Friday Fulham Stuff - 21/08/26...

[WhiteJC]

Fulham (A): 2,500 tickets sold and counting!
At the time of writing we've sold 2,500 tickets ahead of AFC Wimbledon's highly-anticipated Carabao Cup second round clash against Fulham.

The remaining tickets of our initial allocation will be placed on General Sale from 4pm today (Thursday 20 August).

Johnnie Jackson's side are set to make the short trip across the River Thames for what should be a cracking London derby under the floodlights after beating Newport County on penalties in the first round.

Dons fans will be housed in the Putney End of Craven Cottage, with tickets priced as follows:

Dons fans will receive a link via email to download their digital ticket(s). For this fixture physical/e-tickets will not be available.

We will contact our supporters later in the week to notify them that links have been sent for them to download their ticket(s).

Supporters can buy up to four tickets per transaction.

Please email dlo@afcwimbledon.ltd.uk if you require a disabled ticket. 

*Disabled supporters in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (higher or middle rate) or PIP payments can be issued with a complimentary personal assistant ticket, if required.

PLEASE CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO BUY YOUR TICKETS:



https://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/news/2026/august/20/fulham--a---2-500-tickets-sold-and-counting-/

[WhiteJC]

Xabi Alonso issues Chelsea injury update as summer signing fit for Fulham
Spaniard expecting a full complement for Premier League kick-off

Xabi Alonso has confirmed Danny Welbeck and those Chelsea players who featured at the World Cup will all be available for selection for the club's Premier League opener away at Fulham on Monday night.

Welbeck signed from Brighton earlier this summer but trained alone on Thursday, sparking concerns as to his fitness.

Alonso, though, has confirmed he will be fit and available to make his competitive debut at Craven Cottage despite a minor issue.

"He can be involved," Alonso confirmed. "He needs a couple of days not training too much because of a little thing. We expect him to be back on Saturday."

A number of Chelsea players were handed extended summer breaks following their involvement at the World Cup, with the likes of Reece James, Enzo Fernandez, Maxence Lacroix, Morgan Rogers, Valentin Barco and Malo Gusto only reporting for pre-season after the club's tour of southeast Asia.

Alonso has no concerns as to their fitness, though, and confirmed they will be available for Monday's west London derby: "Let's see, we will check, we will assess. For sure, because of the World Cup they might need a little bit more time. They are selectable for the line-up."

James, Rogers, and Lacroix all started in Chelsea's final pre-season friendly against Real Sociedad last week, with Gusto and Fernandez coming off the bench.

Alonso also confirmed Levi Colwill is approaching full fitness. The centre-back tore his ACL a year ago this month, and missed the vast majority of the 2025/26 campaign as he recovered from surgery.

Alonso added: "I would say having a proper pre-season has helped (Colwill) in taking the right steps in the right moment. We don't want to rush him too quickly because of what he had last year.

"Now, after pre-season, we are expecting him to play in a good way with the confidence and the fitness to have him at his best level. For me, he is one of the best centre-backs in the world."



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/chelsea-fc-injury-latest-welbeck-b1294083.html

[WhiteJC]

The FFC Rumour Mill: could Castagne leave this summer?
Jack Stroudley looks at another week in the transfer window.

We are officially less than a week away from Premier League action, and I for one am buzzing to get going.

Fulham have made some very good signings so far this summer and things appeared to be taking shape against Stuttgart. That's not to say we're done; we all know Fulham need defensive reinforcements and the rumours of this week show that the club and fanbase are aligned in that thinking.

Let's have a look at who could potentially come in the door before the September deadline.

Incomings
It appears that Fulham are going big on a right-back as well as a centre-back, I'll start with the rumours from the former.

Fabrizio Romano reported on Sunday that Atalanta had rejected a €20m bid for full-back Raoul Bellanova. The 26 year old has been a target of Fulham for some while and his attacking capabilities would fit right in to what Arbeloa wants from his full-backs. Atalanta have said they are not interested in selling Bellanova so going off other rumours, it appears we may be looking elsewhere.

Reports in Spain suggested that Girona's Arnau Martinez had reached an agreement to join Valencia for €6m, but Fulham remain interested in signing the 23 year old for his €8m release clause.

Alvaro Arbeloa contacted Martinez directly with the proposal, which could potentially turn his head. Another interesting note on this is that Fabrizio Romano reported on Tuesday night that Valencia had agreed a deal for a different right-back. Could this leave the door open for Fulham?

Finally, reports in Italy suggest that long-standing Fulham target Brooke Norton-Cuffy will move to the Premier League this summer with Everton also interested.

Moving to the centre of defence now, and FulhamTransfer has claimed that Rennes have rejected a second bid for Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal worth €28m with the French club wanting closer to €35m. If true, this feels a bit steep for someone with the limited experience that Ait Boudlal currently has, and going off other reports, Fulham feel the same.

Santi Aouna reports that Fulham have also put an offer down for Real Betis and Brazilian defender Natan while remaining in talks for Ait Boudlal. The same report also mentions Argentine defender Leonardo Balerdi and FulhamTransfer has also mentioned Ajax's Josip Sutalo as a potential option.

Outgoings
With a right-back looking likely to join before the end of the window then you'd imagine one of Castagne or Tete will depart this summer. Castagne has one year left on his deal so the club may look to recoup some of their outlay, similar to Issa Diop and Sasa Lukic, despite his strong preseason performances.

Paul Joyce has reported that Everton have had an enquiry rebuffed by Fulham and The Athletic suggests that Castagne is on a long list of names that David Moyes is considering.

Looking elsewhere, Sacha Tavolieri has claimed that Al-Shabab have held initial talks with Benjamin Lecomte and with previous reports of the club looking at goalkeeper as a potential area to improve, this is one that could happen. It would need lots of parts to move around, though.

Luc De Fougerolles is attracting interest from Championship sides for a loan but we'd need another defender to come in, in order to free up the Canadian international.

Finally, Luke Harris looks set to join Wigan Athletic on loan and Aaron Loupalo-Bi has completed a loan move to Fleetwood Town. Good luck, lads.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/p/the-ffc-rumour-mill-could-castagne

[WhiteJC]

Games for the Weekend 21/08
For our opening game of the 26/27 season we welcome Chelsea to the Cottage

So, we're off again for a new season of Premier League football, and we welcome our nearest neighbours to the Cottage for an 8 o'clock kick-off.

Having to wait until Monday for the first game is always a bit frustrating, especially when it's the opening game of the season. Still, a result against Chelsea will make it all worthwhile, King's goal should never have been ruled out last season!

The loss of Marco Silva has inevitably led to questions about Fulham's prospects, with some pundits already predicting a relegation battle, and even suggesting that a bottom-three finish is a realistic possibility.

There is no denying that Álvaro Arbeloa represents a risk. His first-team managerial experience is limited, having progressed from Real Madrid's youth and reserve sides before taking charge of the senior team. But it is equally important not to dismiss what he actually achieved in that relatively short spell. He guided Real Madrid to the Champions League quarter-finals, where they were narrowly beaten by Bayern Munich, 6–4 on aggregate, and finished second in La Liga, just six points behind champions Barcelona.

That's hardly the record of a manager who has demonstrated that he cannot cope with senior football. Of course, managing Real Madrid and managing Fulham are entirely different challenges, and the Premier League will test Arbeloa in ways his previous role did not. But there is a significant difference between saying that his appointment is a gamble and saying that Fulham are now favourites for relegation.

Fulham's recruitment suggests that this is not simply a club hoping Arbeloa can keep them afloat, the arrivals of Gonzalo García and César Palacios from Real Madrid and Shea Charles from Southampton underline the youth-focused direction of the new project, while the club has also invested heavily in strengthening the squad.

Marco deserves enormous credit for what he achieved at Fulham, replacing him was never going to be straightforward. Perhaps a more reasonable expectation is that Arbeloa needs time to prove himself rather than being written off before he has managed a competitive Premier League game. Of course a relegation battle is possible, as it is for any club undergoing significant change, but calling Fulham a certain bottom-three side seems way to premature.

It'll be interesting to see how Álvaro Arbeloa matches up against Xabi Alonso, with both being former Real Madrid managers. Álvaro replaced Xabi for the second half of last season, so it'll be fascinating to see how the two approach this game.

This season we'll also be without Raúl, Harry Wilson and Issa Diop, but we do, so far, have three exciting prospects in García, Palacios and Shea Charles. Hopefully, there'll be a few more to come before the window closes?

It's a new season, a new chapter, and hopefully plenty more to get excited about.

with Anderson suspended and Cairney recovering from a knee operation, Tom won't be available until October, my squad would be...



COYW's

Games of Interest

Friday 21/08
Arsenal v Coventry

Saturday 22/08
Hull v Man Utd
Everton v Palace
Ipswich v Sunderlane
Brentford v Spurs

Sunday 23/08
Brighton v Villa
Newcastle v Liverpool

Monday 24/08
Fulham v Chelsea
come on over to the forum and join in the conversation...
https://www.friendsoffulham.com/forum/index.php?board=3



https://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/?p=3651

[WhiteJC]

Chelsea XI vs Fulham: Confirmed team news, predicted lineup, injury latest for Premier League
Xabi Alonso takes charge of Chelsea for the first time in a competitive fixture

Danny Welbeck will be available for Chelsea's Premier League opener away to Fulham on Monday.

Welbeck had been spotted training individually on Friday morning, raising concerns that he may be an injury doubt for Xabi Alonso's first competitive game in charge of Chelsea.

The veteran forward, a summer signing from Brighton, has been managing a small issue, but Alonso has confirmed he will be available for selection at Craven Cottage.

"He can be involved," Alonso said in his pre-match press conference on Thursday. "He needs a couple of days not training too much because of a little thing. We expect him to be back on Saturday."

Alonso also confirmed that those who had returned late following the World Cup would be available for selection despite a limited pre-season.

That includes wantaway midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who remains heavily linked to Manchester City despite Chelsea's self-imposed deadline for clubs to meet their £120million valuation passing without any bids last Friday.

On Fernandez, Alonso refused to say whether the 25-year-old had personally told him he wanted to stay at the club.

However, he did go on to praise the Argentine's attitude since returning to training 10 days ago and said he would be ready to play against Fulham.

"Enzo is a Chelsea player. He is a top, top player. He's training really well since he started 10 days ago with the team, very integrated, and we are happy with him, and he's getting ready for Monday," Alonso continued.

Elsewhere, Emmanuel Emegha returned to training last week, having missed the majority of pre-season with a hamstring injury.

The summer arrival from Strasbourg was not, however, involved in Chelsea's final pre-season friendly last weekend as they beat Real Sociedad 3-1 at Stamford Bridge.

Jordan Henderson also missed out against Sociedad despite being pictured in training last week. The former Liverpool captain has been recovering from a wrist injury sustained in the aftermath of England's last-16 victory over Mexico in July.

Young centre-back Aaron Anselmino is still struggling with a hamstring injury picked up in the final friendly of Chelsea's tour of Australia and Asia.

Wesley Fofana, meanwhile, is suspended after he picked up a red card in the final league game of last season away to Sunderland.

It is unclear yet whether Alonso will opt for a three- or four-man defence against Fulham, having switched between both during pre-season.

Either way, he is expected to start Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers alongside each other in a competitive game for the first time as Chelsea players.

The pair started against Real Sociedad, with Rogers scoring his first Chelsea goal after making a British record £117m transfer from Aston Villa.

Chelsea's bloated squad means Alonso has opted to train with two separate groups.

The likes of Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap and Mykhailo Mudryk are part of the other group training away from Alonso's core squad members, and it remains to be seen whether any of them will be involved on Monday.

Chelsea predicted XI: Sanchez; James, Lacroix, Colwill, Hato; Fernandez, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Rogers; Joao Pedro

Injured: Anselmino

Doubt: Henderson, Emegha

Suspended: Fofana

Time and date: 8pm BST on Monday, August 24, 2026

How to watch: Sky Sports

Venue: Craven Cottage



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/chelsea-fc-xi-vs-fulham-confirmed-team-news-predicted-lineup-injury-latest-premier-league-2026-b1294119.html

[WhiteJC]

'In The Coming Hours' – Fulham Chief Scout Watches Everton Target, Bid Incoming
Fulham are expected to put in an offer for Everton linked wing-back Raoul Bellanova in the coming hours after their chief scout watched him in action for Atalanta.

The Cottagers are picking up the pace in the transfer window during the closing stages and have signed three players so far this month in the shape of Gonzalo Garcia, Cesar Palacios and Shea Charles.

Boss Alvaro Arbeola wants more additions as the new Premier League campaign looms large and Bellanova is a player Fulham have been keen on throughout the summer.

Bellanova has not just been chased by Fulham though, with Everton having him firmly in their thoughts as they look for a new right-back.

It emerged in June that he was one of four right-back names under consideration at the Hill Dickinson, while it was then suggested their interest in the Atalanta man was 'very much alive'.

Fulham though appear to be leading the push at the moment and their chief scout was in the stands to watch Atalanta play Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Conference League playoff round on Thursday evening.

Bellanova started the 0-0 draw and completed the full 90 minutes.

According to Italian journalist Luca Cerchione, an official offer from Fulham for Bellanova 'is expected in the coming hours'.

It is suggested that it 'is unlikely to be considered' because Bellanova is seen as too important to Maurizio Sarri's style of play.

How much Fulham's bid might come in at remains to be seen, as does whether it pushes Everton into taking action.

While Atalanta do not want to sell Bellanova, an offer could be put on the table which focuses minds in Italy.

The full-back has long been tracked by Premier League sides and was scouted by both Aston Villa and Manchester United in 2024.

West Ham also showed keen interest in Bellanova, but there is little prospect of the London Stadium outfit getting involved this summer.

Newcastle United asked about Bellanova's availability earlier this summer, however recently signed a new right-back in Amar Dedic from Benfica.



https://insidefutbol.com/2026/08/20/in-the-coming-hours-fulham-chief-scout-watches-everton-target-bid-incoming/724460/

[AJW48361]

Did Anybody attend The Riversiders season ticket holders (only) evening with Arbeloa at the pier?. I wonder how many of them have tickets for The AFC
Cup game next week.