The run-up to Brighton away has begun. Excitement should be building; pre-season delusions should be rife. Not at Fulham FC. Despite quotes from boss Marco Silva stating FFC have been planning for the summer since January, Fulham are the Premier League’s lowest spenders. Why is this? A sequence of events in recent years, culminating in this summer’s debacle, forces me to ask the question: “**Are the Khans gearing up to sell Fulham?”**
I’m going to preface the entirety of this article with this: this is in no way an attack at the Khans. They, at times, receive lots of criticism for issues that they likely have little to no involvement in. Their historic investment in the second tier, especially in the wake of the two most recent relegations Fulham had, is something unparalleled in recent years in the EFL, and without that, forget Marco Silva – we wouldn’t be here today. Always remember, we, as Fulham fans, know it could be a lot worse. David Bulstrode and Fulham Park Rangers should serve as a reminder of that. But, with that said, why do I think the Khans’ West London tenure is coming to an end?
Similarities to Closing Days of Al Fayed’s Tenure
-------------------------------------------------
Think back to post – Europa League finalist Fulham. In a time when FFC should have solidified themselves as a top-half side, Al Fayed pulled back his once-plentiful investment. Valuable assets were sold on, the fees Fulham received weren’t reinvested, and Fulham sat on a decent but ageing squad. Sound familiar?
It should do. I’ve stated many times how 13/14 should serve as a warning to this Fulham regime. Well, it doesn’t seem to have. Fulham had the oldest squad in the Premier League on many matchdays last season, have followed up not spending a penny last January with barely spending a penny in the vast majority of the 25/26 summer window – oh, and don’t get me started on the quotes from Alex Howell suggesting Fulham are at ease with the squad’s predicament ahead of the next campaign…
Don’t forget, people: when Aleksandar Mitrović was sold to Al Hilal, the Fulham faithful were promised a big-money Mitro replacement alongside Raul Jimenez. That never materialised. João Palhinha was sold the following summer, which sparked a flurry of late-in-the-window business… again. Consecutive big-money summer sales leave Fulham in a decent place to spend financially, which the recent talks of Kevin arriving on the river’s shores would suggest the Whites are finally on the cusp of doing so – but to me, upcoming spending doesn’t put sale suspicions to bed.
Khan – Supporter Relations Worsening: No Transparency
-----------------------------------------------------
The Khans’ relationship with Fulham’s hardcore support has never been top-notch. Infamous Tony Khan “Go to hell” comments live long in the minds of many from half a decade ago, but despite yesteryear’s many PR disasters, Fulham’s relationship with their supporters just seems to worsened.
Is this an accident? I don’t think so. Many supporter-based issues, like the recent Portugal pre-season scandal that left hundreds of FFC fans hung out to dry and out of pocket, this could have been easily fixed by a statement of apology alongside an offering of something as simple as an open training session. Fulham didn’t do that. Why? Because the club’s hierarchy’s relationship with their supporters is irrelevant – why put out a statement to help mend supporter relations when you’re only in search of maximum profits to appeal to a prospective buyer?
Khans’ Goals Achieved: The Right Time to Move On?
-------------------------------------------------
For the first time since the Khans took the reins at the Cottage, Fulham are an established Premier League outfit. Now in our fourth consecutive top-flight campaign, not only have the Khans achieved top-flight stability, they’ve achieved their goal of moving Fulham into something more than a football club…
Premier League stability adds plenty of value onto London’s Original’s price tag alone, but the Riverside redevelopment will not only add value onto the football club’s valuation, it will give potential buyers even more prospects to be sold on to as for why Fulham aren’t just a middling football club – FFC posses recently developed upon, prime West London riverside real estate, with Fulham Pier having the facilities to turn the Riverside into a 365-day business operation open to the rich and famous of the capital.
So, where do the Khans go from here? They have achieved much of what they came to West London to do. Any hopes of a London sport empire headed up by a Jaguars – Fulham affiliation are dead in the water after plans for a Jags’ new stadium was announced in Duval County. Fulham are worth more than what the Americans paid for the football club over twelve years ago. To me, it seems that the Khans’ London sport conquest is done. Whispers around potential Middle Eastern interest in years gone by aren’t much of a secret. Whilst I don’t think a sale is anywhere near imminent, everything coming out of FFC would suggest the Khans are open to business.