Fulham

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We asked for your views on what new Fulham boss Alvaro Arbeloa needs to focus on first after taking charge at Craven Cottage.

Here are some of your comments:

Tom: Arbeloa's first job is to rebuild our attack. With Raul Jimenez and Harry Wilson leaving for free, he'll need to replace 19 league goals next season. In today's transfer market, that will cost an awful lot.

Mark: If he brings those three players from Real Madrid with him and the club supports his ambition we could be flying next season.

Vanessa: I feel that the transfer market will be crucial this season to really move Fulham on and up the table. European football should be achievable with the right additions to the squad.

Chris: Fulham's squad is in drastic need of investment and Arbeloa must bring the average age down as well. First order of business is a new striker following the departure of Jimenez and the poor season from Rodrigo Muniz. However, improvements are required across the board and certain players are in need of a fresh start. Arbeloa must work out how to best utilise the club's academy and top prospects such as Josh King.

Daniel: Take the cups seriously. Fulham are not going to win the Premier League, but we can win a cup. It was frustrating under Marco Silva that we never seemed to take the cups that seriously. Let's get some silverware!

John: We need a couple of regular goalscorers, so we don't have to have high nerves every 90 minutes.

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

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New Fulham boss Alvaro Arbeloa is best known in England for his impressive two-year spell at Liverpool as a player before returning to Real Madrid for a seven-year stint and ending his career with a season at West Ham.

He earned 56 caps for Spain and was part of arguably the greatest team in their history, which won two European Championships and the World Cup in consecutive tournaments between 2008 and 2012.

Chelsea's new manager Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa played together for seven consecutive years at club level and even longer with the national team - and now they will face each other in rival dugouts in their Premier League opener at Craven Cottage on Monday, 24 August.

Jose Mourinho signed the pair from Liverpool in the same summer both Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka joined Real to help them compete with a dominant Barcelona side managed by Pep Guardiola.

Such was the closeness of the two that they went on holiday and spent time together away from the pitch. One well-placed source in Spain said that one replacing the other at the Bernabeu in January was initially awkward.

Alonso had struggled to convince dressing-room stars such as Kylian Mbappe to adapt to his modern style of management, involving high pressing and possession-based football, at Madrid.

Arbeloa, who began his coaching career at under-14s level, was promoted to steady the ship after six months leading Castilla, Real Madrid's reserve team who play in the third tier of Spanish football.

Madrid's season ended with a second-place finish in the domestic league and elimination from the Champions League at the quarter-final stage.

Fast forward a few weeks and Alonso and Arbeloa are set to be neighbouring managers in their first seasons in the Premier League, with just over a mile separating Stamford Bridge and Craven Cottage.

It feels as though their careers are intertwined.

Guillem Balague
BBC Sport columnist

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By the time Alvaro Arbeloa was promoted from Real Madrid Castilla - sitting fourth in their Primera RFEF group at the time - he had created a football identity of teams with personality and wanting to dominate.

Yet at the first team, he says he couldn't simply be himself.

As he put it: "I had to be the manager I had to be."

So his time as first-team manager at Real Madrid may be no real reference for Fulham.

At Castilla, his side was built around what he calls offensive joy - possession and pressing without the ball were the two pillars.

Arbeloa was always willing to go more direct when a match demanded it.

On paper, it was a 4-3-3; in practice, one midfielder pushed on almost as a number 10, shifting the shape into a 4-2-3-1 with a clear reference point up front, and wide areas mattered enormously.

Something was non-negotiable: intensity. Arbeloa's defensive model is built on relentless pressing - this was not a team that wanted to sit back and defend its own box, whatever else changes around it.

Much of that thinking has roots in the dressing rooms he played in.

At Liverpool, Rafa Benitez left him with the example of a coach obsessed with improving individual players, constantly talking to them, constantly correcting.

Back at Real Madrid from 2009, Manuel Pellegrini showed him a coach who loved pace in the game, with the wings left free to exploit it.

From Jose Mourinho, who took charge at the Bernabeu during his playing days there, Arbeloa points to the way he led and demanded maximum effort every day, a meticulously prepared coach whose training was built entirely around his model of play.

Carlo Ancelotti and Vicente del Bosque, the latter from his time with Spain, taught him something different again - that tactics alone aren't enough.

As Arbeloa sees it, a coach who can't manage the group is "doomed to fail" - however sharp his ideas on the pitch.

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

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New Fulham boss Alvaro Arbeloa is keen on bringing some of his former Real Madrid players to Craven Cottage, including attacking midfielder Franco Mastantuono, full-back Fran Garcia and forward Gonzalo Garcia.

Mastantuono is available on loan, although it is understood competition for his signature includes at least 12 clubs across Europe, while Fran Garcia is could be sold following Real's signing of left-back Marc Cucurella from Chelsea.

As for Gonzalo Garcia, the La Liga giants are expected to take him on their pre-season tour, although he could become available later in the window.

All three players have great relationships with Arbeloa.

The Spaniard, who has signed a three-year contract at Fulham, led Real for the last 28 games of 2025-26 as they finished second in La Liga and were knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage by Bayern Munich.

He had previously been a youth coach before taking over as interim boss following Xabi Alonso's departure in January.

Arbeloa's Fulham's candidacy was supported by excellent references from recently re-elected Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and the Spanish club's new manager Jose Mourinho, who the former Spain full-back played for at the Bernabeu.

Former Tottenham and Brentford boss Thomas Frank was linked to the Fulham job, while ex-Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna was deemed too expensive at £8m before factoring in his salary and staff costs.

What are Arbeloa's key priorities as he takes charge at Fulham?

Have your say here

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So, Alvaro Arbeloa is officially Fulham's new head coach and has said he feels " a great sense of responsibility" as he takes on the role - and we want your views on what he needs to focus on first.

The 43-year-old former Spain full-back, who ended last season in charge of Real Madrid, succeeds Marco Silva after his exit for Benfica when his Craven Cottage contract expired.

"It is a real honour for me to be embarking on this new stage at Fulham FC, the oldest club in London," said Arbeloa, who had two spells at a player at Real Madrid and played in the Premier League for Liverpool and West Ham.

"I feel a great sense of responsibility and I'm deeply grateful to Mr [Shahid] Khan and Tony Khan for the trust they have placed in me with Fulham in the Premier League.

"I am really looking forward to experiencing the atmosphere at Craven Cottage with Fulham fans."

Chairman and co-owner Shahid Khan said: "Alvaro was an original candidate who built an exceptional case through our meetings in June. It quickly became quite clear that he was – and is – the right choice.

"I have no doubt that our squad, staff and fans will resonate with what his appointment means for the present and future of our club.

"Alvaro is, by his own admission, very ambitious.

"He has spent quality time around the best players, clubs and methods in the game, experiences which will serve him well here at Fulham."

What are the items top of Arbeloa's in-tray as he takes over at Craven Cottage?

Get in touch with your views here

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We asked for your views on which free agents Fulham could target this summer and whether there is one player the Cottagers are linked with but you hope they never sign.

Here are some of your comments:

Andy: None of the World Cup free agents are realistic for Fulham because of their inevitable wage demands. As for someone I hope we never sign despite links... it used to be Kalvin Phillips, but that has thankfully died down. This year there has so far been no consistency to the transfer links with us at all.

Henry: Am I mad to think if we get Alvaro Arbeloa in that Dani Carvajal could come with him?

PC: Fulham's recruitment strategy appears to be moving away from veterans with experience. It had to because we've had one of the oldest squads since returning to the top flight. If they were going to make an exception from that World Cup free agent list, for me it'd be John Stones. Leadership at the back would really help and would also mentor the younger players we want to bring through. If he doesn't want to chase the sun, it's nice by the river, John!

Gordon: Well, it will never happen, but get Dusan Vlahovic up front, Leon Goretzka in midfield to win the ball, Fabinho to pass the ball forward to Vlahovic and John Stones to bolster Joachim Andersen and Calvin Bassey already in our defence. Or, as always, we will stay on the sidelines and pump £30m at a bench-warmer.

Robbie: Not sure anyone on the list is likely to agree a deal with Fulham right now given the manager situation and the opportunities to earn big money abroad. Ricardo Pepi keeps getting mentioned but I'm not convinced this won't be another £30m-plus waste of money. I don't see the attributes you need in the Premier League week in, week out from him that will deliver 20-plus goals a season.

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We're now well into the knockout rounds of the biggest World Cup ever and we want to know who has grabbed your attention - especially with the summer transfer window open since 15 June.

Which player has raised your eyebrows? Who has exceeded your expectations? Has there been a player you had no knowledge of consistently impress you?

Ultimately, who would you realistically like to see lining up for your team in the Premier League next season?

This is your opportunity to show off your talent-spotting skills - the floor (pitch) is yours...

Tell us the players you want, with your reasoning, here

Enjoy the World Cup across BBC Sport

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From live TV coverage to highlights, analysis and reaction, our dedicated team will ensure you don't miss a kick of the biggest World Cup yet.

And there's more - the BBC has launched live match updates so you can see the score directly on your lock screen through the full 90 minutes and beyond.

This means you can keep track of every game wherever you are - whether you're on the move, at work, or away from a TV. With live match updates on your lock screen, the score is always just a glance away.

This feature will also extend into the 2026-27 Premier League season, so you're never out of the loop.

• Simple steps to set up live lock screen match updates from the World Cup

• How to get Premier League score updates

A new predictor game has been introduced to cover this year's World Cup, allowing users to pick what they think will be the result from every match.

The game also features streaks, so make sure to check in each day and make your predictions.

• Play World Cup Predictor here (UK users only)

Ever wanted to see a World Cup match from every angle? How about a full-pitch tactical view? Or even see the match through the eyes of a player?

Well, now you can with Fifa World Cup 3D Experience, which is a UK-first that is only available on BBC Sport.

The interactive game experience gives viewers more choice to explore the match both in real time, highlights and full-match replays.

• Head here to get started

Finally, here are some more handy links:

• How to follow the World Cup across the BBC

• All the highlights and best video

• Beat the time difference and catch up on everything without any spoilers

• Take a dive into each of the 48 squads here

• Play our World Cup quizzes

We have been asking you questions about Fulham all summer. Our latest is a two-pronged query...

First, is there anyone on the free transfer list you think makes sense or is realistic as a signing?

Mohamed Salah, John Stones, Solly March, Fabinho, Leon Goretzka, Dusan Vlahovic, Daichi Kamada and Yves Bissouma are just some of the names currently available - and you can see a list here of the 15 free agents involved at the World Cup.

And secondly, is there a player the Whites are constantly linked with but you hope they never sign? If so, who and why?

Get in touch with your views here

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

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Keito Nakamura has attracted interest from Premier League clubs, including Bournemouth, Everton and Fulham with his impressive performances for Japan at the World Cup.

The 26-year-old winger has an agreement in place with his French side Reims that would allow him to leave for a suitable fee - understood to be about £21.5m - after the club failed to win promotion to Ligue 1 last season.

Everton and Bournemouth have asked what it might take to sign Nakamura with his entourage but would need to attackers to leave before making a move.

Fulham, who look likely to appoint Alvaro Arbeloa as their new manager, are also keen.

Nakamura spent last season playing in the French second tier, despite interest from clubs including Spanish club Villarreal and Turkish giants Besiktas, with offers reaching up to £15.5m.

The versatile forward finished as Reims' leading scorer with 14 goals and then established himself as Japan's first-choice left winger at the World Cup after Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma's was ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Nakamura scored one goal, provided an assist and was named in Opta's team of the group stage. Japan pushed Brazil in their last 32 match before the five-time champions scored a late winner to knock out the Samurai Blue.

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Fulham owner Tony Khan says "it is an exciting and important summer for the football club" as he looks to appoint a successor to Marco Silva.

Earlier in June, BBC Sport reported Fulham were in advanced talks with 43-year-old Spaniard Alvaro Arbeloa over the post, while Coventry City boss Frank Lampard has also been linked.

The Cottagers are also known to have held talks with Kieran McKenna, who has since Ipswich Town following their promotion to the Premier League, saying he wanted a break to spend time with his family.

After five years in charge, Silva had been offered a new three-year deal, but decided to leave to replace Jose Mourinho as Benfica boss.

"It's been a lot of learning and a great experience, and certainly the best results have been in the past several years when working with Marco Silva, who did a great job at the football club," Khan told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"He left very recently and we're in the process right now of identifying the next person to come in and coach the team.

"I have so much respect for Marco. He left on a very high note after four seasons of achieving exactly what we wanted, which was building to be stable and getting those results. In the past four years in the Premier League, we finished 10th, 13th, 11th and 11th.

"We had very consistent results, which I think showed how far we had come after finishing 20th in the Championship 10 years ago.

"We are speaking very closely to two candidates who both bring a lot of positives to the football club. It is a really important process at a really important time."

Listen to the full chat and episode on BBC Sounds

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Fulham have completed the permanent signing of Bayern Munich forward Jonah Kusi-Asare for an undisclosed fee.

The 18-year-old Swede, who joins on a five-year deal with an option for a further 12 months, played 10 times for the Cottagers while on loan from the Bundesliga champions last season.

"I'm very happy to be a permanent Fulham player. From my first week here, it was very good – I felt like I was a part of the Fulham family," he told FFCtv.

"The changing room was very nice, team, staff, so I'm very happy to stay here."

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We asked you to tell us how you're feeling about losing Harry Wilson to a Premier League rival.

Here are some of your comments:

Dennis: Complete and utter failure and disgrace by the owners to allow him to leave. How much are they going to spend on finding a replacement?

Doug: Hope Wilson enjoys the struggle with Leeds and the inevitable relegation, if they keep him that long. He is not as good as we made him look.

Elliot: Not the end of the world - I guarantee Leeds are overpaying a player who's had one great season in the Premier League and mixed form the three years prior.

BGFFC: This is typical of how our club is run. If the position with Marco Silva had been addressed before the season ended, and he had been forced to accept or refuse the contract renewal, we would have had a better chance of finding a good replacement sooner. Wilson apparently was waiting to see if the boss was staying or leaving before he made his decision on his own future. Here we are now - no manager and the two top scorers last season gone and about to go. Rumours are that a few more players are being scouted by other clubs. The new manager will have his work cut out just to keep us in the Premier League next season.

John: Surprised he went for a team who finished lower in the league than Fulham, though he probably wouldn't have got many games if he went to Aston Villa. His best year was last year and he had been at Fulham for several years.

Simon: This was undoubtedly the best season for Wilson in Fulham's colours, and to be honest, I think that without his contribution, this team would have been embroiled in a relegation battle, especially during the Africa Cup of Nations weeks when we missed three players from the core squad. Having said that, after watching Wilson all these years, I do not think his departure is such a major blow that will knock out the club. Many a time, Wilson was just a passenger and you would wonder if his best appearances were those coming on from the bench. So, all in all, if he was offered an improved contract and he still opted to join Leeds - a team with a good supporter base but not exactly a top six club - I just wish him well, but I am still confident that Fulham can replace him with a more consistent player.

Michael: It's hardly a surprise but we have become used to our best players heading off to what they feel are 'greener pastures'. I only hope the owners move quicker in terms of a new manager who can have an input in replacements for the players we are losing over the summer. Some hope on past form!

William: Not at all disappointed apart from the fact we could have cashed in by selling him in the last window. Will probably save us some money with his wage bill. We will just crack on and get someone else once we've sorted out our manager debacle.

Bob: Like many Fulham fans, I was worried that when his contract ended Harry might go to one of the bigger clubs. But Leeds? What can Leeds offer Harry Wilson that Fulham can't? He will leave a big gap in our squad.

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We asked you which players you have watched at the World Cup that you think would be a great fit at Fulham.

Here are some of your comments:

Thomas: USA's Folarin Balogun. Big, strong goalscorer.

Lex: Fulham should be all-in on Zion Suzuki, the American-born goalkeeper for Japan. Such a strong, young talent would mesh well with the young core being assembled at Craven Cottage. Bernd Leno is amazing but no spring chicken, and we are moving on from Steven Benda who had been the presumed successor. Let Suzuki learn under Leno for a season then take the number one shirt in 2027.

Andy: World Cups are, historically, not a good indicator of anything when you're looking for players to be successful in the Premier League. So I'd want to sign people like Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Crysencio Summerville. Which is exactly what I'd have said regardless of the World Cup.

Tell us who you have scouted here

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

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Leeds United have agreed a long-term contract with Fulham attacker Harry Wilson to become their first signing of the summer on a free transfer.

The 29-year-old Wales international is out of contract next week, although the move remains subject to a medical and the formal signing of terms in the coming days.

His departure would be a significant blow to Fulham, who offered their player of the season several contracts in an attempt to keep him.

He registered 11 goals and eight assists in 38 appearances in all competitions last season - an average of one goal involvement every other game.

How are you feeling about prospect of losing Wilson to a Premier League rival on a free transfer? Were you hopeful he would sign a contract extension or was it time for him to move on?

Get in touch with your views here

Nick Mashiter and Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport

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Former Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna will cost £8m if any club want to appoint him in the next 12 months.

The 40-year-old stepped down as the Tractor Boys' manager this month to spend more time with his family.

But Ipswich have protected themselves and the triple promotion-winning manager and will still bank compensation despite McKenna walking away from Portman Road.

There remains the possibility it could be negotiated down closer to next year's 1 July cut off to ensure Ipswich do not lose McKenna for free, but the current figure is £8m.

The price tag put Bournemouth off previously, before they appointed Marco Rose, while it remained a consideration for Fulham when they looked at McKenna following Marco Silva's Craven Cottage exit this month.

The former Manchester United assistant quit Ipswich despite leading them back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

He took charge of in 2021 when they were in League One and guided them to three promotions in the past four seasons, two of which have taken the club into the top flight.

McKenna, who was born in London and raised in Northern Ireland, had two years remaining on his contract at Ipswich after signing a four-year deal in 2024.

He won 105 of his 222 games in charge.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Gary O'Neil are candidates to replace McKenna with the club stepping up their search this week.

• Read more on the matches and rule changes for 2026-27

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Fulham will kick off their 2026-27 Premier League campaign with a home game against Chelsea.

The match will take place on Monday, 24 August at 20:00 BST, with the Cottagers' first away fixture against Sunderland on the weekend of 29-30 August.

They face Brighton (H), Arsenal (H), Nottingham Forest (A) and Tottenham (H) over the Christmas and New Year period.

And the Whites end their league season against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, 30 May, when all games will kick off at the same time.

See Fulham's Premier League fixtures in full here

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With the countdown to the 2026-27 Premier League fixture release well and truly on, we asked for your stories of opening-day games - both good and bad - that have stuck in your minds most. And you delivered.

Here are some of your replies:

Rob: The best was our first game in the Premier League away at Old Trafford. Even though we lost, we showed the country how good we were. There are too many to mention for the worst, especially in the dark days, but one more recently was losing 2-1 at Hull City in the Championship in 2015 - a nightmare journey and a terrible performance.

William: One of my best moments was our first taste of Premier League football. We played away to Manchester United and took the game to them before losing right at the end.

David: The best opening game was in 2022 when I was watching Fulham face Liverpool from a Greek island, as Aleksandar Mitrovic proceeded to bully their back four and show that we were ready to compete at the top level.

Hugh: The opening day of the 2012-13 season - Fulham 5-0 Norwich. I think it is the only day in my life that I've seen us top of the Premier League!

Tom: Best memory is beating Bolton 4-1 to go top of the league in 2002. Worst memory is losing to Arsenal 3-0 in 2020, knowing we were in for a tough season.

Richard: First day of the season 1996-97 v Hereford - it just felt like it was the start of something big and the whole mood changed. Then the first day of the season 2022-23 versus Liverpool - we showed we could live with the best of them and we would not stay a yo-yo team.

Come back to this page at 10:00 BST to see how the Whites' 2026-27 Premier League fixtures have fallen.

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Fulham vice chairman and director of football operations, Tony Khan, says there are "exciting candidates" prepared to take over from Marco Silva.

According to Khan, Silva's departure came as a shock to the Fulham board but the club are actively working on his replacement.

"It's very important to look to the next step, being we have to bring in a new coach and it's something that we are working on," he told Fulham TV, external.

"We've been actively talking and working to find somebody to come in because as I've said, the expectation here has been for a while that Marco was going to stay.

"It's been less than two weeks now that we found out that Marco had changed his mind. He had really indicated that he wanted to stay and was planning to, but we also understand why [he is leaving].

"But I'm very positive for the future.

"There's been a lot of names mentioned in the press and it's interesting because it's going very well and there's been a few great conversations in particular, and we've got a few people that the board is talking to who are very exciting candidates.

"I have seen a lot of the press where there have been people we've been linked to, or it says they were the front-runner or there were conversations with people, and we've never talked to or never even had a conversation about."

The World Cup may be less than a week old but the 2026-27 Premier League fixtures will be released on Friday.

And to get in the mood as Fulham prepare to start life without Marco Silva, we want your stories of opening-day games that have stuck in your minds most - both the good and the bad.

Get in touch with your views here

And make sure to come back to this page on Friday to see how Fulham's league fixture list has fallen.

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We asked for your views on what you make of Alvaro Arbeloa's prospective appointment. Is his lack of experience a concern? Or is he the right man to follow on from Marco Silva?

Here are some of your comments:

PC: As the club tries to pivot to a more youth-based recruitment strategy, this move makes sense. Let's hope he can take Fulham to that next level. It's a big come-down from Real Madrid though, and a risk for both parties.

Maurice: A poor choice. Unproven at a high level, and has no Premier League experience. Just a gamble, with no plan from Mr Khan.

Joel: I am excited. He's a relatively unknown manager but look at Andoni Iraola and Keith Andrews - they've done very well, and I'd never heard of them before. Arbeloa is quite attacking, apparently a good man-manager and likes to use youth, and we have a good academy to pluck from. I wasn't excited about Silva and that turned out great. I was happy with the Claudio Ranieri appointment and that turned out bad. So let's give the guy a chance. I'm quite optimistic.

Derek: Arbeloa is absolutely the wrong appointment. He will not be able to handle the less talented players in our squad and his playing style demands very quick transition, which I feel we lack the quality to achieve. His ability to succeed may rely on the club's willingness to bring in 'his type' of player. I hope I'm wrong.

Robbie: Hopefully, he will bring that Spanish flair to the banks of the Thames, which will be exciting to watch. The experience might be minimal, but if he has learned from some of the best and can bring perhaps some of the younger Spanish footballing talent with him, then I feel he has a chance. I suspect Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Brighton and Brentford fans felt apprehensive about their respective recent manager appointments, but look what they've achieved.

Jonathan: This has sacked by Christmas written all over it! This is a last-minute, panicked hire. The club (Tony Khan) has admitted they thought Silva was staying, and they had no plan B. It's shambolic.

Bob: I think he will do well. He knows the Premier League as he's played in it. Of course, going from player to manager is a big step. More on his shoulders to get it right. The team need to believe in what they are being asked to do. He needs to find out the best course to steer. Get the team to change too many draws into wins.