve the squad where needed and having a strong and permanent base to build on

Personally agree I'm less hung up on the age thing, I'm happy doing this steadily as we have been and blending experienced core with youth

As for temp players - So far we don't know what the Madrid deals will be so hard to say. Only one of them is being flat out promoted as a loan, (franco) But accept if we want cheaper deals up front then Real will maintain buyback rights and that might even be what Madrid push for tbh. Don't think they'll all be structured exactly the same but we'll see.

Flipside of this coin of course is that if they've done well enough to be bought back by real madrid - we're hopefully benefiting in a big way and perhaps have finally managed to step up a level...much like Como.

[jayffc]

https://x.com/FulhamTransfer/status/2079958519101452585?s=20

More reports on pushing for Garcia and Franco

Interestingly trying our luck trying to install an option to buy for franco

https://x.com/fulhamtransfer/status/2079964865624457604?s=12

same place further reporting how Garcia sees the prem as a dream + reports of AA being a real mentor to him 🤞🏼

Full article here:
https://as.com/futbol/primera/el-fulham-negocia-por-gonzalo-y-mastantuono-f202607-n/

[Neutral Zone Ultra]

Even at 28 Marc Cucurella is still a big baby

And Jack Grealish at 31, still doesn't know how not to drive like an entitled selfish man child.

[Neutral Zone Ultra]

People seem to forget what happened when we got rid of experience and overindexed on youth under Magath.

We're also seemingly OK getting rid of players permanently contracted to us for players who may only replace them with those on loan, again something we did before and constantly left us at a disadvantage in transfer windows when players would leave for us to have to replace them, and then also deal with permanent players, instead of just bringing in better players to improve the squad where needed and having a strong and permanent base to build on

Not really sure how we overweighted youth under Magath when we signed:

• Kiraly (38)
• Fotheringham (30)
• Hoogland (29)
• Bodurov (28)
• McCormack (27)
• Voser (27)

[Carborundum]

It's only just dawned on me that with the season starting later, the transfer deadline date still 1 September, there's less reason than usual, in the shape of points foregone, to do business much before deadline day this year.  Appreciate this is probably not what you want to be reading, but there it is.

I'm struggling to think the journalist mentioning three different Madrid players who have the same agent is doing anything other than covering their blushes because they don't know which one we are after.

As for Garcia's clips, he'll get marked a bit more closely than that if he comes to the premier league, but I'm prepared to think he must be decent.

[Angus Telford]

Don't disagree Jim no. My point is just that even with four speculative transfers like those you've mentioned there, and even disregarding anyone "young" like Muniz potentially leaving, that would only move the dial from "very old squad" to "moderately old squad". To get a decent young squad will takes years and cost hundreds of millions - it's a deep hole we dug ourselves into.

Maybe, but I get the impression from what Marco said previously that it was a considered choice- get experience in to help cement our place in the Premier league. Now that has worked, I can see why a shift would be prudent.
 

We'll see won't we. It's great that we avoided going straight back down but we essentially did it in the easiest, most expensive and short-termist way. It wasn't sustainable so now we have to rejuvenate, which will be much more challenging. Of the younger players signed so far - Bobb, ESR, JKA and Kevin - we've spent over £100m and the jury is mostly still out.

[jayffc]

https://x.com/MatteMoretto/status/2079977709413802477?s=20

AS dario says we want franco, Moretto says no interest ha...we shall see how it plays out

Meanwhile

https://x.com/FulhamTransfer/status/2079973950319476895?s=20

Apparently Garcis personal terms already discussed over a possible 5 year deal.

Who knows haha take all with a fair salty pinch.
All the fun of the fair

[demeant0r]

Even at 28 Marc Cucurella is still a big baby

I wish this website had a laughing reaction 

[SimonDaviesEnjoyer]

Diop has been a good servant for us but at 70kpw we are clearly releasing funds from higher/ older earners to hopefully get in hungry cheaper players. I think the starting team age must have dropped to about 25-26 now.

I think the ostensibly small margins between and old squad like ours (average age say 27.5) and typical PL squad (average approx 25.5) belies how big a problem it really is. To move the dial between those numbers across the squad we'd have to ship out 9-10 players like Diop (29) and bring in 9-10 like Nwaiwu (23). It's a 3-4 year project. The last few youngsters we've signed like Bobb and Kevin have hardly made a difference, with players like Stansfield going the other way. That's just to bring us around the middle range, not even a particularly young squad.

Raul out- JKA/Garcia replace him.
Wilson out- Real Madrid youngster to replace him.
Castagne out- Norton-Cuffey to replace him.
Diop out- Nwainu in

You can't really deny that they're all positive changes in terms of looking to the future?

If they happen.