Chelsea are searching for a buyer for Albania striker Armando Broja, following the 22-year-old's loan spell with Fulham. (Fabrizio Romano), external
Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Sammy James
Fan writer
Saturday's 0-0 draw at Brentford was one of the most frustrating performances of the season. Despite dominating large swathes of the game, Fulham were wasteful in attack.
Raul Jimenez's miss with the goal gaping was the extreme example of our profligacy, but in all honesty there were numerous members of the team who made poor decisions when we entered the final third.
Yet while our attack let us down, defensively we were very sound against the Bees. Issa Diop put in a man-of-the-match performance, which considering he was not even in the squad a few weeks ago is an impressive turnaround.
Since the match, it has been pointed out on social media that Fulham's recent defensive record has been pretty standout. Since 1 January, only Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City have conceded fewer goals in the Premier League.
This weekend, all Arsenal fans will be praying that Fulham can stop City at Craven Cottage, and while I am not that sure that we will, it may just be our defensive solidity that gives us a small chance.
Not only that, but I am sure former Arsenal players Alex Iwobi and Bernd Leno would love to help their former side out too.
Then again, we have lost our past 15 games against City, so I would recommend Gunners supporters not to put all their hopes on us doing them a favour!
Sammy James can be found at Fulhamish, external
Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Friday and Saturday's six Premier League fixtures.
If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer here.
And you can watch highlights of Sunday's games on Match of the Day 2 here.
Listen back to Saturday's BBC Radio 5 Live match commentaries in full:
Timothy Abraham
BBC Sport Journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesRaul Jimenez has scored five goals in the Premier League this season
This was a goalless draw which will not live long in the memory for Fulham fans and will surely end up last on Match Of The Day.
One person who will not want to watch those highlights is striker Raul Jimenez, who missed the best chance of the game against Brentford.
Adama Traore picked out the Mexican striker with a low cross but despite having time and space in an abundance he managed to screw his shot wide.
Jimenez wanted the ground to swallow him up immediately afterwards as he clasped his hands to cover his face.
The 32-year-old, who suffered a horrendous head injury while at Wolves in November 2020 which kept him out for nine months, always felt like a bit of bargain punt by Fulham.
Marco Silva is under no illusions about the need to sign a proven striker in the summer.
Jimenez is one year into a two-year deal (with the option of a third year) but with a need to manage the wage bill he might end up being shown the exit door this summer after a modest return in front of goal.
Striker Ivan Toney has not scored for the Bees since February
Image source, Getty ImagesFulham boss Marco Silva speaking to BBC Match of the Day on whether it was a dull afternoon: "A tough game for both sides. It is a derby that is becoming a little bit more special, the incentive for both, and I think we showed that in the match as the best chances were for us. We kept them really quiet. Even though they are dangerous on set-pieces we kept them quiet because we did our job.
"We showed the motivation and commitment. When you are not motivated you can start to lose focus but we didn't see that in our team. We tried until the last moment to go forward. All the changes I made - and Thomas Frank - was more attacking."
On Raul Jimenez's miss: "Yes, normally those are the chances where you expect to see the ball in the back of the net. We all expected him to score. The good thing was he was in the right position. He tried, he didn't score and hopefully next time he will score because we trust in him."
On offering Willian a new contract: "Yes, I was clear in the last two months that we are happy with him and we try to renew the contract with him."
On Rodrigo Muniz: "He is a player we signed last summer. We will help him to recover his confidence to be that Premier League striker we all know. He had a very good week and for that he was the solution to play the last couple of games."
Brentford have drawn at home against Fulham for the first time in 19 matches in all competitions (W11 L7), previously doing so before today in February 1987 in the third tier (3-3).
Brentford are unbeaten in five Premier League home games (W1 D4), keeping clean sheets in each of the last three, having conceded in 10 consecutive such matches since the start of November 2023 (22 goals conceded in total during that period).
Fulham have kept consecutive away clean sheets in the Premier League for the first time since February 2023, having shipped 28 goals across their previous 12 matches on the road before their 2-0 victory at West Ham in April.
This was Brentford’s eighth 0-0 draw in the Premier League, only Crystal Palace (11) and Brighton (9) have had more since the Bees were promoted to the competition in 2021-22.
Brentford’s Ivan Toney has now gone 10 Premier League games without scoring, only in his very first 11 league matches for Northampton in 2013-14 has he gone longer without netting a league goal for a single club.
Both sides hit the woodwork in the match, only Liverpool (24) have done so more often than Fulham (18) in the Premier League this season, while Fulham's woodwork has been hit more times than any other side (19).
Ivan Toney's struggles in front of goal continued as Brentford played out a goalless draw with Fulham.
England striker Toney registered just one shot on target - and two in total - as he drew a blank for the 10th Premier League game in succession.
Raul Jimenez had Fulham's best chance when he was picked out by Adama Traore's low cross but contrived to miss the target from close range.
Bryan Mbeumo hit the crossbar for the Bees who also had a decent shout for a penalty turned down after Yoane Wissa appeared to be bundled over by Sasa Lukic.
Were you at the match or did you follow it from elsewhere?
Brentford fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here
Image source, Getty ImagesChris Sutton is making predictions for every Premier League game this season against a variety of guests.
For this weekend's matches, he takes on Kings of Leon drummer Nathan Followill.
Sutton's prediction: 2-2
Fulham have been decent at home this season but they have become almost impossible to predict recently, while Brentford are safe now too, so it's hard to know what to expect from them either.
I am basically saying I don't have a clue what will happen here, but it is a derby and I do think there will be a few goals.
Nathan's prediction: I am going for more goals here. 2-2.
There are five Premier League matches taking place today and we will keep you updated on all of them.
Full commentary:
Burnley v Newcastle, 15:00 - BBC Radio 5 Live
Man City v Wolves, 17:30 - BBC Radio 5 Live
Brentford manager Thomas Frank has spoken to the media before Saturday's home Premier League game with Fulham.
Here are the main lines from his news conference:
He sees increased demand as a positive: "It's fantastic that the expectations are rising - it's always an indicator that you're doing something good. I think we always want more, we want to develop and we want to do better."
However, he pointed out the intense difficulty of playing in the Premier League: "This league is brutal. It's the best in the world. Last year we had the lowest budget and finished ninth, which shouldn't be possible. This year it's still quite low and, if you're not top seven, you are trying to fight somewhere between eighth, ninth and 17th. In a not-good season, when you are hit by injuries, you do the minimal, which is to stay in the league."
Despite the overall season not being "through the roof", Frank insists he has learned a lot more about his players: "There has still been good performances and it is a good foundation for us going into next season."
He highlighted the influence of a select group of Bees: "The key players, when they’ve played, have performed well: Christian [Norgaard], Ethan [Pinnock], Mathi [Jensen] and Vitaly [Janelt], who I think has actually added an extra layer this year. For Nathan Collins’ first season, he has done well while Kristoffer Ajer and Yoane Wissa stepped forward. They are just the players off the top of my head."
He gave a positive update on long-term absentee Rico Henry: "He's out for the season but it’s looking good that, when we start pre-season, he should be ready to join in 100 per cent, which is the main bit for me. Hopefully, he can come back fit and firing ready for next season."
Finally, Frank praised the job done by Marco Silva and his staff, including coping with the loss of top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic: " He was such an important player for them. He scored so many goals. They started with a lot of different solutions but now it seems to be [Rodrigo] Muniz's position at only 22 years old. For them, it must be fantastic."
Follow the latest Premier League news conferences and build-up to weekend's fixtures,
Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist
Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Fulham travel to Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday.
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Silva confirmed that all of his players are available for the game, including Harrison Reed, who has returned to training after being taken off as a "precaution" in previous game.
Silva said it was a "technical decision" to leave out Tosin Adarabioyo from their most recent match - he has reportedly turned down a contract extension - and he knows "all the noise around himself and his future". Silva added: "I have been speaking to him, I have a close relationship with him like all the players. Everything has been clear between myself and him. And from him to me and my staff as well. If he is available to be in the squad, he will be in the squad."
He continued: "Nothing change from last week when the news starts to come that he won't be with us next season. I know what he told me and I prefer to keep between us."
On whether Willian, who is also out of contract in the summer, wants to stay and they want him to stay: "We are trying to renew with him. I said in the last week or two, he is a player that if I can do everything for him to stay, I will do. I have been doing the same with Tosin."
Silva added: "With Willian, it is clear that at the end of the season we are going to sit, like last season, where we analyse season together, where he has a decision if he wants to take it. He is an important part of our football club, on and off the pitch, he is still a top-class player and if you can keep him in condition he can make the difference for us."
He said derby games like the one against Brentford are "always special" for fans and after their 3-0 defeat earlier in the season, he added: "We made a mistake and a penalty that shouldn't be a penalty. There was also a red card that shouldn't be a red card. It is a new game, a new story and we want to write something different about the game. We need to be at our best level, to demand full focus and to reach a different result and win the game."
On striker Rodrigo Muniz, who is one goal away from double figures in the Premier League: "We have found a very good player in Rodrigo, that is it. We signed him because I saw in him good skills to be a very good striker in future. We signed him when he was 20 years old with quality and not to copy other strikers of Fulham. [Aleksandar] Mitrovic had a big impact at this club and was a special player, but now the player that comes here is not to copy or find another Mitro."
Follow Friday's Premier League news conferences
Fulham, Brighton, West Ham and Benfica are monitoring Vitoria de Guimaraes and Portugal winger Jota Silva, who has a £17m release clause. (Rudy Galetti)
Chelsea have joined Newcastle in asking about the situation of former England youth international Tosin Adarabioyo, 26, who will leave Fulham as a free agent this summer. (Fabrizio Romano), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
Fulham's home form this season has been incredible.
Marco Silva has done a brilliant job at keeping them around the middle area of the table.
It will be interesting to see what happens this summer with Joao Palhinha. He is their star player but there will be interest.
Silva will want to finish strongly but the Manchester City game will be a tough one.
It will be vital to how things finish in the Premier League this season.
Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson
Here are the key facts and figures before Saturday's game between Brentford and Fulham in the Premier League.
Brentford have won five of their past seven matches against Fulham in all competitions. They have won their past two in the Premier League against their London rivals.
Fulham have lost six of their past seven away games against Brentford in all competitions. They won the other game 2-0 in November 2016 under Slavisa Jokanovic.
Brentford have conceded more headed goals than any other side in the Premier League this season (19). This is also a league-high 32% of their overall goals conceded. The only team to concede more headers in a single Premier League campaign are Leeds United (20 in 1992-93).
Fulham have won two of their past five Premier League away games. They only won one of their first 12 on the road this season. They are looking to win back-to-back away league matches for the first time since December 2022 and January 2023.
Having netted four goals in his first five Premier League games after returning from suspension, Brentford's Ivan Toney has not scored in any of his past nine. It is his longest run without a league goal since a run of 10 with Peterborough United between February and April 2019.
Rodrigo Muniz has scored nine Premier League goals this season and could become only the fourth player to score 10 or more goals in his debut campaign for Fulham in the competition - after Andy Cole (12 in 2004-05), Dimitar Berbatov (15 in 2012-13) and Aleksandar Mitrovic (11 in 2018-19).
Image source, Getty ImagesFulham midfielder Tom Cairney spoke to the Footballer's Football Podcast about his side's Premier League draw with Crystal Palace last weekend.
"We were poor in the first half, we could have been 3-0 down to be honest," said Cairney. "They are in a really good moment, their manager has got them playing high press, five at the back. A very good team, I was very impressed. They have matchwinners in Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise.
"We were not at it. We went 1-0 up against the run of play and we just couldn't hold on to the three points.
"We made three changes to see the game out, but it wasn't meant to be. On the whole, we were disappointed.
"We need to be a lot better than that and finish the season stronger than that because it's been a good season and we don't want to fizzle out."
Sammy James
Fan writer
Fulham's season has not got much left riding on it.
Safety is assured, European football is mathematically impossible, and even finishing in the top ten is looking unlikely after Saturday's draw with Crystal Palace.
However, there are some dangling carrots for Fulham fans to cling on to, and the first of those is this weekend's west London derby against Brentford at GTech Community Stadium.
Our record against the Bees is pretty poor, although we did win the most important game of them all in the play-off final in 2020. Whilst Fulham fans disagree about which team in West London they dislike the most, for me, this has become the most anticipated derby of the season.
Getting wins over Chelsea are always sweet, and whilst their mid-table slumbering's have been fun to witness, we know that their success in the past twenty years makes them a different beast to Fulham. Lots of Blues fans do not even really regard us as a proper rival.
Brentford fans however absolutely love beating us, so it makes the matches against them much more tense. It has the feeling of a proper derby, and while it does not compete with other great top flight rivalries, there will definitely be an intense atmosphere come 15:00 BST on Saturday.
The 3-0 loss to them earlier this season at the Cottage was a really tough one to take, so I really hope we can make amends for that. A win at Brentford would be the cherry on top of what has been a positive season overall.
Sammy James can be found at Fulhamish, external
Leicester City will have to sell players before 30 June to avoid profit and sustainability rules (PSR) charges next season, with 25-year-old English midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall attracting interest from Fulham, Brentford and Brighton. (Mail), external
Image source, Getty ImagesPremier League clubs have voted in favour of adopting an anchoring economic model, which will be linked to the earnings of the bottom club (tv and prize money).
The proposed system would operate like a spending cap.
The next stage is final analysis and drafting of rules, which will potentially be put to clubs at an AGM in June.
The model will be presented to clubs and - should clubs vote in favour then - it will replace the Profit and Sustainability Rules currently in place, from the 2025-26 season onwards.
Any new element of the financial system would come in shadow next season, to fully replace PSR in 2025-26.
“We will obviously wait to see further details of these specific proposals, but we have always been clear that we would oppose any measure that would place a ‘hard’ cap on player wages," said the PFA
“There is an established process in place to ensure that proposals like this, which would directly impact our members, have to be properly consulted on.”
Aston Villa, Manchester City and Manchester United opposed the vote, with Chelsea abstaining.
We asked for your views on Saturday's match between Fulham and Crystal Palace.
Here are some of your answers:
Fulham fans
Mario: It was disappointing that yet again we allowed three points to slip away. Overall, some of the performances were poor but we can only hope that, as we move into the transfer market, we can improve the squad for next year's campaign.
Will: A draw was probably the fair result but it is always painful to concede in late fashion. Muniz back on the scoresheet, which is great. Hopefully we can get a big derby win next week.
Palace fans
Allen: We would have lost this game a couple of months ago. The desire to work for each other, and the manager, is now obvious. It is a 'never say die' attitude. Another high pressing first half meant that we dominated the show, and we could have gone in two or three goals up. Encouraging signs for next season. Wharton looks a steal.
Nigel: Palace failed to take advantage of Fulham’s messy start and then conceded a good goal. We looked tired from their three previous wins, but the substitution of Schlupp made up for it, with a great goal. A draw was the right result.
Tony: I think that with the chances they had, Palace should have been ahead at half-time. However, credit to Fulham who were the better team in the second half and scored a well-worked goal. Schlupp's rocket hit secured the draw, which I think Palace deserved. Overall, a draw was a fair result.
Sam: I will readily admit that, having seen such stellar performances from the lads recently, I was expecting a more comfortable game. The fact is, however, that a point should be taken with gratitude, no matter our form. I suspect that next season, we will need to take these with some satisfaction!
Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures.
If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer.
And you can watch highlights of Sunday's games on Match of the Day 2 here
Listen back to Saturday's BBC Radio 5 Live match commentaries in full:
