How dysfunctional Fulham nightmare has set them up for Premier League relegation battle

After the worst Premier League season for at least 20 years last campaign for everyone except Liverpool and Nottingham Forest fans, 2025/26 is shaping up to be a vintage campaign with intriguing battles at both ends of the table, but that could be bad news for Fulham.

You don’t need to have worked in football professionally to tell that signing two first-team players, one on loan, isn’t usually the foundation of a hugely successful season - not every team can be the Reds. But Marco Silva may need to pull off an Arne Slot-style miracle as that’s the exact position he finds himself in after the transfer window slammed shut on Monday leaving behind only the bitter taste of frustration.

Samu Chukwueze and Kevin are both talented players but they’re unproven in the Premier League and Fulham’s inactivity throughout the entirety of June, July and August mean they’ll need to hit the ground running - this headline isn’t a knock on who Fulham have signing, it’s illuminating the problems created by who they haven’t.

The collapse of the Tyrique George deal was a hammer-blow for the Cottagers but even if the talented 19-year-old had moved a couple of miles across West London, it would’ve been lipstick on a pig of a transfer window that could cost Fulham not just their longest-serving and arguably best manager of the Premier League era but their top-flight status.

Marco Silva has broadcast unease at Craven Cottage

As yet another VAR decision went against Fulham at Stamford Bridge last weekend, Marco Silva looked like a harrowed new father in his third week of parenthood that had just been jolted from drifting off to sleep by the baby waking up and bawling, again.

And tracking his comments from the final days of the transfer window it’s not hard to see why. “It’s not an ideal scenario,” Silva said on the eve of the Premier League season kicking off. “I didn’t expect us to be this passive… Of course not. We need to reinforce. In some positions, we are very short.

After securing points against Manchester United and Brighton, he doubled down with more foreboding: “I think my situation and my future, and the future of the players can never be something that can be a distraction at all. Fulham is the main thing for all of us. We have to [sign players]. This is the situation. I'm answering this way to you, and it's not to put any more type of pressure at all. It's because we don't have other solutions.”

And ahead of that fateful game against Chelsea, Silva sounded resigned to his fate: “I think as a manager we don’t have other solutions if not to do it [sign players] because, if not, we are going to be not in the condition that we should be to play in the Premier League. In the end of the window you can see. I think we waste a lot of time. It’s already too late.”

What must be extra frustrating for Silva is the way Fulham have failed to maximise their returns on the pitch as well as in the market. Lucky to claim a point from Brighton, the football gods over-corrected against Manchester United with the Cottagers on the end of two questionable VAR decisions and history repeated itself in the West London derby against Chelsea.

Fulham have the joint-smallest squad in the Premier League at 23 players, the oldest by over half a year on average and according to Transfermarkt only four are less valuable. It’s not as if they’ve been gutted of their best players like Crystal Palace or Brentford either - these problems at the start of September were present at the end of May.

One of four remaining winless sides in the top flight, Wolves are the only one of their current miserable companions that look likely to remain in the relegation battle while Everton, Leeds, Sunderland and Burnley have all made better starts than expected this season.

Brentford and West Ham are also set to struggle this season but while Fulham have the upper hand on them right now despite their summer woes, that will all change if Silva departs Craven Cottage. And after so publicly voicing his frustration at his club’s summer, other owners will be watching Silva’s plight with interest.

Silva could become belle of the managerial ball

Notwithstanding his doomed spell at Everton, Silva’s built up quite the managerial CV and it’s one that is only going to attract more and more suitors however Fulham play this season.

He’s also had some strange dismissals too - sacked by Sporting for not wearing their official suit to a cup match after winning the club’s first silverware in seven years, parting ways with Hull City following relegation despite having the Tigers 13th in the form table since his arrival, and the drama over his protracted move from Watford to Goodison Park.

But having been linked with Manchester United, Juventus and the Saudi Pro League including a £40 million offer from Al Ahli (who it’s not even a joke to say would offer more options in the transfer market than Fulham), it’s surely only a matter of time before Silva receives an offer that seriously tempts him.

Silva’s in something of a win-win situation at Craven Cottage now - if he outperforms the club’s investment this summer it will only add to his reputation while if they do struggle the blame will fall higher up and shouldn’t be held against him. If does depart Fulham will be in real trouble and prime candidates for relegation and it’ll be a problem entirely of their own making thanks to this summer transfer window.