Fulham Midweek Moments - 31st July 2024

It's the final day of July and in just over 2 weeks we play our first game of the season against Manchester Utd. Let's look at what's making the news this week!

Transfer News

Confirmed Transfers In

A surprise to most saw Ryan Sessegnon rejoin Fulham 5 years after he left for Tottenham. Sess was due to fly out and join Crystal Palace but Fulham swept in and brought home our favourite son. Although slightly risky considering his injury record, this signing makes total sense giving Fulham coverage for Antonee Robinson as well as on the left wing adding extra depth to the squad. Welcome home Sess, it's been a long time coming but this is an exciting start to the window!

Read our article about Sess here

Although not yet officially announced by the club, Emile Smith-Rowe has completed his medical at Motspur Park and is on his way to Portugal to join his new team-mates. Reports are that Fulham have signed ESR for £27m plus £7m in add-ons on a 4 year contract and the amount payable to Arsenal is spread across all four years. It's a signing of intent from Fulham who break the club record for a transfer fee paid and bring in an exciting, young talent looking to revitalise his career. Read our article about Emile Smith-Rowe here

Confirmed Transfers Out

Matt Dibley-Dias will get his first loan move as he joins Northampton Town in League One. The Cobblers are used to seeing Fulham players at Sixfields having had Kieron Bowie spending the last two years at the club. Hopefully Matt can kick on and get some regular football and soon enough be challenging for a place in the Fulham first team.

Transfer Rumours

Incoming

The two main incoming transfers which seem like a matter of time are Emile Smith-Rowe and André and we continue to see both of them all but confirmed as Fulham signings. The André deal seems a little more complicated with reports that Fulham are yet to return with an improved offer as Fluminense fights to hold him until the end of August to help their relegation battle. We'll keep you updated as these stories develop.

Trevor Chalobah seems to still be on Fulham's radar but his omission from the Chelsea squad for their pre-season tour seems to have alerted a few more suitors so this one may prove challenging. Scott McTominay appears to be a more difficult prospect to nail down with Man Utd looking to trigger his contract extension to keep him at the club but Fulham has expressed a desire to return with an improved bid in the coming days. Some interesting new names have emerged this week including firmer links to Cameron Puertas, Logan Costa, and Bright Osayi-Samuel but there appears to be very little movement on the other transfer targets. As Fulham have headed off to Portugal for their pre-season tour, it may be another week until we get any real updates on transfers.

Outgoing

There's no real news on any potential outgoings which is to be expected with the squad currently light on players as it is. We should expect that, as Fulham completes more signings, we see some of the squad and youth players head out on loan. The links with Jay Stansfield to Birmingham seem to have cropped up again overnight although the reports are Birmingham "remain in talks" with Fulham over a £6m bid for Stanno. The amount seems far too low for a player of his potential and someone who is likely to be in and around the squad this season. There's been no further talk about Andreas Pereira's potential move and he is with the team in Portugal so I expect the outgoings to be quiet for another week unless Fulham sees a flurry of new signings completed, in which case the door could potentially open to some further movements.

Pre-Season

Fulham 4 - 0 QPR

Marco Silva gave minutes to 22 players as Fulham beat QPR 4-0 in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Motspur Park. Raúl Jiménez opened the scoring inside 15 minutes, coolly slotting home a penalty. Two goals from Harry Wilson – the first a low strike into the bottom corner, and the second a volley rifled past the goalkeeper – made it three before the break. Adama Traoré added to the score after half-time, bundling one home after racing through on goal.

Read the full match report here

Fulham 6 - 1 Watford

Fulham continued their pre-season preparations with a resounding 6-1 victory against Championship side Watford at Motspur Park. Saša Lukić opened the scoring early from the penalty spot after Rodrigo Muniz was fouled. Muniz then scored a stunning goal himself, followed by Alex Iwobi, who netted after assisting Muniz. Raúl Jiménez added to the tally with a powerful strike, and Jay Stansfield scored shortly after coming on. Adrion Pajaziti completed the scoring with a delicate chip, with Raúl providing the assist again. Despite a late consolation goal from Watford, Fulham's performance was impressive as they prepared to depart for Portugal on Tuesday.

Read the full match report here

Analysis

Portuguese Tour Preview

We take an in-depth look at our opponents SL Benfica and Sevilla FC as we head to Portugal for the next part of our pre-season preparations and look to bring home the Algarve Trophy for the first time.

Read our Portuguese Tour Preview Here

Meet the new Assistant Manager

FFCtv sat down with new assistant manager Goncalo Santos to talk about his move to and his first week at Fulham

Watch the Interview Here

FFCW

Moneyfields 0 - 4 Fulham

FFCW continued their pre-season preparations with another great result against higher-rated opposition, this time defeating Moneyfields FC 4-0 in Portsmouth.

Read the Match Report Here

Fulham has taken out a loan with JP Morgan secured on the Riverside stadium

As first reported by Kieran Maguire Fulham has taken out a commercial loan facility with JP Morgan secured on the value of the Riverside stand. There's been a bit of noise and conjecture about the meaning and potential risks concerning the provision of this security, and what it means for the club. In short, without knowing the size of the loan and the intended use of funds, it's one to keep an eye on but, definitely not something to worry about. The Khans have more than demonstrated both great financial acumen, and sensible, conservative business management, in building a multi-billion dollar business empire. Of course in some unforeseen financial crisis scenario, for example where the club can't make the repayments or in some other way ends up in default of the loan agreement, ownership of the Riverside stand could technically be at risk, but in all reality, with multi-billionaire owners dedicated to a long-term project at Fulham (as outlined in the recent Bloomberg interview we shared in last week's Moments), it seems inconceivable that the Khan's would end up in such a predicament. This feels more like business as usual and the club sensibly exercising its options to fund operations or further investment in an entirely appropriate manner, using very typical commercial facilities available. If new information arises that we think raises questions or concerns, we will look into it in more detail and keep you informed.

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