Fulham

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham 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 Images

Video 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."

Ryan Sessegnon scored Fulham's first goal under new boss Alvaro Arbeloa as the Premier League side drew 1-1 in a pre-season friendly with Al-Ahli in Albufeira.

Fulham - beaten 2-0 by Norwich in their pre-season opener on Saturday - fought back from behind as Sessegnon levelled a Ricardo Mathias opener.

Arbeola used 22 player in all and his side take on Portuguese side Farense next on 1 August.

Fulham's Sasa Lukic is among midfield targets for newly promoted Ipswich Town. (Sky Sports), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

English football is set to implement a trial to try to eradicate the goalkeeper tactical timeout this season, BBC Sport can reveal.

The Football Association, Premier League, English Football League, National League and Women's Super League have agreed on the measure, pending permission from the International Football Association Board (Ifab).

Earlier this year, Ifab decided against changing the law and invited leagues to volunteer for trials.

Pro Ref, led by chief refereeing officer Howard Webb, has been in discussions with the leagues to determine how to tackle the issue. It settled on a team having to remove an outfield player from the field.

If a referee signals that the physio can come on to treat a goalkeeper, the coach will have 10 seconds to nominate another player to leave the pitch for one minute, telling the fourth official of their choice.

If no player has been selected within 10 seconds, the captain must leave the field.

Read more on the trial

Fulham are the leading option for 18-year-old Argentina midfielder Franco Mastantuono if Real Madrid send him on loan this season. (AS - in Spanish), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Fulham FC

Fulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa has confirmed his backroom staff set-up before his first season in charge at Craven Cottage.

The former Real Madrid boss was unveiled as Marco Silva's successor on a three-year contract on 8 July.

Here are the new additions to Arbeloa's staff:

• Alex Salvador - head of strength and conditioning

• Kevin Cardeiro - head of player development

• Francis Sanchez - head of analysis

• Julian Carmona - assistant head coach

• Ricardo da Silva - head of performance

• Borja Fernandez Freiria - lead goalkeeping coach

The six new faces join Ali Melloul (first team coach), Colin Omogbehin (first team development coach) and Geoff Warne (goalkeeping coach), who were already working alongside Silva.

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham have started exploring alternatives to Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Garcia.

The 22-year-old was one of the options outlined by Alvaro Arbeloa, who worked with him when interim manager at the La Liga giants as well as in his role in the academy at the Bernabeu.

However, Jose Mourinho is known to rate the striker highly and is keen to keep him in the Spanish capital.

It remains a key position Fulham wish to strengthen having seen Raul Jimenez leave on a free transfer to return to former club Wolves.

Fulham also pulled out of a deal to sign PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi towards the end of last season.

Image source, Fulham FC

Fulham have launched their new home kit for the 2026-27 season, which the Whites say is inspired the River Thames next to the stadium.

"Our historic white jersey features a unique pattern woven into the fabric of the shirt, inspired by the movement of the water created within the river beside our Craven Cottage home," said a Fulham club statement on the kit release.

The shirt is accompanied by black shorts and white socks with black and red accent trims, to create a "timeless look".

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham have opened negotiations with Real Madrid over a potential move for 22-year-old striker Gonzalo Garcia, who has one cap for Spain. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

We asked you to pick one player you would like to move on this summer and one realistic target you want Fulham to bring in before the transfer window shuts.

Here are some of your suggestions:

Tim: With Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez gone, we desperately need attacking reinforcements. Alvaro Arbeloa should use his Real Madrid connections to bring in Gonzalo Garcia or Franco Mastantuono. As much as I like Jedi, I'd move on Antonee Robinson while we can still get good money for him and we have a ready-made replacement in Ryan Sessegnon, who looks good to go as a left (wing) back.

Liam: We need a prolific striker, so Zian Flemming or Troy Parrott could be good fits. Rodrigo Muniz is a great guy, but he doesn't score goals. It's probably time to help him move on to a different club.

Rohan: We should buy Aaron Ramsdale. He will not want to play in the Championship and, really, Bernd Leno was poor last season. Ramsdale is a realistic and solid transfer we can make to improve our situation in goal.

Ben: Out: Sander Berge, hopefully to Manchester United for around £40m as rumoured. In: Joao Palhinha, bring him home for hopefully £28-30m with a net gain.

Sid: Joachim Andersen should be let go and we should sign another centre-back like Dan Ballard from Sunderland.

Neil: Joshua Zirkzee would be perfect for us. It would remind me of the type of signing Aleksandar Mitrovic was from Newcastle. I would propose a season-long loan, with an obligation to buy if he scores 15 goals.

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham centre-back Issa Diop has signed a four-year deal to join promoted Ipswich Town after a four-year stint at Craven Cottage.

The 29-year-old, who featured in five of Morocco's matches at this summer's World Cup, joined Fulham from West Ham United in August 2022.

Diop went on to make 96 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring three goals and contributing one assist.

A club statement, external said the defender had "embodied professionalism, commitment and dependability" during his time in SW6.

"I would like to thank everyone at Fulham," Diop said. "I am grateful to have worked alongside such a great group of team-mates, coaches and staff every day.

"I would also like to thank the supporters for all of their backing during my time here - it always meant a lot to me.

"I'm proud of what we achieved and the memories we created, and I hope that Fulham continue to be successful.

"Merci, Fulham!"

With the 2026 World Cup done and dusted, the return of club football is back on everyone's minds.

Pre-season preparations are under way and we want you to have a think about Fulham's squad.

Tell us one player you would like to move on this summer and one realistic target you want the Cottagers to bring in before the transfer window shuts.

Get in touch with your views here

Now the dust has settled on the 2026 World Cup, you can officially review your Predictor results for the tournament.

If you played more than four rounds, BBC Sport has done a deep dive into your predictions, tournament performance and compared you to other players.

Don't worry, though, Predictor isn't stopping at international tournaments! Pre-season has kicked off and there are plenty of friendlies and European qualifiers to keep us occupied before the new season gets under way.

So how do you fancy your chances of correctly predicting the scores for our six selected matches every week?

BBC Sport has launched a new weekly Predictor game to cover the 2026-27 season, allowing users to pick what they think will be the result from six fixtures from across the leagues.

There will usually be a Friday deadline and the game will also feature streaks, so make sure to build it into your weekly football habits.

Lock in your first round of predictions before Friday, 24 July here

If you're wondering how to play, here are a few easy steps:

• Click on the link above to take you to the selections page.

• For every match, you either choose a winning team or select a draw - once your prediction has been submitted you won't be able to change it, so be sure to pick carefully.

• Then wait for the results to roll in to see how you have done.

• Share your results with your friends and family.

• Every consecutive round you play adds one to your streak, but if you miss a round then your streak will reset to zero.

Mohamed Moallim
BBC Sport Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League's financial landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade. Since 2016 total summer transfer spending has risen from £1.16bn to a record £3.19bn in 2025 – an increase of almost 175%.

On the surface, that suggests transfer figures are continuing to accelerate. Headline fees, though, tell only part of the story.

Research by Kieran Maguire and colleagues at the University of Liverpool suggests some of the Premier League's earlier record signings represented even greater investments when measured against clubs' buying power at the time.

Using Premier League broadcasting revenues as an index, Alan Shearer's £15m move from Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle United in 1996 remains the league's biggest transfer relative to clubs' spending power. Rio Ferdinand's £29.1m move to Manchester United in 2002 and Juan Sebastian Veron's £28.1m arrival at Old Trafford in 2001 also rank above any of this summer's blockbuster deals.

The same model suggests Trevor Francis' £1m move from Birmingham City to Forest in 1979 – English football's first £1m transfer – would equate to about £173m in today's market.

That does not mean the fees paid for Morgan Rogers, Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali were modest. Rather, it reflects how dramatically Premier League revenues have grown, allowing clubs to spend sums that would once have been unimaginable.

When Jack Grealish became Britain's first £100m footballer when joining City from Villa in 2021, the transfer marked another turning point in the evolution of the market.

Only five years later, nine-figure deals are no longer viewed as extraordinary. They have become a familiar feature of Premier League transfer windows.

The next milestone may not be far away.

While no Premier League club has yet paid £200m for a player, football's financial ceiling continues to rise and the first transfer of that magnitude no longer feels beyond the realms of possibility.

• Read more on transfer fee evolution

Arsenal winger Reiss Nelson is attracting interest from a number of overseas clubs with Benfica and Valencia among those monitoring his situation.

Nelson, 26, can leave the Emirates Stadium this summer with the attacker set to become a free agent at the end of next season.

He is understood to have turned down some Premier League interest, but is open to a move abroad this summer.

A move to Portuguese side Benfica could see Nelson reunited with their newly appointed manager Marco Silva, who has previously worked with him at Fulham.

Intriguingly, Fulham are among the English-based clubs interested in Nelson, which could see Silva go head-to-head for the winger's services just weeks after leaving Craven Cottage.

Nelson spent last season on loan at Brentford but has reported back for pre-season training with Arsenal.

Fulham have announced ClickHouse as their new front of shirt sponsor ahead of the home kit launch on Thursday, 23 July.

The global technology company, which specialises in real-time analytics, data infrastructure and AI applications, have agreed a multi-year partnership with the club.

Their branding will appear on the home, away and third kit for the 2026-27 season and around Craven Cottage.

Fulham's chief revenue officer, Jon Don-Carolis said: "ClickHouse is an ambitious, fast-growing technology company and as Fulham continues to invest in its long-term future, both on and off the pitch, this partnership reflects our shared commitment to innovation, progression and building meaningful connections with supporters around the world."

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your memories of former Fulham boss Kevin Keegan, who passed away on Monday at the age of 75.

Here are some of your comments:

John: Such sad news. He'll always be a true footballing great on the world stage and loved at Craven Cottage too. RIP.

Jeremy: In the early 2000s, Fulham went to Leigh in the FA Cup. Fulham had about 30 fans on coaches with the team. I live in Wigan, and was the only Fulham fan on the terrace. Fulham win 2-0 and at full-time Kevin Keegan and Chris Coleman come over to me, and say hello. They then signed programs for some Leigh fans, and a child's Leigh shirt. Two gentlemen.

David: He was brilliant at Fulham. I'm sure he initially was director of football and when we didn't get promoted he stepped in, and voila we got promoted.

Hugsfrommugs: So sad. I adored him as a kid. Didn't realise that was actually love until now.

Ipswich Town have agreed a deal to sign 29-year-old Morocco centre-back Issa Diop from Fulham for about 10m euros (£8.5m). (Foot Mercato - in French), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Thirty-four years ago a £13m transfer caused national outrage in Italy.

When AC Milan signed Gianluigi Lentini from Torino in 1992 for a then world record fee, newspapers called the deal "obscene", while the Vatican's official newspaper described it as "an offence against the dignity of work".

Today that fee would barely register among the Premier League's biggest transfers.

This summer alone Chelsea have agreed a club record £117m deal for Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, Manchester City paid Nottingham Forest £116m for Elliot Anderson, and Tottenham spent a club record £100m on Sandro Tonali.

These are not the only major deals. Tottenham also agreed an £85m move for West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes, Barcelona paid £69m to sign Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United, and Manchester United spent £50m on Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos.

It is the first transfer window in Premier League history to produce three £100m-plus signings - and there are still weeks to go before deadline day on 1 September.

During the 2025 summer window English top-flight clubs spent a record £3bn.

So why are transfer fees continuing to climb? Why are clubs paying record sums for players already playing in England? And why are more clubs willing to sell some of their biggest stars?

Read more here on the big spending taking place in the Premier League

Image source, Getty Images

Former Fulham defender Rufus Brevett says the late Kevin Keegan made his players "feel a million dollars".

Brevett was signed by Keegan midway through his two-year spell as Cottagers boss in 1998, and the pair helped the club win the second division and clinch promotion to the Premier league.

"It's a massive, massive shock. I was absolutely devastated," Brevett told BBC Radio London on the news Keegan has died aged 75.

"He signed me for Fulham. I was at Queens Park Rangers and had just been relegated to the second division.

"Anyone who knew Kevin Keegan, he was very very passionate and he was a winner. When he rang me to try and sign me I literally turned round on the motorway and drove to Craven Cottage to meet him.

"Straight away I thought, 'I want to play for this guy'."

Image source, Getty Images

"He would make you feel a million dollars and make you think you were the best player in the world," Brevett added.

"He used to tell me, 'you're the best left-back in this league and the league above - go out there and show it.'

"I would go out onto the grass with my chest out, thinking I was absolutely the best player in the world. He had the aura about him. He was someone you didn't want to let down.

"He was an incredible football player but as a manager, he's definitely up there - he was fantastic."

Image source, Shutterstock

York City have signed Fulham goalkeeper Alfie McNally on a season-long loan deal.

The 21-year-old is yet to make his senior debut for the Cottagers but has played for their under-21s in the EFL Trophy.

McNally is York's ninth summer signing after they secured promotion back to League Two.

He could make his competitive bow for the Minstermen in the EFL Cup preliminary round tie against Crawley on Monday, 3 August.

Image source, Getty Images

Former England captain and manager Kevin Keegan has died at the age of 75, seven weeks after he revealed he had been diagnosed with stage four cancer.

One of English football's most decorated players, Keegan enjoyed spells at Scunthorpe United, Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton and Newcastle during an illustrious playing careeer.

The two-time winner of the Ballon d'Or later went on to manage Newcastle, Fulham, England and Manchester City.

What are your favourite memories of Keegan? Were you fortunate enough to meet him during his time at Craven Cottage?

Get in touch with your stories here