Fulham desperately need reinforcements after their attack floundered yet again in the defeat to Arsenal
CRAVEN COTTAGE – It could be said of both Fulham and Arsenal that you never quite know where the goals are coming from. For one, it is a compliment and for the other, it is not.
Mikel Arteta’s side are table-toppers precisely because they have found 10 different goalscorers this season even in the absence of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus. No such luck for Marco Silva – no Fulham player has scored more than once in the league.
It is easy to hand-wring over the transfer strategy that got them here. Easier still to suggest they might rectify it by simply bringing in another striker in January.
After all, on Saturday it was too familiar a story. Fulham drew a blank, but the most frustrating aspect was that chances against Arsenal are so hard to come by in the first place and they had nine of them. Since the opening weekend against Manchester United, none of the Gunners’ opponents have managed more. But none were on target.
Yet again, Fulham’s fumbling forwards were just not clinical enough. Harry Wilson’s volley fizzed over, Raul Jimenez dragged wide. Adama Traore ran and ran and could not release the ball at the right moment. An injury crisis that has now sidelined Rodrigo Muniz and Samuel Chukwueze has only made things worse.
The popular option would be to break with tradition and spend some serious money. The reality is more complex. Fulham are one of a number of clubs having to keep one eye trained further down the road.
They are in a relatively healthy PSR position but when it comes to the shaken up forthcoming financial rules, set to be brought in for the 2026-27 season, it is going to be tight.
Premier League clubs are expected to allow clubs an 85 per cent squad cost ratio. In layman’s terms, clubs can spend up to 85 per cent of their total revenue on costs relating to their squad – which is about where Fulham are at the moment, with little room for manoeuvre.
There are some safety blankets to ensure the new regulations do not totally disadvantage clubs with smaller revenues. The “anchoring” rule means even the richest clubs can’t spend more than 5x the income from broadcasting and prize money of the league’s bottom side.
Fulham manager Marco Silva gestures on the touchline during the Premier League match at Craven Cottage, London. Picture date: Saturday October 18, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: John Walton/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.
Silva has made no secret of his frustrations (Photo: PA)
When push comes to shove, however, clubs like Fulham can still spend less in absolute terms. And even if the Khans wanted to invest significantly, their hands would be tied. The new rules do little to smash the glass ceiling that PSR placed over the Premier League’s aspirational classes.
Defeat to Arsenal was another reminder. Deadline day arrival Kevin is still searching for an impact like the one he made against Leeds – but a £34.6m club record signing has got to hit the ground running. Arsenal can navigate a Viktor Gyokeres drought. Fulham can’t. Arteta can do without Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Jesus and Havertz while he has Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubmiendi and Bukayo Saka available.
In one sense, Fulham are doing all the right things – diversifying their income, looking to attract visitors on non-matchdays with state-of-the-art facilities in the new luxury Riverside Stand. The Khans may be occupied with the Jacksonville Jaguars’ £1bn stadium renovation, but they have overseen a mini-revolution at Craven Cottage too.
Silva, likewise, is doing his part. He ditched the 3-4-2-1 from the collapse at Bournemouth, reverting to type with a 4-2-3-1. There is always the option of using Josh King as a false nine, but there is a glaring lack of permanent solutions.
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Nobody seriously believes Fulham are in trouble, even after three straight losses and with just a three-point buffer above the relegation zone. The real sense of jeopardy surrounds Silva’s future.
As Arsenal fans revelled in the demise of an ex-Spur with a rendition of Cheer up Postecoglou, Shahid Khan must have been listening. Nottingham Forest’s admiration of Silva is no secret.
He is out of contract next summer and one option which has been mooted is a stop-gap appointment by Evangelos Marinakis (aren’t they all?), with Silva a longer-term candidate. Keeping him happy at Fulham has to be a priority.