Emile Smith Rowe was Fulham’s record signing when he arrived from Arsenal in 2024. The fee was £27m, rising to around £34m with add-ons, on a deal to 2029. (Kevin and Gonzalo Garcia have since surpassed that figure, which says a bit about where he sits in the pecking order now.)

ESR arrived with a lot of weight on his shoulders and, by Marco Silva’s own account, started well. “Very, very good” was Silva’s description of his first few months, and the opening games of 2024-25 were at a high level. I think I’d say most Fulham fans were excited. Then it faded. He found things tough after the second international break and December was a struggle.

By the end of March 2025 he had five goals and two assists in 26 league games, and only two of those goals had come since the turn of the year. We wrote about it in March 2025, when he completed every pass against Brighton but created almost nothing. He ranked in the top 1% of European attacking midfielders for pass completion and near the bottom of the Premier League’s creators for expected assists and key passes. Translated: he was playing safe, with the mentality of a holding midfielder.

Silva never doubted the talent, but he wanted more consistency, more physical intensity and a much better second season. That didn’t happen - and 16 months on, he’s not even in the matchday squad.

Where we are now

ESR has four Premier League appearances this season, all off the bench. Both Carabao Cup starts came before we went out to Palace, and he scored against AFC Wimbledon. He then picked up an unspecified “issue” and hasn’t featured since the Ipswich defeat.

Arbeloa’s official line is that Emile “has to be patient”. The club wants him to succeed, but they will have to consider his future if he isn’t playing a pivotal role by the second half of this season. From what we can tell, Arbeloa doesn’t care about reputation or wages when picking his squad (see more: Kevin).

The bigger problem for Smith Rowe is Josh King. He’s 19, playing the number 10 role, and has just been called up by Tuchel for England after two goals and an assist in his first nine league games. That’s the shirt Smith Rowe was bought to wear, and the future he once saw. It’s now firmly in the hands of someone else.

Ideally, I’d tell you there’s a route back. I can’t see one right now. But let’s look at how January could play out.

Option one: rehabilitation

Stay, train, wait for an injury or a dip in King’s form. Arbeloa has publicly backed the “be patient” line, while Tom Cairney’s return has pushed him down further. The default is that nothing happens, but that is the worst outcome for a 26 year old who should be at his peak. Even a remote possibility of any England future is also gone if he’s not playing.

Option 2a: a loan

This is the most realistic outcome. It protects the asset. Fulham aren’t writing off a major investment. It gets him minutes, which is what he needs most. The sticking point is wages. Fulham will want a meaningful contribution, and that narrows the field.

A Premier League side needing a creative option is our best case. A Championship club or a move abroad is more likely. Neither is a step he’ll love, but he’s done a January loan before (Huddersfield in 2020) and it did him no harm at all.

Possible destinations for something like this could be potential promotion chasers of West Ham. Could Scott Parker be the force for a rejuvenation in ESR’s career and do us a solid in the proces? Could a hop across West London to QPR be on the cards? They’re in the top eight, they’re in London, and Julien Stéphan is known for building sides around young talent.

Option 2b: a loan with obligation

This one’s unlikely. Nobody commits to a fee for a player who hasn’t started a league game this season. An obligation triggered by appearances is the only version that works, and clubs will price in the risk.

Option three: a permanent transfer

This one’s possible, but it hurts. The original £27m fee, potentially rising to £34m, is amortised across his five-year contract. By January, Fulham could still have somewhere in the mid-teens of millions remaining on the books, depending on the add-ons recognised and the accounting treatment.

Selling below that figure would create an accounting loss, although Fulham wouldn’t need to recover the original transfer fee to avoid one.

There is also the wider financial picture. The Premier League’s new Squad Cost Ratio rules replace PSR from 2026-27, and a sale would remove both his wages and remaining annual amortisation from Fulham’s squad costs. That makes a permanent exit financially more complicated than simply accepting a loss on the original investment.

A buyer paying close to his remaining book value (estimated at £17m), given his current lack of minutes, is a hard sell. This option is far more likely in the summer, if and when a good run of minutes elsewhere could help increase his value.

A tricky few months

A loan is the most likely outcome, probably with Fulham covering part of the wages. A sale is a summer conversation. An obligation is close to a non-starter. Rehabilitation only happens if nothing suitable comes up, or if Arbeloa wants to retain him for squad depth.

None of this is a indictment on Smith Rowe’s ability. Somewhere in there - under the confidence dip and lack of any kind of suitable form - is still a player who looked like a future regular at Arsenal.

But potential talent doesn’t get you minutes behind a 19-year-old on red-hot form in Josh King, and other new recruits in Larsson and Angel taking valuable space on the bench. As for the January window, the question may be less of whether Fulham keep him - and more whether he plays anywhere before the summer.

Jack and Joe look back at the 1-1 draw with Newcastle, from Bernd Leno’s big saves to Rodrigo Muniz’s instant reply after Jacob Murphy’s late opener. Was it a point gained or two dropped?

Then we take stock of Fulham’s start to the 26/27 season and look ahead to a tough run of fixtures, starting at the Etihad. Plus, César Palacios’s impact off the bench, the Leno to Bayern rumours, and Josh King’s England call-up ahead of Thursday’s game against Croatia.

Guests:

Jack Kelly

Joe Sansom

Producer:

Freddie Cooper

Then we take stock of Fulham’s start to the 26/27 season and look ahead to a tough run of fixtures, starting at the Etihad. Plus, César Palacios’s impact off the bench,…

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There’s an eyebrow raising stat doing the rounds this week: Fulham have used the fourth-highest number of non-English players in Premier League history.

Yep, despite only being in it for 20 of its 35 seasons, we are above ever-present behemoths like Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton and Manchester United, with only Manchester City, West Ham and - surprise surprse - Chelsea ahead of us.

There are two ways of looking at this, I guess. One is that we have a broad scouting network that combs the far corners of Europe and beyond, bringing in stars and hidden gems alike. Another is that our academy has consistently failed to produce homegrown talent that we can reap the benefits of ourselves.

It’s an interesting stat to emerge in the week that Josh King became the first Fulham player to be called up to the England squad since Marcus Bettinelli in 2018.

Should King feature against Croatia at Wembley tomorrow night, or against Spain in Madrid on Sunday, he’ll be the first Fulham player to don the Three Lions since Bobby Zamora in 2011.

Heritage

We’ve not had much of a relationship with England in recent years. But once upon a time we were synonymous with the national side. Johnny Haynes won more than 50 caps between 1954 and 1962, and was even captain of the national team.

Then there was George Cohen. He made his Three Lions debut after Haynes had left the fold, but no Fulham fan will need reminding that he lifted the Jules Rimet in 1966. Not that England were fancied, as he told me in 2018: “We were 10-1 against going into [it]. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to bet, or we’d have put a few shillings on that!”

Double duty

A little more than 30 years after Cohen’s last England cap, the national team came knocking again - but not for any of our players.

Back in 1998 we were known in the media as “Kevin Keegan’s Fulham”, and were in the middle of schooling the old Second Division (now League One), when the Three Lions approached us asking if the late King Kev could split his time between club and country.

He did, and still led us to the league title, before leaving us to become national coach full-time. It didn’t go too well for him, with a lacklustre Euro 2000 bleeding into England’s 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign. Keegan resigned after England fell to Germany in the last game at the old Wembley.

The magnificent eight

As the table at the top of this piece intimates, we’ve not had many players called up in the last 35 years (and beyond). In fact, since Cohen, only eight players have joined up with the squad (including King), with only three making it onto the pitch.

The first was Sean Davis in 2003, who was called up by the late Sven Goran Eriksson. Unfortunatley, he was an unused substitute as England fell 3-1 to Australia at Upton Park. He later said of his call-up: “I hated the experience. It was all weird, no one really spoke”.

Next was Zat Knight two years later in 2005, who made two appearances in the summer of 2005 Eriksson. He was a half-time substitute in a 2-1 win over the USA in Chicago, before playing 90 minutes in a 3-2 win over Colombia in New Jersey three days later.

Though he never received another call-up, Zat was still honoured to play for his country - as he told me years later. Especially as he nearly ended up playing in emerald green!

“I’d actually sat down with Jean Tigana before as Ireland had come in for me and I had the choice. He told me to go with the bigger team. When the senior side came around it was an honour, as I was the first Fulham player in a few decades to play for England. I got a couple of caps and enjoyed every moment of it.”

A year later we had another player swap the white of Fulham for England, albeit he was on loan from a team in blue. Wayne Bridge, who joined us in search of the first-team games that would secure his place at the 2006 World Cup, started for the Three Lions against Uruguay in March, but was hooked after 30 minutes for Jamie Carragher. Bridge made the squad for the tournament in Germany, but never made it on the pitch.

in August 2008, Jimmy Bullard was called up to Fabio Capello’s squad for the World Cup qualifiers away to Andorra and Croatia after playing a crucial role in our great escape under Roy Hodgson the previous season. He never made it off the bench, not that it bothered him. He said in his autobiography: "I often think I'm still celebrating that call-up now and I don't think I'll ever stop."

The season after our Europa League run, throuhout which he played a huge role, Bobby Zamora made his England debut, coming on as a second-half sub in a 2-1 win over Hungary at Wembley. He had to wait more than a year for his second cap, starting in a 1-0 win over Sweden, once again at the home of football.

Then we had a pair of goalkeepers link up with the squad but never play. There’s the aforementioned Bettinelli, but before him came David Stockdale, who received two England call-ups while in SW6. That feels like a pub quiz question.

Our lion

Despite this hugely mixed bag, England have still never won a World Cup without a Fulham player in its starting XI.

And while we wait with baited breath as to whether Josh gets his first cap during this break, I think we’re all in agreement that he’ll be earning a fair few in the coming years - hopefully while at Craven Cottage.

Given George Cohen’s impact 60 years ago, Thomas Tuchel would be wise to advise Josh that remaining at Fulham is in his - and England’s - best interests.

We’re once again taking a break from domestic football, with Fulham sitting in 15th just two points above the relegation zone.

I wrote an article during the bumper September break about what success would look like for Alvaro Arbeloa this season. It was before the Ipswich game, and I said two wins from those three fixtures felt imperative. Thankfully, we got exactly that.

There seems to be two separate camps forming regarding Arbeloa. Some believe the Spaniard is turning the ship around, while others believe this is just a false dawn - and that trouble’s ahead.

What camp do you sit in? What should the aim be as we get closer and closer to that frantic Christmas period?

In favour

One thing for sure is that Alvaro Arbeloa has learnt from some of his early mistakes. After the 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace in early September it had all the markings of a short and not-very-sweet tenure.

To be fair to AA, he has adapted, and if anything over-corrected. The open, swashbuckling Whites have become more defensively resolute (the inclusion of David Affengruber has aided this), but have sacrificed some of that dazzling football we’d seen in the opening games.

That being said, Fulham have lost just one of their last seven league games following that 3-2 defeat, so who am I to judge? Arbeloa has steadied the ship, got us competitive in games and as of right now, we are above the trap door. He’s also seemingly found his starting XI with Berge, Charles and King operating in a more-than-capable midfield. Chance creation and goal scoring remains a concern and despite sitting on 10 points, we could easily have more.

Substitutions have been a bit of a concern for Arbeloa but in his defence, he got them spot on against Newcastle with Sessegnon and Muniz both playing key parts - Palacios as well (albeit his sloppy pass gifted Newcastle their opener!).

In the words of Jason Cundy: I’m seeing signs. We’re right in the mix, look far more competitive and if we can get the goal scoring right, Fulham will continue to get better and better under their new boss.

Against Alvaro

Some Fulham fans still aren’t convinced by Arbeloa. Despite an improvement, Fulham have played just three of the current top 10, with seven fixtures coming against those around us.

We simply had to have a better return than we did before the first break. I know we’ve picked up now, but zero points from Crystal Palace, Sunderland and Ipswich feels quite damning.

Fulham are also yet to win against a non-promoted side this season and Newcastle felt like another opportunity missed.

Our post-international break run consists of Manchester City, Bournemouth, an improved Tottenham, and Everton (yikes). While we have improved, you could very easily see Fulham come away from those with only a few (if any) points and for all the positivity we’ve had in recent weeks, that would land us back in the same position as early September.

The change in style was needed, but it’s led us to feel quite toothless in attack. Front-foot football has seemingly been replaced by lots of possession and no real end product to show for it. Fans are growing concerned, even if the problem lies more with finishing chances rather than creating them.

Where do I stand?

It’s six of one and half a dozen of the other. Arbeloa has improved and Fulham look far more competitive. I like the balance in midfield, I think defensively we are much more sound than we were, but I am worried about the lack of goal threat. I also think that we should’ve got more from the games we’ve played, which may come back to bite us as we navigate a tricky run of games.

January feels vital; we need another creative option out wide to spark some life into those areas and ensure we don’t run the likes of Iwobi and Bobb into the ground.

We just need to get through a busy Christmas period relatively unscathed. If we can keep our heads above water until the New Year, we put ourselves in a good position.

I’m not sure where the wins will come from, but I am confident they will. If we can just get to January and get a bit of investment (famous last words), I’m hopeful we’ll be right as rain. Come on Fulham!

Fulham head into the international break with 10 points from 10 games after a 1-1 draw with Newcastle on Saturday. Elizabeth, Drew, AF, and Sarah look back at the key events from the weekend’s game, including Newcastle’s disallowed goal from Dan Burn and Rodrigo Muniz’s return to form.

Then we look back on Arbeloa’s first 10 games in the Premier League and discuss whether we’re happy with the start to the 26/27 season.

Guests: Elizabeth Barnard, Drew Heatley, Adam Farquharson, Sarah Keig

Producer: Elizabeth Barnard

Then we look back on Arbeloa’s first 10 games in the Premier League a…

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Being a striker can be a lonely position.

Like a goalkeeper, it is a role that can be easily quantified - and therefore ruthlessly judged.

Rodrigo Muniz has been judged in the last year and a half. I include myself in that. His post-match interview after he scored his first league goal in 15 months showed - starkly - how sometimes we should take a step back before casting our aspersions.

We knew our samba striker had surgery last season - and upon his (rushed) return he wasn’t quite the same player. We obviously didn’t know about what was going on in his private life - and nor should we, of course.

I was delighted for Rodrigo during our celebrations for his equaliser - and I’m even more delighted now. It must have taken a huge amount of courage to reveal that personal heartache and I send all my love to him and his wife, Jady.

His introduction against Newcastle was exactly what we needed. Gonzalo, for all his positive attributes - many of which I pointed out last week - just wasn’t where we needed him to be. We needed a focal point up top; someone we could put balls into and have them be in the box where they could make things happen. Muniz wasted no time in putting himself about, hassling and harrying and generally being a nuisance.

His finish was far from easy too. It reminded me of the (rapid) evolution of his all-round game after the purple patch that announced his arrival as a first-team regular. His positioning and eye of goal, even in the narrowest of chances, were the elements of his game that made us desperate for him - and the club - to reject the advances of Atalanta last summer.

That, and the fact that he is such a loveable character. That doesn’t get you any points on the board, I grant you. But in a sport - and, frankly, a world - where they are increasingy hard to come by, I love the fact that we have players like Rodrigo who are easy to get behind, even when things might not be going their way on the pitch.

Muniz, buoyed by the fantastic news that he is set to become a father - looks and sounds ready to push on. And that is great news for everyone. He’s such a different striker to Gonzalo, and having him firing on all cylinders can only be a good thing for the Spaniard, in terms of pushing him to be his best.

But as far as Man City after the international break goes, it has to be Muniz leading the line. You can’t stifle the momentum and confidence that comes from a moment like Saturday, and from the feeling that “everthing’s coming up Muniz”.

I, for one, am delighted it is.

Fulham extended their unbeaten run to four Premier League matches thanks to Rodrigo Muniz’s first PL goal since the opening day of last season. Both teams rode their luck, and a draw was probably a fair result - here are my player ratings.

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We also give Rodrigo Muniz his flowers for a game-changing cameo off the bench, look back at the pe…

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Rodrigo Muniz has come to Fulham’s rescue, just as many of us thought he would, with a terrific performance from the bench to score a crucial equaliser in our 1-1 draw with Newcastle today. His energy and aggression proved crucial, reversing the advantage Matthias Jaissle’s side were able to gain through Jacob Murphy’s goal, won through a painful mishap…

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Sometimes the international break can be a frustration for fans; a pause in domestic matters which can stunt momentum, and stifle progress. However, for Fulham (and England) fans, this will be one the most highly anticipated England camps in years.

That is because our very own Josh King has been called up by Thomas Tuchel, and deservedly so. The 19 year old has been on fine form this season, and has been rewarded with a first official senior call-up. He could make his England debut next Thursday against Croatia at Wembley. England also play Spain in Madrid on the following Sunday.

It was, of course, the story of the day at Motspur Park and was the main talking point ahead of the press conference.

Alvaro Arbeloa started his presser fresh off the news of King’s inclusion in the England squad, so it was the first question.

Arbeloa: “This is a special moment for him, for us as a club and obviously for our supporters. I think Josh is the pride of our club and our supporters”, said Arbeloa.

“He came to this club when he was eight years old. And now, when you look at him, how he’s playing, how he’s performing, we are really proud of him. So I think it’s a big step for him. I’m so happy for him because he’s a very humble kid.

“You can see every day he wants to improve, he wants to work, he wants to become a better player every day. So I think it’s a special day for him and for all of us”

Arbeloa continued: “He’s obviously a very talented player that he can receive between the lines, where there is no space, he can turn, he can run, he can dribble with the ball. So he has everything and we are working with him about his finishing. Obviously, he needs to improve that and it’s the most difficult thing in football, scoring goals.

“But his mentality, his character, he’s a very mature player. You can’t forget that he’s just 19 years old, so it’s unbelievable how he’s performing. And yes, I think he has everything to become one of the best players in the world.”

Next, Arbeloa was asked about Fulham’s recent upturn in league in form:

“We are far from where I want to see my team, but obviously we are giving small steps. And when I told my players the other day, I believe, you don’t believe because you win. You win because you believe.

“And that was confident means. Believe in yourself even when you are not winning. And that was the most important thing for me when we were in a difficult moment.

“We believe in ourselves, we believe in the way that we were playing and we know that we have to fight every game. We are not better than any team. We have to fight for every goal.

“We have to run more than the others and after that we are a team that we like to keep the ball, we like to create chances but you have to fight for everything every day and you have to give your best if you want to win any game.”

Arbeloa had an update on team news, with one player missing out for tomorrow’s game:

“Yes, everyone is fit. Just Tom Cairney has some issues in his knee, so I don’t want to take any risks with him. He will not be available for tomorrow’s game, so he will be available for after the international break.

“And he’s very important for us and I think he will be very, very important for us during the season, so I don’t want to take any risk. I talked with him, he wanted to push but I think the best thing for us as a team and for him is to don’t take any risk with him.”

There were more questions about King - here’s what Arbeloa said about what it’s like to manage the teenager:

“I think from where I came, working with very young players. So since the first day that I arrived, I saw a very talented player. I saw a player that wants to be better every day.

“He’s a very demanding player and he wants to improve. For me, it’s not just about his quality, his talent, it’s about the mentality and the character. The other day before the match, usually, the players with more experience, They like to talk and they like to give a small speech before we play.

“And he did it the other day. He was amazing. And you can see that he has everything: the character, the mentality, the quality.

“So I think he’s in the way to become a star, a very, very important player in this world. I’m so happy that I coached him, helped him to develop and reach his level. But he needs to stay humble like he is.

“I’m not worried about that. I know that he needs to continue improving, he needs to continue scoring goals and making numbers. I think I’m here to help him to reach his level.”

There’s some more quotes to come from AA at 5pm, this can be found on my Patreon and X pages.

Tomorrow is a big game for both sides, but a huge chance for Fulham to go into the final international break of 2026 with good morale throughout the club.

See you at the Cottage tomorrow and enjoy the game!

COYW!

A week ago, we thought that the scariest thing on Halloween was our trip to Villa Park. Aston Villa, who had been in the ascendence, were curtailed in their quest for three points by a Fulham team that made them look second best on the day.

That’s the third team in a row that have been made to look ordinary by the Whites, and off back-to-back wins and a draw, this team are quietly undefeated in three league games and have only lost once in their last six.

Credit where credit is due: Arbeloa and his team are slowly gaining some momentum and there are real signs that a style of play is coming together. We’ll touch on that later.

So then, onto Newcastle at home this weekend. This feels like a contest with a few similarities: young managers, systems taking shape, fans from both teams wanting results. Matias Jaissle was appointed manager late into the summer after the last-minute exit of Eddie Howe. The German walked into a changing room that sold several key players and rapidly added new ones towards deadline day.

Going through that much change was always going to be tough for the club and results have reflected that. Recently reports came out that hinted at Jaissle’s team not knowing their roles, understanding their styles and communication was often mixed. Newcastle certainly has dangerous players, but this should be a game that Fulham are aiming to secure their third win of the season in.

So, as we take on Newcastle United, here are five things to look out for.

1. Gonzalo coming good?

After an encouraging start to life at Fulham, Gonzalo Garcia is experiencing the first goal drought of his young career. This will be the Spaniard’s first real test: how will he maintain the confidence in his own ability to get back on the scoresheet? There are certainly some encouraging signs; he continues find good positions and the ball is falling to him in the box – just not for him.

As Drew wrote about this week, there is a certain stat that rhymes with XP, which suggests that Garcia is one of the biggest under-performers in front of goal this season. That suggests that what we see of him is true: he gets in the box, and he misses big chances.

My criticism of Gonzalo is that he seems to always be on his heels. Surprised, almost, that he might score. It’s me at Sunday League imagining myself on the front of my local newspaper before slicing the ball past the post. The glaring miss against Villa seemed to be case in point. He is due a goal though, and Newcastle’s keeper Hornicek is going through a rough patch of form. If I’m up for a flutter, it might be on Gonzalo.

2. A midfield tussle

This is going to be a fun battle, I think. One midfield that will try to smother its opponent to death, and one that constantly tries to break out of its cage.

Newcastle’s midfield has excelled when given the opportunity to stretch their legs. One of my favourite goals so far this season was Joe Willock’s against Manchester City - a perfect one-man counter. So, the brief for Fulham here will be to put the Newcastle trio in positions where they can only go back towards their own goal. This is where Everton succeeded in their win on Monday night.

Fulham will also be tasked with keeping the ball moving with the same intent they had at Villa Park. This was a massive step up in contrast to the Coventry game. Fulham probed, prodded and poked at Villa with far more positive intent. They used shorter interchanges in the half-space to move around Villa’s narrow midfield and get at full-backs. The front four will want to do similar here, as Newcastle also possess good talent in wide areas. The Whites should be looking to move the opposition midfield around and nullify the threat of the counter. Newcastle’s centre-halves have been suspect this season, so drawing them out will be key.

3. A vertical threat

Having watched Newcastle a few times this season, one of their main threats is their ability to go from front to back quickly. This is a team that has been built with pace in mind, and they have good ball carriers through the middle of the park and out wide. While nobody can replace the attacking threat of Anthony Gordon, fellow Anthony (Elanga) carries a real threat with his pace. He is paired with Harvey Barnes, also no slouch.

Fulham will have their work cut out to stop these kinds of attacks at the source, and this has been an area where the Whites have excelled in recent weeks. We’ve seen Fulham set traps higher up the pitch, almost hunting in packs and winning the ball back higher. There have been plaudits for Berge and Charles, but the boys in front are certainly putting in a shift. I am once again here to say that we are nothing without Josh King, who is often the focal point.

4. Progressing with possession

This was another game where Fulham registered more than 530 passes, 110 of which were successful passes in the final third. That’s a real demonstration of how the Whites have improved in possession in recent weeks. There has been a newfound impetus in possession, and while it can feel a little conservative at times we are creating more. There were more shots on target against Villa than the previous two games combined, and Fulham registered twice the number of major chances than our opponents.

We’ve spoken about it in this column before, but Alex Iwobi has been the real driver of this Fulham team. He is the link that knits all phases of player together. I’m not sure if Alex is underrated, but I don’t think he gains as many plaudits as he should. Perhaps the victim of the stats-lead ratings of today, but he is a magnificent footballer with great fluidity. I’ve enjoyed his blossoming relationship with Josh King and Shea Charles.

Fulham have turned a corner with how they’re using the ball overall, there’s patterns as usual, but an additional element of speed is greatly welcomed. Progression through the thirds has looked better, and Fulham have been finding joy in wide areas. I still do wish they’d hit the byline more, though. Maybe Arbeloa might read this column, if so: “Hola”.

5. Calvin Bassey just vibing

Honestly, he really is just vibing out there. It’s equal parts impressive and nerve-wracking, but overall, I like it. Bassey brings a wildcard element that not many teams have – his ball carrying ability is a weapon the Fulham have begun to feel comfortable exploring. He really does feel like the perfect fit for this system; can pick his passes, cover his ground and even when he is caught on the half-turn, can recover.

Recent weeks have seen our Captain find the side to his game that was missing at times: the exuberant confidence that almost oozes out of him. The ability to use his body to win the ball and the return of winning aerial battles. Ipswich was one of the first times I saw Calvin genuinely out muscled, but since then he has rarely put a foot wrong. If I shared a dressing room with him, I’d probably run through a brick wall for him.

Enjoy the game. Here’s to three points!

The response to my piece about Gonzalo Garcia earlier this week was about as divided as I expected. Some said it echoed their thoughts entirely, but a large section of the comments intimated they’d given up on the Spaniard entirely.

Given how convinced I am he’ll come good, it got me thinking about how we’ve been wrong in the past about players. We’re a notoriously fickle bunch (myself included) so we can often end up with a bit of egg on our faces.

Here are five Fulham players we misjudged early on.

Barry Hayles

He’s one of the most beloved Fulham players in history - but it didn’t start out that way.

Barry arrived in SW6 as the most expensive player in the history Division Two (now League One), with a £2m price tag, despite having only played league football for a year.

The fee proved to be a millstone as he struggled in his first (two-thirds of a) season, scoring just eight times in 30 league games. Despite the Whites winning promotion, it’s safe to say people expected more for seven figures.

New boss Paul Bracewell didn’t much fancy Bazza, who then scored just five in his maiden second-tier season. But the arrival of Jean Tigana changed everything - as it did for everyone! He scored 19 times - 18 of them in the league - as the Whites romped to to the Premier League. And the rest is history.

Chris Baird

The Northern Ireland man arrived as a defender who was regarded as a bit of a jack of all trades - but a master of none.

He was regularly asked to fill in across the defence in bit-part roles that didn’t particularly inspire and it wasn’t long before he was linked with a move away.

But Baird started to come into his own under Roy Hodgson, filling in regularly at right-back, even holding that berth in the Europa League final. He continued to progress under Mark Hughes, even in a central midfield role. the highlight being two goals at a rain-soaked Britannia Stadium - one of them a GOTS winner - earning him the ‘Bairdinho’ moniker, and a place in our hearts.

Bobby Zamora

“When you’re sat in row Z and the ball hits your head, that’s Zamora.”

I spoke about BZ in my Garcia piece, but it is the best comparision I can make to GG. We did not like Zamora initially - and the feeling was mutual.

It came to a head in his second season, after he scored against Sunderland at the Cottage. He shoved his teammates away so he could repeatedly shout a the Hammy End to “Shut your fucking mouths”. Charming.

Roy Hodgson blamed “club blogs” (of which there weren’t many back then) for their criticism of the striker.

“Our fans in the Hammersmith end actually constantly chant his name. But these people who write in to the club’s blogs, they’re the real experts and they want something that he’s not been able to give them - 30 goals a year. But he has been a key player for us.”

He certainly went on to become one that season, scoring vital goals en route to the Europa League final amid a haul of 19 in all competitions. If he’d started in Hamburg we’d probably have a major European trophy in the cabinet.

Stefan Johansen

The inital opinion on StefJo shifted half an hour into his debut, as Slav hooked him for Jozabed in a disappointing 0-1 defeat to Birmingham City at the Cottage.

It was the first game covered by the pod - you’ll have to give it a listen to hear Johansen enthusiast Jack Collins’s opinions on that stinker.

The Norwegian quicky redeemed himself, going on to score 13 in all comps from midfield - and picking up no fewer than 15 yellow cards, displaying his shithousing streak that made him a cult hero.

Jean Michael Seri

Is this the most heartwarming redemption arc in FFC history?

Seri famously arrived on that infamous deadline day in 2018, for a whopping £25m amid interest from European giants including Barcelona. What followed was one of the most chaotically disappointing seasons ever and he was, rightly and firmly, labelled a huge flop.

We went to the Championship and Seri went to Galatasaray (on loan). He played no part in our equally ill-fated 2020-21 campaign, but returned to Craven Cottage for our tilt at the Championship championship under Marco Silva in 21-22. And that is where he proved us all wrong, becoming the midfield lynchpin as we pissed the league.

But his contract - the big fat one he signed way back in 2018 - was up at the end of the campaign at the club opted to let it expire, bringing an end to the relationship, but letting it finish on a high.

“He’s Marco Silva’s man, he’s better than Zidane…”

Go on then: who were you completely wrong about when they arrived? Be honest! Confess in the comments.

Jack and Sammy are back to have the final word on Fulham's 1-1 draw on the road at Villa Park, discuss players that aren't getting the minutes as they would've hoped under Arbeloa, and look ahead to Newcastle at the Cottage before the international break.

Guests:
Sammy James
Jack Collins

Producer:
Freddie Cooper

Read more

Something is slowly starting to bubble in SW6. Since that Crystal Palace defeat in the league, Fulham have lost just one of the following six Premier League fixtures and people are starting to take notice.

The second half performance at Aston Villa has got people looking at us; it’s clear that what Alvaro Arbeloa is building is starting to take shape. While it’s not yet perfect, you feel a statement win could be coming - and this weekend at home to Newcastle United presents a fantastic opportunity.

Believe in the numbers

xG chat is about a interesting as a wall being painted, but it provides a valuable picture for the state of play currently at the Cottage. Fulham currently sit seventh on the expected points table, with the suggestion being we should’ve picked up an additional 5.2 points over the course of the opening nine games. I’m a firm believer in things being evened out throughout a 38-game campaign and one thing is for certain with this Fulham side: we like the ball and we get into exciting positions, but that final delivery isn’t quite cutting it yet.

Performances against Hull and Aston Villa particularly point this out. Gonzalo Garcia missed a sitter against the Yorkshire side while Josh King was unlucky not to get onto the scoresheet. Oscar Bobb has kicked into gear and Zion Suzuki pulled off a couple of blinding saves last Saturday, Alex Iwobi missed a few from close range and away at Coventry, Josh King hit the bar from close range. Our ability to create chances is encouraging, it’s only a matter of time before they hit the back of the net.

Gonzalo Garcia remains divisive, but I sit firmly in the believer camp. I think Aston Villa was a good performance from the youngster. He stretched play, brought others in all while not really creating a tonne. Players live and breathe for confidence and with Garcia being the second biggest under-performer in the league this season (-2.62 xG). I think it’ll only take one to give him that lift.

There for the taking

This is by no means a dig at Newcastle United, but this just feels like a perfect storm for Fulham (famous last words). Matthias Jaissle’s side are struggling; the strikers aren’t firing, inconsistency has struck and their record on the road this season has been patchy to say the least.

When things are low, they’re really low. Newcastle have already conceded four at Leeds, four at Coventry and three at Everton in the Carabao Cup and you get the feeling if one goes in at the Cottage, heads could drop. That combined with another disappointing result at home to Everton last weekend and Jacob Ramsey suspended for Saturday’s fixture, it all feels like it’s falling into place for Fulham.

Opportunity

I remember in 2023 there being a similar feeling. Fulham are showing the signs, they just need to put it all together in a performance. What followed next was a pair of 5-0 wins at the Cottage against Nottingham Forest and West Ham United. I’m not suggesting that Fulham are going to turn up and absolutely romp Newcastle but the signs are pointing in our favour.

People are starting to warm towards Arbeloa. He’s looked to have learned from his mistakes during those opening few games. I’m not saying it’s perfect and I’m still skeptical of his decisions from the bench, but this feels like a serious opportunity for him. Win on Saturday, begin to create what breathing space you can from the bottom three, and enter an international break in high spirits before our inevitable annual defeat at the Etihad.

It’s coming Fulham fans. Could it be Saturday?

When Gonzalo Garcia danced past AFC Wimbledon’s Dan Sweeny, side-stepped ‘keeper Nathan Bishop and coolly slotted home to bag his second goal in two games, it looked like we’d robbed Real Madrid.

10 games later and the picture’s less rosy. But - as is always the case in football - it’s not black and white.

These formative stages of Gonzalo’s FFC career remind me a bit of Bobby Zamora’s, more than 15 years ago. When he first arrived, he couldn’t bag a goal for love nor money (bar one goal against Bolton early on). He copped abuse from the fans in the Hammersmith End, so when he did score, he’d cup his ears in response to his haters.

We came to realise that there was a lot more to his game than just goals. His hold-up play, his eye for bringing others into the game, were just as vital as his ability to put it in the onion bag.

Our relationship with Garcia isn’t as volatile as it was with Bobby in those early months. We understand he’s a young striker with a potentially stifling price tag. And in the modern game, we have a lot more data at our fingertips to see that he’s doing a lot right, and that the goals will come.

The stat doing the rounds on social this week is that Gonzalo is the biggest underperformer so far this term based on the ever-divisive xG metric. I’m not a stats nerd, but this tells me two things: his finishing needs work (the eye test already tells us this) and that he’s getting into good positions.

The latter is a far more important element, for me. Finishing is a confidence issue; strikers, particurlarly young ones in a new league, can be forgiven for lacking some confidence when things start to get a bit tricky. But Gonzalo’s workrate and positional ability is still at a high level. So when he does score, I think we can be in for a purple patch.

And it’s worth pointing out the company he’s keeping on that list. These are not terrible players. They’re not duds. Football ebbs and flows - remember when Igor Thiago was the next R9 Ronaldo?

When Garcia scored on his debut I was so pleased he got that monkey off his back. And when he went two for two, I thought “How refreshing to have a striker that is hitting the ground running?”. But football has a funny way of subverting your expectations. I’ve seen enough believe Gonzalo is closer than we might think to a kicking on. Sometimes, you just need one to bounce in off your arse, right?

His second-half performance against Villa on Saturday gives more reasons for hope - and will hopefully go some way to rebuilding some of his confidence. Some players just need an arm around them. We know Garcia will get that from his mentor Arbeloa - I have a feeling that the collective arms of the Fulham Faithful can help get him over the line.

Sammy, Piers, Dom, and Dan break down Fulham’s 1-1 draw away at Aston Villa. Arbeloa’s side came away with a first Premier League point at Villa Park in 12 years, and it came thanks to a Zion Suzuki own goal from an Alex Iwobi corner. We discuss Oscar Bobb’s man-of-the-match display and whether he’s now an upgrade on Harry Wilson.

We also debate the handball penalty, pick apart Villa’s goal, and ask why Fulham keep missing so many big chances. We then look at Arbeloa’s substitutions and Kevin being frozen out, whether Smith Rowe and Andersen should go in January, and whether you’d settle for 15th right now. With Newcastle up next, has Arbeloa now earned himself until Christmas?

Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube or Pocket Casts

Guests: Sammy James, Piers Cottee-Jones, Dom Betts, Dan Goga-Cooke