Hector Fort has been told he can leave Barcelona this summer, with Fulham and Everton among the clubs interested in the Spanish right-back, 20. (TeamTalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesCrystal Palace beat Fulham 2-1 in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Cottagers' training ground Motspur Park on Friday evening.
Antonee Robinson gave Alvaro Arbeloa's side the lead, but Palace turned the game around with goals either side of half-time from Ismaila Sarr and Matheus Franca.
Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios were given their first Fulham minutes since their signing on Monday from Arbeloa's former side Real Madrid, while Adam Wharton, Chadi Riad and Jorgen Strand Larsen made their first Palace appearances of pre-season following their World Cup exploits.
Fulham midfielder Sasa Lukic is undergoing a medical at Ipswich Town as the clubs near an agreement over a permanent transfer.
The Cottagers are looking to sign a replacement and are now believed to be in pole position to sign Southampton's Shea Charles, although a fee has yet to be agreed.
Fulham are closing in on the signing of £30m-rated Southampton and Northern Ireland midfielder Shea Charles, 22. (Talksport), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
The 2026-27 Premier League season has not yet kicked off, but it has already made history.
Nine clubs are set to begin the campaign with a new permanent manager - the highest number ever for the top flight's opening weekend.
The scale of turnover has dramatically reshaped the Premier League's managerial landscape.
The upheaval did not begin this summer. The 2025-26 Premier League season featured 11 managerial changes, with Forest among the clubs to make multiple appointments during the campaign.
The average tenure of a top-flight boss now stands at about 20 months, illustrating just how fleeting life in one of football's most demanding jobs can now be.
Recent history also suggests changing manager offers no guarantees. During the 2025-26 season, several clubs that switched coaches continued to struggle. Forest employed three managers during the campaign, Tottenham changed head coach twice, while Chelsea also altered direction before the season ended.
Others, however, did enjoy an immediate uplift. Michael Carrick averaged 2.6 points per game across his first five matches as Manchester United boss, while Liam Rosenior collected the same return after taking charge of Chelsea. Rosenior's tenure ultimately proved short-lived, though, with the Blues winning just one of his final eight Premier League matches before he was dismissed.
Research discussed in the Financial Times,, external external, drawing on findings from Soccernomics by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski, argues that player quality and spending remain stronger predictors of results than managerial changes alone.
Sports consultancy Twenty First Group says coaches often succeed or fail according to the environment they inherit as much as their own abilities.
Since the Premier League began in 1992, only six managers have won the title in their first season in charge of their club.
Mourinho became the first to achieve the feat with Chelsea in 2004-05, before Carlo Ancelotti repeated it with the same club in 2009-10.
Manuel Pellegrini guided Manchester City to the title in his debut campaign in 2013-14, Claudio Ranieri masterminded Leicester City's remarkable triumph in 2015-16, Conte won the league in his first season at Chelsea in 2016-17, and most recently Slot led Liverpool to the championship in his maiden campaign in 2025-26.
With almost half the division beginning the campaign under new leadership, the Premier League enters one of its most unpredictable seasons in recent memory.
Katharine Sharpe and Simon Casson
BBC Sport senior journalists
The 2025-26 Premier League and Championship seasons included the introduction of squad-cost ratio rules on a shadow basis, testing to see how a spending cap for squad costs set at a percentage of a club's total revenues might work.
These SCR regulations have now been permanently implemented for the 2026-27 season, replacing previous profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
Uefa has a 70% SCR cap for European competitions, so Premier League clubs who qualified for Europe fall in line with this limit.
Clubs who did not qualify for Europe, and so are only taking part in domestic competitions, are capped at 85% of their total revenue.
However, clubs can spend above the 85% limit by using a multi-year rolling allowance of 30%. This allows them to invest ahead of revenue and variance or sporting underperformance.
Every club will start this coming season on 85% + 30% allowance, so effectively 115%.
If a club spends 105% on their squad in 2026-27, it means they have used 20% of their allowance, and for 2027-28 their maximum spend before potential sporting sanction is 95%.
If a club spend less than 85%, they can increase the allowance again to the maximum of 30%.
Spending above 85% but under the allowance results in a financial penalty, whereas going over both the 85% and the allowance will land the club a fixed six-point deduction which increases by one point for every £6.5m spent over the 115%.
'Anchoring' was also trialled in 2025-26, which meant any club's spending could not exceed a multiple of income earned by the bottom-placed club - however this was rejected at a vote of Premier League clubs.
SCR was approved by a vote of 14 clubs to six, and was introduced alongside sustainability and systemic resilience (SSR) regulations.
SSR involves three tests that are applied throughout the season:
Working capital test - assesses short-term cash resources
Liquidity test - assesses medium-term liquidity and resilience
Positive equity test -assesses long-term financial health
The aim of the SCR and SSR regulations is to stop the richest owners providing endless funds to their clubs to sign new players, as any money injected this way does not count as seasonal revenue.
They will also aim to prevent clubs from overspending and accruing unmanageable losses.
Read more about the rules here
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Image source, Getty ImagesFulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa says Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios are "ambitious and talented players", having worked with them both during his time as a coach at Real Madrid.
The new signings have penned five-year deals at Craven Cottage, with a club option for a further year.
"I know Gonzalo [Garcia] very well," Arbeloa told Fulham's website, external. "I have had many years working with him. This is a very young player with a lot of ambition and capacity.
"He has pace, quality and everything that I need from a striker, so we are very lucky to have him in the team. It is going to be a good season for him and the fans will enjoy watching him.
"I also know Cesar [Palacios] very well. He is the type of player that you buy a ticket to watch. He is like a magician, he has that type of talent. He is a player that is very different and works really hard.
"They are both young, ambitious and talented players. They are two great signings that I think will raise our level, for sure."
Fulham posted a video of the duo reuniting with their former coach, external at Motspur Park on Wednesday afternoon.
Image source, Getty ImagesFulham captain Tom Cairney will be sidelined for the start of the 2026-27 season following a "minor surgical procedure" on his left knee.
The 35-year-old is expected to return to training after the two-week September international break, which is scheduled to end on Tuesday, 6 October.
Cairney, who has made over 380 appearances in all competitions for the Cottagers, will now begin a rehabilitation programme with the club's medical and performance staff.
A club statement read: "We wish him all the very best with his recovery and we look forward to him being back on the pitch soon."
Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesIt promises to be a big season for exciting forward Jonah Kusi-Asare after he completed a £5m permanent move to Fulham in the summer
The Swede, who turned 19 in July, joined on a five-year deal with an option for a further 12 months after he had played 10 times for the Cottagers while on loan from Bayern Munich last season.
Kusi-Asare is 6ft 5in and has represented Sweden at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level.
He made seven substitute appearances in the Premier League last season. However, with last season's top scorer for Fulham, Raul Jimenez, moving to Wolves in the summer, expect Kusi-Asare to play a larger role this term.
Read more on youngsters to watch at each Premier League club this season
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on how you feel about Fulham's signings and potential this season?
Here are some of your comments:
Daniel: Seeing Real Madrid players joining gives me hope after a worrying start to the window. Hopefully they live up to the potential they clearly have. A few more signings and a push for Europe isn't off the cards.
Kevan: Fabulous to see two young former Real Madrid talented players signed. But so far, it's still too little too late. Rodrigo Muniz just isn't good enough and I, for one, would like to see Joachim Andersen replaced at the earliest opportunity.
Peter: These signings are the Real (Madrid) deal. Well done Fulham for getting this business done before the start of the campaign as Marco Silva always wanted…
Terry: This is a great start but hopefully Fulham will not stop there. We still need another centre-back, a full-back to upgrade Robinson and a goalkeeper. I would also be delighted to get Joao Palhinha back in on loan.
Quinn: Good question. Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios signing was a huge relief. Plus, keeping so many excellent 'youngsters' and experienced players; Iwobi, Bassey et al. will be crucial. Could be good. A change of 'style' might be a concern. Hopefully, Arbeloa will enjoy himself and be exciting, as promised.
Image source, Getty ImagesFulham's new duo from Real Madrid, Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios, said it was the "perfect step" and that they are "grateful" for the move to join Alvaro Arbeloa at Craven Cottage.
Speaking to club media, FFCtv, Garcia said: "I have to thank the board and Arbeloa for the trust they've put in me, and I'm very, very excited to start."
The 22-year-old made 39 appearances for the Spanish giants last term, scoring eight goals in all competitions.
Attacking midfielder Palacios, 21, made five appearances for Real's senior side - all from the substitutes bench - and has played for Spain at under-20 level.
"I am very emotional to be here. The club is showing a lot of trust in me, and I'm going to show it on the pitch," said Palacios.
How do you feel about Fulham's signings and potential this season? Tell us
Should a club build a new stadium or upgrade its current home in a bid to maintain some history? How significant is a new ground in terms of revenue generated? Will it move the needle?
BBC Sport has worked with football finance expert Kieran Maguire to consider the impact a new home has.
Take a look at your club's matchday revenue figures from 2024-25 below and get the full article here.
*Figures in millions of pounds
Real Madrid duo Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios have been having medicals with Fulham after an agreement over permanent moves for the Spanish striker and midfielder were agreed. (Sky Sports), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesFulham wrapped up their pre-season training camp in Portugal with a 2-1 victory over Liga Portugal 2 side Farense.
Despite a dominant first-half performance, Farense went into half-time with a one-goal advantage after beating Fulham goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte with a neat finish.
The Cottagers came out with a renewed energy in the second half though, hitting back with two goals from the penalty spot in the behind closed doors friendly.
Alex Iwobi converted the first spot kick after Emile Smith Rowe was brought down in the penalty area, before Rodrigo Muniz tucked away the second just one minute before full-time.
Centre-back Calvin Bassey and right-back Kenny Tete also went close with their own efforts in open play as Alvaro Arbeloa's side went another game unbeaten in pre-season.
Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesFulham are advancing talks to sign Real Madrid midfielder Cesar Palacios, with Alvaro Arbeloa also driving interest in striker Gonzalo Garcia.
Palacios, 21, is a key target for Arbeloa, who worked with him in the academy after serving as a youth coach before taking interim charge of the Spanish giants last season.
The move could be one of several involving players from the Bernabeu, with Garcia among the forwards being considered to replace Raul Jimenez following his return to Wolves this summer.
However, Fulham remain doubtful about a move for Garcia because of Jose Mourinho's desire to keep him as part of his squad.
That also raises the possibility of Real Madrid placing a high valuation on the striker, with Fulham considering a number of options in one of their priority positions going into the new season.
Fulham are still yet to sign any players beyond turning forward Jonah Kusi-Asare's loan move from Bayern Munich last season into a permanent deal. They also lost attacker Harry Wilson to Leeds on a free transfer.
Image source, Getty ImagesVideo assistant referees should only be used to change "blatantly incorrect" decisions and clear missed incidents, say European refereeing officials.
Chief refereeing officers from all 55 European national football associations met last week with Uefa refereeing officials and a representative from the International Football Association Board (Ifab) to address recent changes to the game's laws.
Attendees said "lengthy, microscoping reviews" indicate VAR has gone beyond its original scope.
When VAR was added to the laws of the game in 2018 by football's rulemakers Ifab, its "philosophy" was "minimum interference - maximum benefit", with the intention of reducing "unfairness caused by clear and obvious errors or serious missed incidents" relating to goals, penalties, direct red cards and mistaken identity.
Uefa said that at its recent meeting that refereeing bosses agreed a return to those original aims is needed.
"It was reiterated that, in accordance with protocol, VAR must only intervene in situations of 'clear and obvious' error, ie. when a referee decision is blatantly incorrect or when the referee has missed a clear incident," Uefa said in a statement.
"VAR is not meant to re-referee the game, it is an essential support to the referees, who must remain at the centre of all decision-making.
"Lengthy, microscoping reviews are often a symptom revealing that the decision on the field was not clearly and obviously incorrect, and should therefore be limited."
