With the season approaching fast, Sammy is joined by Jack Collins and Jack Kelly to preview our huge opening game against the other SW6 side on Monday night, and whether the boys are feeling nervous, excited or a combination of the two. Later on, the lads dust off their crystal balls for their ‘infamous’ Fulhamish predictions for the 2026/27 season, with plenty of bold shouts along the way…

Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube or Pocket Casts

Guests:

Sammy James

Jack Collins

Jack Kelly

Producer:

Freddie Cooper

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We are officially less than a week away from Premier League action, and I for one am buzzing to get going.

Fulham have made some very good signings so far this summer and things appeared to be taking shape against Stuttgart. That’s not to say we’re done; we all know Fulham need defensive reinforcements and the rumours of this week show that the club and fanbase are aligned in that thinking.

Let’s have a look at who could potentially come in the door before the September deadline.

Incomings

It appears that Fulham are going big on a right-back as well as a centre-back, I’ll start with the rumours from the former.

Fabrizio Romano reported on Sunday that Atalanta had rejected a €20m bid for full-back Raoul Bellanova. The 26 year old has been a target of Fulham for some while and his attacking capabilities would fit right in to what Arbeloa wants from his full-backs. Atalanta have said they are not interested in selling Bellanova so going off other rumours, it appears we may be looking elsewhere.

Reports in Spain suggested that Girona’s Arnau Martinez had reached an agreement to join Valencia for €6m, but Fulham remain interested in signing the 23 year old for his €8m release clause.

Alvaro Arbeloa contacted Martinez directly with the proposal, which could potentially turn his head. Another interesting note on this is that Fabrizio Romano reported on Tuesday night that Valencia had agreed a deal for a different right-back. Could this leave the door open for Fulham?

Finally, reports in Italy suggest that long-standing Fulham target Brooke Norton-Cuffy will move to the Premier League this summer with Everton also interested.

Moving to the centre of defence now, and FulhamTransfer has claimed that Rennes have rejected a second bid for Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal worth €28m with the French club wanting closer to €35m. If true, this feels a bit steep for someone with the limited experience that Ait Boudlal currently has, and going off other reports, Fulham feel the same.

Santi Aouna reports that Fulham have also put an offer down for Real Betis and Brazilian defender Natan while remaining in talks for Ait Boudlal. The same report also mentions Argentine defender Leonardo Balerdi and FulhamTransfer has also mentioned Ajax’s Josip Sutalo as a potential option.

Outgoings

With a right-back looking likely to join before the end of the window then you’d imagine one of Castagne or Tete will depart this summer. Castagne has one year left on his deal so the club may look to recoup some of their outlay, similar to Issa Diop and Sasa Lukic, despite his strong preseason performances.

Paul Joyce has reported that Everton have had an enquiry rebuffed by Fulham and The Athletic suggests that Castagne is on a long list of names that David Moyes is considering.

Looking elsewhere, Sacha Tavolieri has claimed that Al-Shabab have held initial talks with Benjamin Lecomte and with previous reports of the club looking at goalkeeper as a potential area to improve, this is one that could happen. It would need lots of parts to move around, though.

Luc De Fougerolles is attracting interest from Championship sides for a loan but we’d need another defender to come in, in order to free up the Canadian international.

Finally, Luke Harris looks set to join Wigan Athletic on loan and Aaron Loupalo-Bi has completed a loan move to Fleetwood Town. Good luck, lads.

If you head to Craven Cottage via Putney Bridge on the District Line, then you’ll know all about River Cafe.

You can’t miss it; as you flood out of station’s overflow gates, it’s right in front of you. And if you, like me, rock up around lunchtime, it’s the perfect place to grab some pre-game scran.

It’s not to be mistaken for the posh, Michelin-starred establishment just up the road in Hammersmith - though many neutrals might mistakenly assume that’s where Fulham fans love to eat before a match.

No, head in this River Cafe, and you’ll feel right at home. It’s proper Fulham. It’s been a family business since the 1960s - the current owners have been there since the 1980s or 90s, a family member tells me. Football shirts and scarves adorn the walls and ceiling - plenty of them FFC.

The whole place is like a time capsule - and that’s not to be derogatory in any way.

Striking white and blue wall tiles, Vitrolite ceiling panels (the history of which is described here), varnished wooden chairs and well-cared-for formica tables take you back to the halcyon days of the good old-fashioned British caff, which has long since made way for trendier eateries that are more likely to offer smashed avocado on toast or Greek yoghurt with chia seeds than Full English breakfasts or bacon butties.

You may well recognise it when you’re inside; the cafe’s featured in a bunch of films - including King of Thieves and Dead in a Week - as well as fashion shoots, with brands like Axel Arigato snapping its wares there.

The cafe tells me that the attention is partly from football, but partly due to its charm.

“The cafe is quite unique, and it’s very old-fashioned. It’s got a good vibe And cafes are beginning to dwindle. There’s not so many places like ours anymore, and some of the famous ones are going now.”

How does River Cafe describe its relationship with the Fulham Faithful?

“Oh, strong -very strong. My husband always says to anyone who comes in ‘I’m a Fulham boy, I’m born and bred; I was raised here’. He’s a local - and this is family run.”

And it’s message to any fans yet to sample its goods?

”Come have a look, support us. We’ve got a pictures of Fulham players, we’ve got the Fulham kits. We’ve just got another signed Fulham top [for the wall]. So we try and support [the club] and we need as many supporters [as we can get].”

So, if you’re not already a regular, why not take the tube to Putney Bridge and grab yourself some grub before the Whites pick up the dub?

Fulham begin the Arbeloa era in the Premier League on Monday in the SW6 derby. What will happen in that and the proceeding 37 games? Team Fulhamish give their two pence worth.

Sammy James

The key word ahead of the season for me is excitement. There is a real sense of anticipation around Fulham because we just don’t know what we’re going to get.

Don’t confuse excitement for confidence though; I do suspect that at times this is going to be a really tough and frustrating season. I think the football will be exhilarating at times, but in every game in preseason we have looked like we are capable of very silly mistakes.

The lack of upgrades in defence and goal are worrying, but I do think we are very strong in both midfield and attack, albeit we could do with a bit more depth. As I wrote about recently, I think expectations among fans have become very high in the last few years and for me, finishing upper mid-table should be seen as a good return.

If we can get at least five points out of our opening five fixtures, I think we should be able to keep the relegation battle at an arm’s length for the entire campaign, which would be more than fine by me.

Final position: 12th

Player of the season: Sander Berge

Top scorer: Rodrigo Muniz

Best result: We break the Manchester City losing curse.

Most left-field Fulham prediction: Ryan Sessegnon to be a regular right-winger by Christmas.

Jack Collins

We’re all about to embark on a giant leap into the unknown, and that is in equal parts absolutely terrifying and hugely exciting.

We have stepped outside of our comfort zone, the quiet place of Marco’s consistency of approach, Harry scoring goals against Brentford and Raul slotting penalties away; and enter now into the brave new world of Álvaro Arbeloa’s high-octane pressing game, Gonzalo Garcia shooting when he gets a sight of goal, and César Palacios’ dancing feet.

While I am not naive enough to suggest that the huge elements of risk here carry their own baggage, and a difficult start could be deeply problematic; I also think there’s plenty of reasons to be optimistic, and I think once the midfield settles down games will become less frantic than Saturday’s appetite-whetter against Stuttgart.

As well as the new boys, I’m expecting a couple of returnees to really find their groove this season as well - Oscar Bobb has a huge opportunity to nail down the starting spot he never got at City, Josh King should kick on from last season’s campaign and add real end product this time around, and Sander Berge can build on a terrific World Cup to be the anchor for the chaos unleashed in front.

While obviously there is hope that we can push on and challenge for Europe, I do think a successful season from my perspective would be everybody coming through unscathed safely in mid-table, good campaigns from the new boys, no hint of a relegation dogfight, and with plenty to build on in a more settled summer in 2027. Anything above and beyond that and I’d be over the moon. Let’s do this thing.

Final position: 12th

Player of the season: Sander Berge

Top scorer: Gonzalo Garcia

Best result: I think with Pep gone, we might end the City curse.

Most left-field Fulham prediction: Most goals conceded outside the bottom three; and over 3000 minutes combined for our academy products.

George Cooper

Honestly, who knows? I was more nervous before we made recent signings, especially Shea Charles, who I expect will fit into our side perfectly and is exactly what we need.

I was also impressed with what I saw in the friendly against Stuttgart, though you can’t read too much into preseason games. I don’t think we should expect too much from our team this term through this transition period. Achieving safety, allowing Arbeloa’s culture and new signings to embed, and preparing to compete the following season would constitute success.

However, I do think we’re in for an exciting season from our front line. I think Kevin will build on last year and become a real star for us, with enough minutes. I also firmly believe this will be the year Josh King cements his place in the team and begins to really turn heads in the league. I’m also excited to see what Garcia has to offer, and expect him to be our first-choice striker over Muniz. That said, I think our defence will struggle without reinforcements, which will ultimately prevent us from finishing in the top half.

Final position: 14th 

Player of the season: Kevin

Top scorer: Gonzalo García

Best result: Beating Chelsea at home in the first game of the season.

Most left-field Fulham prediction: back-to-back goal of the season awards for Fulham (Kevin wonder goal).

Elizabeth Barnard

2026/27 feels impossible to predict: it’s the first season in five years without the stability of Marco Silva at the helm, and I genuinely believe we could finish anywhere between sixth and 19th.

It had gone a bit stale under Silva towards the end, despite everything he had done for the club, and now does feel like the time to take a risk. I’m excited by the age profile of the squad, and the incoming signings, but I am obviously worried that it could all go horribly wrong and that we could be rudderless and desperate by October. Whatever happens, I absolutely cannot wait for that opener against Chelsea on Monday.

Final position: 14th

Player of the season: Kevin

Top scorer: Kevin

Best result: Monday night under the lights to shock Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea.

Most left-field Fulham prediction: We crash out of one of the cups in humiliating fashion, and we make it to Wembley in the other.

Drew Heatley

Everyone is talking about “uncertainty” being the word of this season, but I think it’s “potential”.

We have a squad full of young, hungry players with points to prove. Sure, it’s uncharted territory, but that’s what many of us asked for in May.

Football is like a movie. We spend thousands of pounds across the course of a season and, recently, we already knew how the film was going to end. Now, we have no idea. So we’ll get more bang for our buck - for better or for worse.

On top of our new, high-profile youngsters like Garcia, Palacios and Charles, we have our more “seasoned” starlets who are already embedded - Kevin, Bobb, and King. Just writing that gets me excited.

Yes, Arbeloa’s squad isn’t fully formed yet, but the good thing about getting players in earlier is that there’s still time to shore up other areas, like defence and goalkeeper. I’m sure our work isn’t done yet.

I’ll finish by adding “patience” to my words of the season. Rome wasn’t built in a day - and there may be a few storms to weather on the way. But our trajectory as a club is very much on the up. Strap in!

Final position: 10th

Player of the season: Cesar Palacios

Top scorer: Gonzalo Garcia

Best result: I think we turn Arsenal over at the Emirates.

Most left-field Fulham prediction: Arbeloa sells Leno in January and brings in one of Madrid’s young ‘keepers, alongside his old mucka Iker Casillas as his personal goalkeeping coach.

Dan Goga-Cooke

This time last season I wrote: “I’m sensing a season of deja-vu. Same players, same manager, same system, probably similar ultimate outcomes.” I predicted us to finish 12th and Harry Wilson to be top scorer and player of the season; proof that last season was quite predictable and therefore, for some people, a bit boring.

This season, literally none of that applies. New players, new manager, new system. It’s a change that I think has simultaneously raised our ceiling and lowered our floor; which makes it impossible to know where we’ll land.

The philosophy behind what we’ve done this summer is spot on for long-term growth. Out with the old, in with the youth is sensible, especially when paired with a manager whose only real experience is managing young players.

I think it’s going to be a fairly turbulent season that sees us swing from world beaters to bottom feeders, sometimes within the space of a few days. It will take Arbeloa time to learn all of the tricks of the trade and it will take his players time to adapt to his physically demanding philosophy.

As a result of this lack of consistency, I can see a player like Shea Charles really shining. Some big tackles, smoothness in possession and the odd goal is something that I think the fanbase will warm to; the sort of player who will always get credit, even in losing causes. Honourable mention to Sander Berge, who I have never stopped defending, and I have a feeling he might finally repay my faith in him this season.

I can see this being our “worst” season since we’ve been back in the big time but, unless it’s catastrophic, I think it’ll be important to view it as one step back to take a leap forward in the years to come. I like the foundations that are being built, it might just take a bit of time.

Final position: 14th

Player of the season: Shea Charles

Top scorer: Gonzalo Garcia

Best result: Someone is going to get a pasting this season in a game where it all clicks. I’m predicting a 5-0 demolition in a league game.

Most left-field Fulham prediction: Arbeloa, in the same season, will be the bookmakers favourite for next manager to be sacked, but will also win manager of the month.

Jack Kelly

Alvaro Arbeloa’s Fulham. I’m still getting used to saying that.

I’m excited; I like the system, and our business. It’s going to be a tough season, for sure. Most neutrals have instantly wrote us off, because it’s the easy opinion. I think we will have a good season, perhaps cause a few upsets across the campaign. Watching Fulham this season is going to be fun. I think we could score plenty, but could be vulnerable when hit in transition. We’re a new RCB away from being almost there as a squad, and I expect further depth to be added. If things don’t start well, I’m not going to panic. Early points, and I think people will sit up and take notice. The blend of youth and experience - I believe will work well and I think the new signings will thrive in this team.

Another season of consolation, I think most would be happy with that. There’s a bit of fear of the unknown and with the Premier League being incredibly unforgiving, the unpredictability does make me nervous. But, I believe Fulham will have a solid season, and Arbeloa will be a success in SW6.

Final position: 12th

Player of the season: César Palacios

Top scorer: Gonzalo Garcia

Best result: I think we hit a team with a 5-0 away win this season. Let’s say Hull 0-5 Fulham!

Most left-field Fulham prediction: Fulham will break the losing streak against Manchester City this season.

Joe Sansom

I have gone through every single emotion this summer, ranging from fear to excitement, and ultimately I’m sat here on the dawn of a new season switching daily between the two.

One thing that is without doubt is it’s exciting to have a fresh start. Judging by the wider footballing community’s Fulham predictions this season, you’d assume that we would be going up against Super League quality opposition in the fight to stay up as opposed to Coventry, Hull and Ipswich (with zero offence intended to any of them), let alone our existing Premier League counterparts who have also gone through a Summer of change, or even those that now have to factor in European football.

I see this as a transition season, but one that marks the start of an ambitious new era on and off the pitch. I think we will be middle of the road once again, with some big scalps and some frustrating defeats, but hopefully a more exciting style of football will breathe some much needed optimism back into the club and the fanbase. A cup run would help too…

Final position: 12th

Player of the season: Gonzalo Garcia

Top goalscorer: Gonzalo Garcia

Best result: A win at home to Man City to break our long-standing hoodoo against them.

Most left-field Fulham prediction: Fulham will make it to Wembley this season.

Jack Stroudley

This feels like the first season in forever where nobody has a clue what’s going to happen. Alvaro Arbeloa and his merry men of Spaniards have rocked up in SW6 to try and upset the mid-table applecart. I’m impressed by the ambition to bring in a big name number nine, and I think we’ll be just fine.

Final position: 12th

Player of the season: Josh King. This is his time to kick on.

Top scorer: Gonzalo Garcia. He’ll adapt to the Premier League like a duck to water.

Best result: Fulham win in the FA Cup quarter final.

Most left-field Fulham prediction: Fulham finally get a Wembley day out. Albeit against a top six side in a semi-final where we crash out.

Ben Jarman

Whether Marco walked or not, moving on from a proven manager that extracted a lot from the squad to an unproven coach is a bold move from Fulham. Yes, there were slumps towards the end of the season, but there were some great times.

Arbeloa-ball has shown patches of promise in preseason, and the arrival of Shea Charles is fantastic. He should have a big future regardless of who is in charge. Throwing all of our eggs in the Real Madrid B basket and having a quiet window when the squad needed a refresh is concerning. But I am looking forward to Josh King breaking out in the middle of the park. I think we’ll lag behind in the Premier League and go deep in one of the cups.

Final position: 16

Player of the season: Calvin Bassey

Top scorer: Alex Iwobi

Best result: Winning away at Old Trafford on the last day to deny them something big.

Most left-field Fulham prediction: Fulham sack Arbeloa and Newcastle sack Matthias Jaissle with some weird managerial swap happening halfway through the season.

Fulham pick up a 1-0 in their final preseason game against Stuttgart at Craven Cottage. We review the team’s performance, including a breakout display from César Palacios. We also discuss whether the fullbacks have been given a ‘licence to kill’.

Sammy catches up with Jess about Fulham Women’s opening day victory, and we take a bunch of your questions, including about Kenny Tete’s future at the club and Rodrigo Muniz’s role in the squad.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube or Pocket Casts

Guests:

Sammy James

Elizabeth Barnard

Freddie Cooper

Jess Winstanley

Producer:

Elizabeth Barnard

Sammy catches up with Jess about Fulham Women’s opening day victory, and we take a bunch of your questions, i…

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If there was a prize for Jean Tigana’s most underrated signing, it would go to Sylvain Legwinski.

Perhaps it was his unassuming style or his relaxed demeanour off the pitch. In 2001, perhaps it was because he arrived after our season opener, a 3-2 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

But this was arguably our most astute signing of the summer. Legwinski was a known quantity for Tigana, having played under him - and with Fulham teammate John Collins - at Monaco as a 22 year old, winning Ligue 1 and reaching the semi-finals of both the UEFA Cup and Champions League in consecutive seasons.

Before playing under the Fulham boss, Sylvain - known as Monica by the Fulham Faithful in a fantastic example of British humour - cut his teeth under Arsene Wenger. His pedigree was bettered only by Edwin Van Der Sar in terms of our summer recruits.

Things hadn’t gone quite as well for Monica at Bourdeaux, prompting his decision to move to Craven Cottage in this £3.3m deal.

A central midfielder, Leggy wasn’t a goalscorer, but when he bagged, they were crucial. Undoubtedly the most memorable strike was his injury time winner against Spurs at Loftus Road.

Having trailed 2-0, Sylvain added to the brace he bagged on the opening day against Bolton Wanderers with a helluva strike to cap a fantastic comeback in the London derby.

Known for his nonchalant French aura, from his shaggy beard and unkempt hair to his slightly weathered Volkswagen and his penchant for a cigarette or two, Leggy became a cult hero at the Cottage during his five-year stay.

“I’m very happy if the way people remember me is that I was different,” he told the official website in 2013. “It’s a big compliment. I think I had the same reputation in France. I never had the image of the archetypal footballer. What’s good about football and sport is that there is room for everybody.

“I’ve never been interested in trying to be something I’m not; I was just always myself. It’s true that in football, people look at me as someone who’s different, but as we say in France, “Vive la difference!’

As Legwinski’s arrival was confirmed in August 2001, reports were circulating about another potential recruit - one who’d become our final signing of the summer - and who would command our highest-ever transfer fee…

Something special is happening at Motspur Park.

Fulham women showed the same grit and determination that has seen them win back-to-back promotions to clinch a win in their opening fixture against Portsmouth.

With almost the last touch of the game, Ellie Olds’s brave close range header gave Fulham a 1-0 victory over a team who were two divisions above them last season.

It was a dramatic finish to a game that was somehow still goalless going into injury time. Fulham had hit the post twice but had also survived through some last ditch defending at the other end as Portsmouth threatened to take the game in a frantic second half.

Head Coach Steve Jaye made one enforced change to his starting XI from the last pre-season friendly against Rugby Borough. Leeta Rutherford, a defensive midfielder, came in for Stella Gandee Morgan who was seen hobbling on the sidelines with crutches. Stella is rumoured to have an ACL injury from a training incident in the last week and will be a big miss for Fulham in the coming games.

From kickoff, Pompey looked fast, with number 12, Sofia Mallon, immediately standing out on the left wing. A new signing for Portsmouth, Mallon had won Young Player of the Year at Rugby Borough, where she had been top goal scorer. Our defensive line held up though, with Olivia Dale showing good skills on the side and new goalkeeper Jess Gray, poached from Portsmouth in the close season, making two good saves within the first three minutes.

At the front, Rianna Dean won a free kick early on, held up the ball well and her running constantly pressed the opposition. She’s clearly a great new energetic signing for Fulham. The same should be said of Charlie Estcourt, another player signed from Portsmouth, whose tenacious approach has made an immediate impact. Charlie had the best moment in attack in the first half as her shot hit the post.

Portsmouth tweaked their formation going into the second half with Mallon operating more centrally. Fulham were pushed back and did well not to concede. This opening was a taste of things to come with Portsmouth on top throughout the majority of the second half. Becky Stormer and new signing Harley Bennett at the heart of the defence repelled a number of Portsmouth attacks.

Fulham’s attacking threat came mainly on the break. Half way through the second half, Leila Lister came on for Anna Grey, and her direct running down the right ahead of Olivia Dale led to a shot against the Portsmouth post. On the left Beau Parker replaced Sophie Gillies.

To shore up the defence, Annie Rolf came on for Izzy Milne and immediately clattered into the post as another Portsmouth shot crossed the box.

The fourth official held up three minutes added time. Portsmouth were pushing for the winner and had a further three corners. But Fulham were not done yet. Ellie Olds came on for Rianna Dean as Fulham changed the angle of attack. As Portsmouth partially cleared, a cross from Beau Parker was met at close range by Ellie Olds for the winner.

@alondonviewEllie Olds scores a historic goal for Fulham against Portsmouth #Fulham #Portsmouth #WOSO #football #FAWNL

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Becky Stormer said post-match that the team needed to show that they could compete at this level. They certainly did that. Portsmouth are a full-time team with a number of former WSL players and new signings. This was a great start to the season.

The crowd at Motspur Park was larger than we have seen in recent years, with a big away contingent from Portsmouth. The fans - including new men’s coach Álvaro Arbeloa watching from the sidelines - were treated to a tense and dramatic match. The Portsmouth fans sang Play Up Pompey but it was Fulham cheers at the end.

The final game of the pre-season has concluded in victory - Fulham took a solid 1-0 victory over German side VfB Stuttgart this afternoon, with a Castagne header from a corner completing a strong outing from the team. Alvaro Arbeloa’s competitive tenure at the club will begin with a tailwind heading into the new season - Fulham demonstrated their ability to play smart, fluid football over the course of the game, making a Champions League-bound opponent look second-best by some distance. Regardless of the casual nature of the game, there’s signs that the new season may yet hold some serious promise for our budding young side…

First Half

Considering Stuttgart finished 4th in the Bundesliga last season, Fulham looked quite decent in the first part of the game. We have amassed a talented set of footballers for Arbeloa to utilise, and their comfort on the ball made us the domineering force across the majority of the action. It was encouraging to see us play with a bit of energy, pinging the ball around coolly and trying to tire the Stuttgart backline with clever runs. The new signings really fit this approach - Gonzalo Garcia put his physicality into the defenders by charging into the box, winning corners through their late interventions, and Palacios’ hunger for the ball fit nicely with the passing play, linking moves together across their half. King moved smoothly, Bobb and Iwobi fizzed on the ball, fullbacks Robinson and Castagne had the energy from the deep and Berge had more license to roam the pitch to travel with the action.

All good signs, but a goal failed to materialise. Berge had the best of these chances, stabbing at an Iwobi corner without the power to beat Bredlow, and later on heading a knock-on from another corner towards the goal, stopped only by the keeper booting the ball away from the line. These corners were won by chances that might also have found the net, cutting long-balls daggered over the defence by deep passes from Iwobi and Cuenca. Robinson is not a prolific scorer but will rue wasting a good run ahead of Chabot to take strike in the box - we will have to hope Garcia’s sharpness develops further, as he gave Jeltsch and midfielder Nartey the time to recover the ball from his boxward runs.

Stuttgart didn’t enjoy much possession, but their quality wasn’t absent from the half. A looped ball from right-winger Bouanani deceived an idle Fulham defence, bouncing into the box for target-man Demirovic to volley; Leno’s alertness let him jump in front of the Bosnian to block the effort. He was in action shortly afterwards, stopping a cross from Fuhrich and diving to divert a deflected header following a Mittelstadt corner. Indeed, Stuttgart found ways to probe our defence, and Bassey and Cuenca were needed to ward away the danger, both picking up knocks that required treatment in the process. Berge did this well, tracking a long ball to stop Tomas from finishing his run into the box with a strong tackle. Such a solid platform let Fulham coast towards half-time, our football leaving us without serious concern but also depriving of a goal.

Second Half

If Arbeloa’s tactics continue as they did here, we will dominate many games this season. The second half started in even more encouraging fashion, Fulham’s forwards stepping up the tempo and pinning Stuttgart into their final third with a sustained high press and sharp, slick passing. Their versatility saw a quick move along the left, as King and Iwobi combined to let Palacios slip Bobb into a pocket of space in the box - Bredlow again used his feet to repel the Norwegian’s low effort.

Having so many bodies in Stuttgart territory proved an excellent tactic, letting the team stretch Stuttgart on the flanks and having the numbers to rotate attackers in and out of danger. Each of Bobb, Palacios, Garcia and King moved around the frontline, linking play and barrelling beyond the full-back to drill a ball into the box. Even when the shots didn’t quite find the net, the cumulative impact of so many clearances and set-pieces won started to tip the stability of the Stuttgart defence. Forlorn, their isolated attack were scrabbling around in an attempt to plug the gaps, leaving more space for our deeper players to instigate new passing sequences, in turn increasing the options for creative minds like Palacios and Iwobi.

The goal was coming. A long ball from Berge found Garcia, ceaseless in his determination to muscle away from Jeltsch and Chabot. His shot required a block, earning a couple of corners, and Iwobi’s consistent accuracy from the spotkicks was rewarded with a Castagne header on-target, looped perfectly over the crowded six-yard box and over the leap of Fuhrich on the line to bustle into the far corner. Fulham, at last, had an opener to match their dominant play.

There might have been a second shortly afterwards, as Bobb strived to make his tricky play turn into goals. But Stuttgart were kicked into gear by our strike, and used the space along our right to start their own attack. A nice piece of play from Mittelstadt let Tomas charge down the space on the left, looping a ball over our depopulated defence for Bouanani cruising into the box unopposed. With a first-time strike he guided the ball towards the goal’s corner, but Leno was astute again, diving low to push the ball away with his hand. The momentum was lost, and after Chabot headed the ball wide, Fulham were able to get back on the ball again.

Substitutes started to disrupt our flow in the game. Shea Charles arrived for King, naturally shifting us to a more defensive output, and with Stuttgart throwing on their young players to pour energy into the comeback attempt, Fulham found themselves defending their own final third for the first sustained period of the half. Yet in the only real moment of strife, a Fuhrich run eluding Castagne down their left, Cuenca was alert, and slid to block the cross into the box. Nartey’s long distance shot following the rebound was the closest they ended up coming; indeed, even our counter-attack was a closer effort, as late-substitute Chibby Nwoko powered a fine ball into Robinson’s run into open grass that the left-back steered wide of goal. It all but drew a conclusion to the game - we’d settle for a comfortable 1-0 win.

There’s a lot to be proud about in today’s action. Alvaro Arbeloa is a man that spent his career at the summit of club and international football, and whilst it’s early days the commitment to a high standard of attack and defence was impressive, keeping Stuttgart second-best across the game and maintaining control when they tried to salvage an equaliser late into the game. 1-0 is a little deceptive - Bredlow made several fine stops to cover for his defence, which was successfully breached numerous times by penetrative runs from the forward-line. Garcia seems to have understood the assignment given to him very well - the goals will hopefully come soon for a man that used his pace to take the action to Stuttgart, and his presence gave Bobb, King and Palacios a lot to work with around him.

On that topic, I’m really liking what I’m seeing of our Spanish playmaker. The man plays with grace and elegance, but crucially has the vision and timing to connect his dainty passes and clever footwork to positive Fulham moves, cutting defensive lines and moving Fulham up the pitch. He had a quality that seemed to persist across the match - across a season, this may give us the edge in tight contests turned by a killer pass through a gridlocked defence.

Berge played with a little more life than we’ve been used to at the Cottage, and whilst it’s early days yet the increase in energy Arbeloa seems to be instilling will certainly benefit Fulham - he made forward passes, put himself into dangerous areas and reinforced Fulham’s presence at both ends of the pitch. Perhaps Norway’s World Cup run did him some good - he looked like an international player flexing his acumen over the opposition. Consequently, our defence was relaxed, removing the mistakes from their game. The Bassey-Cuenca partnership could be a really promising one - both like having the ball, both read the danger very well and importantly both took hefty knocks today and managed to power through, which fosters more resilience for future ties. Most pleasing was Castagne, who appears to have taken his solid form at the end of last season and combined it with his exploits at the World Cup to stake a claim for being starting right-back for Arbeloa. If he can make it last, we’ll have a much healthier situation at the back.

Weaknesses? We only managed a single goal today with the pressure essentially off. The natural response is to point to the fact it’s pre-season, but that’s also true for Stuttgart, and Premier League defences will not be as slow to react to the nippy dribbling of the forwards - not least Chelsea’s next week! Arguably the recruitment in defence needs to increase as well, as were our centre-back’s injuries more serious we’d be left with an incredibly thin back-line, staffed by more than a few make-shift defenders. Do we want to be chasing wingers, as Robinson and Castagne did a few times today, knowing our defenders can’t put their all into the chase lest they hurt themselves and leave the team even more barren?

But what can we really read from this game? Friendlies are often a poor barometer of the events to come. England once routed Jamaica 6-0 in a pre-World Cup friendly, and then proceeded to score as many goals across five middling games at the tournament proper. False dawns are nothing new, and reading too much into these matches risks the same effect as gazing into the clouds for an answer… Yet I think there’s a quiet comfort in the unknown. Much as uncertainty surrounds the new season, an excitement can be had at the chance to see our football club, ripe with gifted attacking players across the park, take flight in the Premier League under a manager with title-winning experience and a drive to prove his doubters back home wrong. The speculation is almost over - let’s take today’s win and step into the new campaign with confidence, just as Fulham did today.

Jack and Joe are back to debrief the quite simply bizarre scenes from Fulham’s pre-season friendly in Malaga, while also picking up some new nuggets on how the team is shaping up under Arbeloa. Joe airs his concerns over how Iwobi fits into this new system and the intense press Arbeloa demands, before looking ahead to tomorrow’s return to the Cottage for the Stuttgart friendly, where the team can rack up more minutes ahead of the box-office clash against Chelsea.

Join us for a drink at The Lost Oasis as we celebrate a decade of Fulhamish! RSVP Form: https://forms.gle/tDgYDM5QM9U1V1x46

Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube or Pocket Casts

Guests:

Jack Kelly

Joe Sansom

Producer:

Freddie Cooper

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I’m always a bit unsure what to make of preseason football.

It’s great to get a glimpse of new players and how Fulham will shape up ahead of a new era, but at the same time, is there much point getting worked up when all evidence suggests the results are almost meaningless when it comes to the competitive football that lies ahead?

Wednesday’s friendly against Malaga feels like the type of preseason match that Fulham haven’t played much in recent years. A ‘fun’ and easily accessible location for supporters and a match played in front of a relatively large crowd.

For the last five summers, it feels like Marco Silva has wanted to play preseason in secret and he did not hide that he absolutely hated the USA Summer Series in 2023. For Marco, an ideal summer training camp was somewhere in the depths of Portugal as far away from the public as possible. That was understandable, but it didn’t make it very enjoyable for supporters, it also felt like repeated missed marketing opportunities for the club.

This summer, it seems as if Fulham already had the Portugal camp booked, but then this friendly against Malaga was arranged fairly late and I think it’s safe to assume that was at the request of Alvaro Arbeloa’s team. It’s a shame it was organised so late, otherwise I imagine there would have been several hundred more that would have liked to attend (myself included).

The match followed a pattern much like our other preseason games; we look very exciting going forward, the increased intensity is immediately obvious, but we do look porous in defence. A full season of watching Joachim Andersen and Bernd Leno is not filling me with a huge amount of confidence.

One thing that also struck me watching this game was how much the Fulham players seemed to care about the game. While nobody was celebrating as if it was the World Cup final, the emotion after goals felt a lot stronger than your average hastily-organised friendly.

The reaction from the Fulham team and bench after Malaga were awarded the late penalty (which is awful, let’s be clear) took me aback. If anyone can name another time that a Fulham manager was sent-off in preseason, do let me know.

And look, I get it -I’ve played seven-a-side football matches that turn into full-on fights; if you’re a competitive person, you never like losing. Then again, I would have thought professionals would channel their emotional energy into the games that matter. If Arbeloa lost it to this extent at a friendly, we can expect fireworks when Fulham reach the business end of the season.

Local newspaper Malaga Hoy described Fulham’s behaviour as “childish and bizarre” while Malaga’s fans chanted “Where is Arbeloa? Where is Arbeloa?”. I’m sure that some of the banter was more anti-Real Madrid than anti-Fulham, but a new rivalry between Malaga and Fulham was not on my 2026 bingo card.

In fairness, there was little communication from Fulham that this friendly was actually a ‘trophy’ of sorts. Malaga have organised the ‘Trofeo Costa del Sol’ most years since 1961 and clearly it holds some significance for fans of Malaga, hence the healthy attendance at the game.

Of course, the real debate has been about the penalty shoot-out that Fulham reportedly refused to take part in. Fulham said afterwards on X that “we can confirm that prior to the match, both teams agreed that there would not be a penalty shootout in the event of a draw” whilst Malaga said on their website “although a penalty shootout had been scheduled, Fulham left the pitch, claiming that a shootout had not been included in the contract.”

As has been seen all over the world, Malaga then went on to take a penalty into an empty net and even claimed victory by taking a photo with the trophy.

Looking back at the Trofeo Costa del Sol’s history, a penalty shoot-out has normally taken place whenever the game finishes in a draw, an outcome that last happened in 2016 when Malaga beat Sampdoria on spot-kicks.

The reasons for Fulham not taking part have been debated wildly on social media. Angry Malaga fans who even went as far to try and track the Fulham team’s plane, after reports out of Malaga claimed that Fulham refused because they were worried about missing their flight home.

If that is the reason, it’s an understandable concern. Missing a flight would come at quite some cost considering you’d need accommodation for 30+ people and a new flight. The full-time whistle was at 11pm local time and rumours are that Fulham’s flight back to London was at 1.25am. Even with just a 15-minute journey separating the stadium and the airport, you can see how time could have been tight. Then again, it’s not like the match was delayed, it was always due to start at 9pm.

Reading between the lines, it’s almost certainly true that a penalty shoot-out wasn’t in the contract, but maybe Malaga never thought it needed to be? Penalties are always what happens when a knock-out match finishes in a draw and normally teams are happy to have the opportunity to practice.

All in all, it’s a very bizarre situation. Let’s hope that in future Fulham’s preseasons become a bit less hastily arranged, which may help avoid this kind of confusion in the future.

Twelve months is a hell of a long time in football.

As Fulham prepares to start the 2026-27 season, things couldn’t feel more different to last summer: our 25-26 season previews were filled with words like “solid”, “stable”, “steady” and “deja vu”. We fretted about a total absence of transfer business, and everyone predicted that we would finish mid-table. It was an easy season to forecast.

It’s impossible to over-stress what an anomaly Marco Silva’s reign was when you compare it to other clubs in the Premier League and Championship.

Exclude the super clubs challenging for titles, whose clout and cash vastly dwarves Fulham’s, and it’s hard to find a mid-table team who has built a dynasty around their manager. Compare Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, who were promoted with us - from July 2021 to May 2026, we had one permanent manager. Between them, they’ve had nine.

Silva’s exit from Fulham was a tad ugly, but his impact was undeniable: when he took on the role in 2021, Fulham was a yo-yo club, and we’re about to enter our fifth straight season in the Premier League. All this in a climate where it’s harder to stay up than ever. And in a world where a club’s identity is built more around their manager than anything else (certainly more than players and owners), my main feeling entering this season isn’t optimistic or pessimistic, but simply uncertain.

Uncertainty is a weird emotion to start the season with, especially in a world where football media is full of hot takes and predictions. I’ve heard the opinions from every corner of the Fulham stable, from wild optimism to doom and gloom. We could easily finish anywhere between 19th and maybe sixth.

I land somewhere quite cautious. I was concerned about Silva’s departure, especially as it seemed the owners expected him to stay. Arbeloa is an unknown prospect, and his lack of senior coaching experience does worry me. It’s extremely exciting that the manager is (finally) being backed in the transfer market - Gonzalo García’s arrival at the Cottage is certainly a statement.

We’re doing good business, and it’s early in the window, by Fulham’s standards at least. Plus, we’ve got Kevin and Bobb entering their second seasons at the club - they’re both young, exciting players with a point to prove. It could go horribly wrong, of course - if Arbeloa is terribly out of his depth, and is sacked in the autumn, we have a squad that’s full of players bought for him.

In previous seasons, I’ve poured over the table in pre-season, tallying up which games we need to win, which games we can afford to draw, and which games we can lose without too much concern. For example, a bottom-half team at home is a must-win (your Ipswiches, your Nottingham Forests, and in the last two seasons, your Tottenham Hotspurs). Bournemouth at home - you probably need at least a point there. City away - not essential for your survival.

Over the past few seasons, I’ve been able to discard this system flippantly. Fulham’s unpredictability changes things, and the restructuring of the calendar, with five games before the extended international break, will provide more of an opportunity for reflection. But how many points will we need to have by 21 September to breathe easy? Well…

Chelsea (H)

Unfortunately, I think Chelsea are going to have a good season. Xabi Alonso is clearly a coup - one that I didn’t see coming.

I think the story of the Premier League this season is going to be centred around fatigue, with the elite clubs playing more minutes and games than ever - as unsexy as that sounds. There are nine teams in Europe, and Chelsea have ‘lucked out’ by not being one of them. They’ve benefitted from playing badly enough in their last few games to avoid even Conference League football - which fans didn’t want anyway!

First game of the season and a derby: anything can happen. Chelsea’s huge squad is clearly a problem. Obviously this game means more than just its contribution towards Fulham’s survival, but we don’t need this one for Premier League safety.

Sunderland (A)

I can’t be the only one who’s annoyed that we play Sunderland before they’ve had a chance to wear out their overstretched squad with European football. It’s the opening game of the season at the Stadium of Light, but we did win there last term. We probably do need a point here, especially if we don’t win on opening day.

Crystal Palace (H)

Can the third game of a season be a ‘must win’? Palace are in a similar boat to us this season, with a new manager replacing an established club legend. Tipping Palace and Fulham to be in trouble is a similar kind of take: there is so much uncertainty swirling around both our clubs. Annoyingly, we face them before they can be stretched by their Europa League fixtures.

Fulham haven’t beaten Palace at Craven Cottage since 2005, but we might have to do it now. This is easily our most winnable game of our opening five fixtures.

Liverpool (A)

Terrible football takes amnesty here: I think Liverpool are going to win the league this season. We’ve had some thrillers at Anfield over the years, and I back this to be another high-scoring affair, but I’m not too worried if we don’t come away with anything.

Manchester United (H)

We haven’t beat Manchester United at Craven Cottage since 2009, but I think this might be a good opportunity. They played very few games last season, and Carrick only managed to turn around the ship when the rest of the league was knackered. After an inconsistent spell at Middlesbrough, Carrick is yet to prove himself at the top level in my eyes, and it could be choppy waters ahead.

What does that mean for us? It’d be great to take a point here - and I think United will have the kind of season that makes that look like a gettable result.

—

I make that five points from our opening five games to keep us on track to steer us towards survival. It shakes out over the whole season, really: one point per game gets you to 38 points which is usually enough to stay up.

It goes without saying: we’re all dreaming bigger than this. I hope we’ll be talking about what’s possible after 10 points from our opening five games, or maybe… even more.

There’s a synergy in the profiles of Fulham’s last six permanent signings, across three windows. Shea Charles is 22, Gonzalo Garcia is 22, César Palacios is 21, Jonah Kusi-Asare is 18, Oscar Bobb is 22, Kevin is 22.

Aside from reading a little bit like the chorus of Taylor Swift’s hit from 2012, there has been a clear shift in what Fulham are trying to do - first under Marco Silva, and now under Álvaro Arbeloa: get younger.

Compare those incomings to the ages of the departing first team players in that period - 35-year-old Raul, three 29-year-olds in Sasa Lukić, Issa Diop and Harry Wilson, 30-year-old Adama Traore, 28-year-old Andreas Pereira - and the picture becomes clearer; this is a genuine attempt to shift the average age of the squad down into a more manageable bracket.

This is somewhat overdue. Fulham had the oldest average age in a Starting XI in the Premier League last season, with Marco Silva consistently choosing to place his trust in more experienced members of the squad. There is nothing wrong with this in principle, and Marco’s achievements speak for themselves in terms of returning Fulham to a stable Premier League unit, but it does come with some issues that threaten the health of the club from a longer term perspective.

Firstly, it is far more difficult to sell on players for a profit once they are past or towards the end of their ‘prime window’, which in football is generally considered to be from about 23-29. This is something Fulham have struggled with, and part of the reason why deals had to be accepted for Lukić and Diop this summer, because there’s not loads of value in the market for many of our players we’d be willing to sell.

Secondly, and with a hat tip to the excellent Keith Gaskin, players in this older age category tend to demand higher wages. According to Capology, the departures of Raul, Lukic, Diop, Wilson and Adama will save Fulham nearly £500k a week in wages, while the incoming signings, without the experience (and history) to demand equivalent salaries, will be far lower than that.

While this sounds a bit all “it’s not my money, whatever”, there’s context. The new SCR rules in place insist that a club’s salary expenses cannot be more than 85% of its turnover, or you fall victim to fines or transfer bans, so it is more important than ever to get these things under control.

The average age of the squad is dropping, the wage bill has been curbed, and there is a manager in place willing to put his trust in more of the youth players. This is not a guarantee of success by any means, but it does put the long-term health of the club in a better place to succeed going forward.

A lack of a pathway for youngsters has been a frustration for a while under Marco Silva. I am not here to diminish the great man’s achievements, or pour any water on one of the greatest managers in the club’s modern history, but I recall being very frustrated about the departure of Callum Osmand to Celtic because he didn’t see a route to first team football last summer.

If you’ll cast your mind back, in the close of the season prior to Osmand’s departure, Fulham had suffered the loss of Rodrigo Muniz to injury, and Raul was being asked to plough himself into the ground again. Marco made the decision to bring Carlos Vinicius back into the squad, despite the Brazilian effectively putting out cones for the entire season to that point, and with his contract expiring in the summer.

While this was relatively amusing in the stands, with Vinicius Sr. being received warmly by the Fulham faithful, was that not an opportunity to see how Osmand might get along with the senior squad, and to test him out with a couple of minutes in the Premier League?

Osmand’s time at Celtic has been inhibited by a major hamstring injury, but he’s scored twice and assisted once in the 125 minutes of football he has played, including an assist and a goal to seal the league title against Hearts. He might have been worth a shot - especially given that he scored 51 goals in 85 games for our youth sides.

Either way, and in the words of Bob Dylan, the times are a-changing, and Fulham are into a brave new world of bringing in players who have potential, rather than experience. Perhaps in this shake up we will also see the likes of Macauley Zepa given first team opportunities under Arbeloa, after the club batted off interest from Bournemouth and Forest last summer and assumedly made assurances of a route to top-tier football at the Cottage.

As our noisy neighbours down the Fulham Road have shown us, there is a balance that needs to be struck between youth and experience.

Stockpiling talented youngsters with no plan, rhyme or reason is clearly not an effective route to success, as their pivot this summer illustrates; but Fulham needed to shift the balances in a direction that was more sustainable, and the signs in that regard look positive - for the time being.

We’re getting closer and closer to that curtain-raiser against Chelsea and the squad seems to be nearing completion. We still need a few bodies in but it’s quite refreshing that Fulham have sorted out key positions at this stage of the window. It’s exciting, but there’s still work to do - here’s how the land lies.

Incomings

Starting with a confirmed arrival, Fulham announced the signing of Shea Charles on Tuesday morning from Southampton. The 22-year-old midfielder has signed for a reported £26.7m with add-ons taking it to £30m in a five-year-deal that has an option of a sixth.

I wrote an article on Charles on Monday which I’d recommend checking if you want to know more about the Northern Irishman, but I’m very excited.

Another midfielder who’s been continuously linked in recent weeks is Thiago Pitarch, but that interest appears to have cooled following the signing of Charles. Fabrizio Romano has reported that Real Madrid are planning to keep Pitarch around. I don’t think this will be the last we hear of this rumour, if Madrid get another midfielder, you’d imagine Fulham will reassess this at the end of the window.

Looking at bit further back, Standard Sport have reported that Rennes defender Abdelhamid Ait Boudal is keen on a move to Fulham following a £20m bid that was rejected about 10 days ago. Rennes manager Franck Haise has come out and said that the Moroccan international is not for sale but FootMercato have claimed that Fulham are preparing a second bid for the 20 year old.

Other defensive options have been mentioned this week and unsurprisingly, Fulham are targeting Spain. Jack Kelly and FulhamTransfer have reported that an enquiry has been made for Real Madrid’s 18-year-old central defender Joan Martinez.

At full-back, Fulham are also looking at FC Barcelona’s Hector Fort and have made contact. They’ve also enquired about West Ham defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka according to SkySports with Fulham looking at a loan for the right-back.

According to Dave Kidd of Saturday White Fever, Fulham are in the market for another five players and are targeting GK, RB, CB, CM as well as a winger. There’s also a potential departure according to Dave, which I’ll discuss in a bit.

Outgoings

A few confirmed departures this week starting with Sasa Lukic who has joined Issa Diop at Ipswich Town for a reported £9m.

I understand why some people would be frustrated by this, but similarly to Diop, Lukic was in the final year of his deal. Fulham have got back pretty much the entire fee they paid for the Serbian and have already replaced him with Charles. In my opinion, it’s good business for all parties.

According to Dave Kidd, the potential departing player is Timothy Castagne. Watch this space on that one.

Elsewhere, youngster Farhaan Ali Wahid has joined National League promotion chasers Boreham Wood on loan for the season.

It’s less than a fortnight until the SW6 Derby at the Cottage and is anybody else starting to get the jitters?

Fulham right now are the pill rolling around the roulette wheel, bouncing between red and black. Will our Spanish revolution hit the jackpot? Or could our season get off to the worst possible start?

The fact that it’s a derby on opening weekend adds to the sense of boom or bust. A valiant 1-2 loss that we might begrudgingly accept if it was Arsenal or Manchester City won’t work in this game. Arbeloa either goes down as the hero who won a derby in his very first match, or he forever has an asterisk next to his name, even if things eventually go well.

After the flat calm that took place last summer, this time around has seen far choppier waters. Then Khans have ripped up the safe playbook and gone for broke with staff and players that have next-to-no top flight experience.

As a result, trying to predict this Fulham season is more difficult than ever. I have found the last few years under Marco Silva fairly easy to work-out; there were a lot of complaints about our business last summer, but I felt like it was pretty clear that we would finish in mid-table.

Our stability was a huge tower of strength that meant that relegation would never be a danger, but as we know that stability turned into staleness and that ultimately cost us a place in Europe that was more than achievable.

The debate online about whether Fulham’s plan is going to work is rife wherever you look online. Until a ball is kicked, predictions that we’ll either win the league or break Derby’s record low points total are both impossible to disprove. Fans like to box in other fans as either ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ and as always, the reality is much more opaque.

I will admit that I was hugely sceptical about the Alvaro Arbeloa appointment when it first was mooted. The admission that they wanted to keep Marco Silva and then the public moves for Kieran McKenna and Arne Slot made it look like Arbeloa was a rushed and impulsive decision. If we’d been eyeing up AA for months and appointed him in the same way that Bournemouth appointed Marco Rose, I might have been a bit more receptive from the get-go.

However, football has a funny way of making you eventually re-evaluate your initial gut feeling. I can’t tell if it’s some form of Stockholm Syndrome, or just a case of digging deeper into the subject, but two months on from those initial rumours and I find myself sometimes believing that Arbeloa is the next Pep Guardiola and that Fulham will be his first masterpiece.

I’ve had the same feeling with Gonzalo Garcia, who in my mind has gone from somebody who will take us down with five goals in a season to wondering if comparison’s to the original Raul maybe don’t go far enough.

All this basically boils down to one single point… I haven’t got a bloody clue.

In theory, a front line of Kevin, Garcia and Oscar Bobb is a tantalising prospect. All 23 and under and all of them feel like they could be Champions League-level players. Josh King, Shea Charles and Sander Berge in the middle also feels like the kind of midfield that will dominate many football matches.

However, is our defence and goalkeeper really matching that attacking quality? At the back we have looked suspect all pre-season and as it stands, Luc De Fougerolles is the only right centre-back that we have available for the Chelsea game. I really like LDF, but that’s quite the game to make your professional debut in.

We look particularly poor from set-pieces and last season Bernd Leno had one of the worst goals prevented statistics in the Premier League.

I very much hope this isn’t the case, but I fear that our 1-2 friendly defeat against Crystal Palace may offer some insight into what this season brings. An electric start, some unbelievable football, but eventually a narrow loss after conceding some silly goals.

It’s that time of the year when pundits predict their league tables and I think it’s obvious that many pundits are going to choose Fulham as the ‘shock’ team to go down. The theory that “there’s always one that surprises you” is commonly believed and Fulham are an easy pick.

Inevitably, many Fulham fans will backlash when they see those predictions, but I can’t blame pundits for making that call. An inexperienced manager, some key outgoings and unproven replacements will make us a popular choice and the majority of these pundits do not live in the 24/7 Fulham bubble like we do.

My hunch is that we won’t be dragged into a relegation battle, but I do fear that a frustrating season where we don’t get out of the bottom half could be in store. Fortunately, the promoted three do not look great and I think that at least one of Palace, Brighton, Bournemouth and Sunderland will struggle with the demands of playing midweek European football.

Many might see that as ‘negative’, but I am not sure that I do.

We have forgotten that even five years ago, the idea of Fulham staying in the Premier League was fanciful, now it feels like it’s not even the bare minimum. If Arbeloa keeps our heads well above water and develops the young talent in our squad, I think we’ll be in a fantastic position to progress.

As ever with Fulham it feels like our progress is by accident rather than design, but football doesn’t give you any marks for showing your working out. If we have a season where the youth blossoms and we play some exciting football all while keeping the bottom three at an arm’s length that would constitute success for me at the dawn of this new era.

Last year I was at the legendary Half Moon in Putney watching a Jimi Hendrix tribute act called Are You Experienced?.

‘Jimi’ was comfortably in his sixties, sporting a silk neckerchief, ruffled shirt, and a paisley headband, which may or may not have concealed tabs of acid.

For the grand finale, he coaxed a woman up from the front row who - and I mean no disrespect - had a real “Pauline from marketing” vibe about her. Fuelled by a bottle and a half of Sauvignon Blanc, Pauline began uninhibitedly gyrating against his amplifier during a rendition of Foxy Lady.

‘Jimi’ leaned into the microphone and, in a thick Brummie accent, purred: “Give it up for Pauline. You’ve made an old man forget his aches and pains”. He then liberally doused his Fender Stratocaster in lighter fluid and set the whole thing ablaze.

Did that performance reach the hallucinogenic, mythic heights of Hendrix at Woodstock? No. Was I entertained? Unquestionably.

Which brings me neatly to Craven Cottage.

It appears our board’s masterplan to finally end Fulham’s major trophy drought is to simply become the world’s premier Real Madrid tribute act. We’ve signed their former manager, snapped up two of their brightest prospects, and if you look back at last season’s all-white home strip, it’s clear the kit design was just a subtle soft-launch for the entire operation.

There is something beautifully simplistic about copying the homework of the world’s most-successful club; it all feels a bit Only Fools and Horses. You can practically hear Del Boy leaning across the table at Nelson Mandela House, whispering to a bewildered Tony Khan: “In order to be elite, Tony my son, you’ve got to start acting elite.“

In truth, Fulham are becoming the Madrí Excepcional of the Premier League. For the uninitiated, Madrí is that “authentic” Spanish lager brewed exclusively in Burton-upon-Trent. It is essentially just Carling rebranded as a premium continental drop: a bog-standard British staple wearing a dogtooth flatcap and pretending it just hopped off a flight from Madrid. That is us.

If this transformation continues at its current rate, expect to see some subtle operational shifts around the ground. Prepare for mountain-high piles of salted sunflower seed shells covering the floor of the Hammy End, expect white handkerchiefs to be waved furiously at referees after dodgy calls, and warm-up those vocal chords for renditions of Hala Fulham.

Will our budget-conscious Galácticos project reach the European-dominating heights of the Santiago Bernabéu? Obviously not. This season, we’re the coifed bloke squeezing his paunch into a Rhinestone suit. David Fauxie. The Clone Roses.

As the now-retired chant goes “We’re not Real Madrid…”, but can we have fun pretending to be them? ¡Sin duda!

Sammy and Jack are back to reflect on the confirmation of Shea Charles’ signing from Southampton in a deal worth up to £30 million. In Part 2, Sammy is joined by Jess Winstanley to look ahead to the upcoming season for Fulham Women following back-to-back promotions. The lads also review Fulham’s friendly against Crystal Palace on Friday and discuss the release of the new third kit.

Fulhamish Turns 10 RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDRmf_YMvwvv1TzjsVHflVBPvHR0b2fB6mKBMlzWtKZo1mSA/viewform

Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube or Pocket Casts

Guests:

Sammy James

Jack Collins

Jess Winstanley

Producer:

Freddie Cooper

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