Fulham

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham fans may be excited at the prospect of links with a new striker but who is Ricardo Pepi?

The PSV front man hails from El Paso, Texas and although he was born in the USA he grew up on a diet of Mexican football and even supported the Mexico national team – the country of his mother's birth.

He played for both nations at youth level but he eventually chose to represent the United States in August 2021. "It was a difficult decision," he admitted. "I thought about it for three or four years and I had to talk a lot with my family and the people I trust the most. It was a decision made with my heart."

He is nicknamed 'El Toro', or 'The Bull', and he bagged a hat-trick on his professional debut for North Texas in 2019 while on loan from MLS outfit FC Dallas.

His favourite player is Cristiano Ronaldo but he has previously listed Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus as a big inspiration and Pepi's style is similar.

If Pepi was to sign for the Whites, he would become the 13th American to play for the club. It is an illustrious list that includes favourites such as Clint Dempsey, Brian McBride and current marauding left-back Antonee Robinson. Oh, and it also includes former Reading goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann.

Perhaps most importantly of all, he looks to be blossoming at the age of 22. Last season he netted 11 times in 18 league outings for PSV on their way to the Dutch title.

Fulham have rejected a £26m offer, with a further £6m in add-ons, from newly-promoted Leeds for Brazilian striker Rodrigo Muniz, 24. (Standard), external

The Whites are themselves considering a move for PSV Eindhoven and United States striker Ricardo Pepi, 22, who is being monitored by several Spanish and Italian clubs. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Opta has ranked the difficulty of each top-flight team's first five Premier League fixtures of the 2025-26 season.

According to Opta's model, Manchester United have the hardest start, followed by their opening-weekend opponents Arsenal and then Bournemouth.

Aston Villa's first five games have been ranked the easiest, alongside Crystal Palace.

Take a look below to see where your side places...

Aside from the opening weekend's game at Brighton and the final fixture of the season against Newcastle United, all dates are subject to change as a result of broadcast and other requirements.

See Fulham's full fixture list here

Image source, Getty Images

As one of only three sides Liverpool failed to beat in the league last season, Fulham will be hoping to maintain their good form against the champions when they host Arne Slot's men in their opening game of 2026.

Marco Silva's side are then due to travel to Anfield on the weekend of 11-12 April.

In terms of meetings with west London rivals Chelsea and Brentford, the Blues visit the Cottage at the start of January, while the Bees will make the trip on the weekend of 20-21 September.

The reverse fixtures are due to take place at the end of August and in mid-April respectively.

And what about the festive schedule? Well, Fulham's last game before Christmas will be at home to Nottingham Forest and they then close out 2025 with trips to West Ham and Crystal Palace.

Finally, the Whites will close their campaign at Craven Cottage against Newcastle United on Sunday, 24 May 2026 - when all 10 matches will kick off at 16:00 BST.

Looking at the fixture list, where do you think Silva's side will be after 10 games? Have your say here

Fulham will travel to Brighton in their opening game of the 2025-26 Premier League season.

The match will take place on the weekend of 16-17 August, with the Whites' first home fixture against Manchester United on the weekend of 23-24 August.

See Fulham's Premier League fixtures in full here

Where do you think they will be after 10 games and what do you make of how the fixtures have fallen? Tell us here

Image source, Getty Images

As the transfer window is now open again until 1 September, we asked for you to tell us one player you want to bring to Fulham and one player you want the club to sell.

Here are some of your comments:

Tom: Sell Andreas Pereira - he has lost his spark and his absence would leave room for Josh King to thrive. Buy Jonathan David - we've been in need of a clinical striker since Mitrovic left two years ago.

Jayden: I would sign a young right-back like Milan Van Ewijk at Coventry City and add another young winger. I would also sell Harrison Reed and replace Diop with a younger centre-back.

James: We need to take Joe Willock from Newcastle as we don't really have a great right-winger. I would sell Pereria as he has not been very consistent this season.

Keir: Sell Harrison Reed, he was a liability all season. Buy Mitrovic, his club has to free up space and he knows where the back of the net is.

Guy: We should buy Haji Wright - he has been brilliant for the past few seasons for club and country yet no-one seems to have noticed. Shouldn't be too expensive and he's only 27. We should sell Pereira - he's been useless for us all season, and clearly wants a move back to Brazil.

No sooner does the season finish and we start looking forward to key dates for the next campaign - and that will be a lot easier to do on Wednesday when the Premier League fixtures are released.

That's right, that special day in the calendar is almost here already. The day when you'll learn details of derby fixtures, Christmas opponents and end-of-season run-ins.

This page will bring you all the fixtures when they drop at 09:00 BST on Wednesday and we'll be giving you the chance to have your say on how things look.

The new campaign kicks off on the weekend of Saturday, 16 August and it will conclude on Sunday, 24 May 2026, when all 10 games will take place at the same time.

The transfer window is open again for summer business to be conducted.

Clubs can now strike deals until the deadline at 19:00 BST on 1 September.

So if you can sell one player who is it? And if you can buy one player only, who gets the nod?

Give us reasons for your choice but remember, in this instance it's a strict one player leaving and one coming in.

Send your selections

Everton, Wolves and Fulham are eyeing a move for 32-year-old Czech Republic right-back Vladimir Coufal, who is a free agent after leaving West Ham. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on whether Fulham should engage in transfer activity with the first of the two summer transfer windows closing on Tuesday.

Here are some of your comments:

Gordon: I think we should wait until the first Club World Cup window is closed. We don't want to scramble for players and pay over the odds. Patience and quality are needed if we are to grow. Loan deal for Jack Grealish? Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall might be worth a go, and a striker who can score. Take from the Championship rather than a big name who costs a fortune and is no better than our current two strikers. Get Emile Smith-Rowe to be more consistent.

Chris: I don't expect any business to be done on this transfer window. They shouldn't rush and panic buy before the deadline day. They need to use the time before the next transfer window to research and reflect on what the team needs to thrive next season.

Ian: Though the club is in need of strengthening, it is always notoriously slow at transfers, so I can't see anyone being added before the close of the first window. I can imagine Marco getting frustrated again by the lack of movement in and out.

Robbie: Definitely need to sit tight in this window on any outgoings unless it makes sense for the club and the player to sell them. Ultimately, survival will always be on most fans' minds, so any incomings should be better than anyone we have currently and bring some flair and excitement when they are on the pitch to get the crowd up!

Alex: It's clear, we just missed out on Europe because of silly mistakes. Now let's correct this, make the step and sign key players, keep key players and create some squad depth at least.

Keir: I wanted Fulham to at least make some advances to players. I expected exactly what has happened - nothing. Fulham will leave things to the last moment and try to grab a bargain for a mediocre player. We lack ambition under our owners.

Today is the first of two transfer deadline days this summer as the window shuts for seven days before reopening on 16 June.

In a change to the summer transfer window norm, it opened early to allow clubs involved in the Fifa Club World Cup 10 days to sign players for inclusion in the competition.

Whether it turns out to be a day of transfer action or a pretty quiet one for your club, you will be able to keep across it all on BBC Sport.

Follow our live text coverage throughout the day here

And keep up to date with all the latest news, views and transfers for your club

It is not just at the top of the Premier League where American ownership has a foothold in English football.

Twenty years on from the Glazer takeover of Manchester United, one third of the 72 EFL clubs now have either majority or minority US backers.

In a special episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast, Kelly Cates is joined by a group of experts to investigate whether this trend is likely to continue.

Listen on BBC Sounds

On Tuesday, the first of two summer transfer windows will come to a close.

So, do you expect business to be done at Fulham before the deadline? Do you want players to come in or exit? If so, what or who do you think is needed?

Let us know

Image source, PA Media

Brentford boss Thomas Frank has emerged as Tottenham's leading candidate to replace Ange Postecoglou as manager.

Multiple sources have told BBC Sport that Spurs are strongly interested in Frank and that initial work has been already been undertaken to enquire about his availability.

Frank has a good relationship with Spurs technical director and fellow Dane Johan Lange, which could be a deciding factor when club chairman Daniel Levy comes to decide who he appoints.

But the likes of Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola, Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner and Fulham's Marco Silva are among others understood to be in the frame.

And Tottenham have even given consideration to reappointing former manager Mauricio Pochettino, who is currently in charge of the United States.

Read more here

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

As the dust settles on the 2024-25 Premier League season, we have been taking a look at some of the alternative ways the the table could have finished...

It is the table no-one wants to be top of.

While some fans will feel pretty comfortable when their team goes in front, for others, it is just the start of what could prove to be an emotional rollercoaster.

The fans who had to suffer the disappointment of wondering 'what might have been' most were those of Tottenham.

If the Premier League season had come down to which side lost the most points from winning positions then Spurs would have been top of the pile.

There were 22 occasions in which Ange Postecoglou's team were in front, but they went on to win only half of those, with four ending in draws and seven in defeat.

While 'Ange-ball' provides entertainment, as shown in the Europa League final, if the Spurs boss had adapted on a few more occasions, they might have found themselves celebrating a more successful league campaign than one that left them a place above the relegation zone.

For Fulham fans, it was hard to know whether they were coming or going.

While they were one of the 'comeback kings' having picked up 21 points from losing positions, they also dropped 28 points from winning ones.

Rather than consistent inconsistency, boss Marco Silva will be hoping for less of a rollercoaster next campaign if they want to achieve their European dream.

There were not a lot occasions in which relegated Southampton and Ipswich were in front, but when they were, they struggled to see them through. The 28 and 27 points lost respectively could have been the difference-makers in the fight to stay up.

At the other end of the scale, Newcastle supporters could often sit comfortably in the knowledge that when they went in front, they were unlikely to see any other result at the end.

In fact, of the 23 games in which they were in a winning position, they drew twice and lost just once - a confidence they will hope to take into the Champions League next season too.

Much was said of Chelsea's questionable defensive abilities and the maturity of such a young side. But despite this, they too were a team regularly able to see out a game they were leading - winning 20 of the 26 such occasions.

Two perhaps more surprising additions at this end of the table are relegated Leicester City and a Manchester United side who set unwanted club records for the season.

While there were not many occasions when the two sides were in a leading position - 10 for Leicester and 16 for United - between them they lost just three times and dropped only 10 and 11 points restrictively.

Some solace for supporters in otherwise underwhelming campaigns.

*Table data from Football365

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham have announced that Willian and Carlos Vinicius will leave the club following the expiration of their contracts at the end of the month, but have offered Tom Cairney an extension.

Willian, who only re-joined the West London side in the January transfer window on a free, will depart having made 79 appearances across three different spells in three years.

Striker Vinicius has been with the club since their promotion back to the Premier League for the 2022-23 season and has 11 goal contributions to his name.

However, Cairney has been offered an extension with his contract also set to run out before July, despite reports linking the midfielder to the Championship's newly-promoted Wrexham.

The Cottagers have also stated that they have offered new contracts to Kenny Tete and youth players Luc De Fougerolles, Callum Osmand and Lemar Gordon.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

As the dust settles on the 2024-25 Premier League season, we have been taking a look at some of the alternative ways the the table could have finished...

"We never do it the easy way."

Something muttered by many a football fan as they watch their side go 1-0 down again.

As frustrating as it can be watching from the stands or on the TV, it is a position some teams thrive in.

Luring the opposition into a false sense of security, it is almost as though they do not get going until they have given the other team a chance.

And if the league was measured on how well a team bounces back after conceding the first goal, then this season would have seen Brighton coming away with a Premier League title.

There were 17 occasions in 2024-25 when the Seagulls conceded the first goal, but from those they came back to win five and draw five - rescuing 20 points in the process.

It will not have made for comfortable watching for the fans, but it does show the tenacity of Fabian Hurzeler's side to turn a match around.

The sign of champions is to win when you are not at your best and that is what Liverpool did this campaign. They may not have have conceded first as often as Brighton, but they still came back to win four times and draw seven.

It will not have always helped the cause of those chasing European spots, but Newcastle, Fulham and Aston Villa all showed the resilience that they could go one-goal down and still get much-needed points from a game.

At the other end of the scale, while some teams thrive in this situation, others flounder.

Nottingham Forest surprised many onlookers going from relegation candidates to battling for a Champions League spot in less than 12 months.

But key to that was their defence. There were not many occasions where they went 1-0 down - however, when they did, their ability to turn it around was in relegation territory.

The silver-lining for Reds fans, though, is that they really did make it difficult for the opposition to get in front and this is a strength they will hope to build on going forwards.

Drew Heatley
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

This summer, we want to break the cycle of offloading our most valuable asset. Since we returned to the Premier League, it has happened each year.

First, there was Alexander Mitrovic, then last year we lost Joao Palhinha. This year, the vultures are circling Antonee Robinson.

If we retain the services of the man affectionately known as Jedi, then not only do we skip a window or two's worth of rebuilding, we send out a statement of intent.

But Robinson's departure isn't the only dark cloud looming. After committing his future to Fulham, Marco Silva finds himself the object of many a top club's affection - most notably Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur.

Few, if any, Fulham fans would begrudge him the move, even after his recent comments that he would be here next season. He has rehabilitated his reputation at Craven Cottage. No longer is he a man whose head is turned at the first sign of interest.

Silva's future aside, I would like to see us bring in some attacking reinforcements. Rodrigo Muniz and Raul Jimenez performed admirably, with 20 goals between them, but a few more goals in crucial moments would have resulted in European football.

A true number eight must also be on the agenda.

Our midfield pairing of Sander Berge and Sasa Lukic have performed admirably in filling our Palhinha-shaped hole in the middle, but we need an injection of dynamism; someone who will drive the ball up the pitch and bring others into play.

To that end, a winger or two would not go amiss, either. We have real quality in Harry Wilson and Alex Iwobi, but Willian looks set to leave - again - and Reiss Nelson headed back to Arsenal injured months ago.

A tricky two months ahead, then. But there are real rewards to be had if we navigate those obstacles and break that cycle.

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external