Tom Cairney signs new deal to extend Fulham stay into 11th season | OneFootball

Tom Cairney Commits to Fulham for 11th Season

Decade of Devotion Continues at Craven Cottage

Tom Cairney, the steady heartbeat of Fulham for over a decade, has signed a new one-year contract, extending his stay until the summer of 2026. It is a deal soaked not in glamour but in something far rarer in modern football: loyalty, belonging, and a quiet sense of unfinished business.

Cairney returned to pre-season training this week, sliding effortlessly back into the rhythms of Motspur Park, as if to underscore how natural this continuation feels. Fulham flirted with change – interest from West Ham was credible, while Wrexham’s ambitious project saw his name circled – but in the end, the midfielder stayed true to the only badge that’s ever truly fit.

“It feels right. It’s always been home,” said Cairney. “I’ve fully enjoyed the last three years in the Premier League, contributing on and off the pitch, and I just want to help take this Club as far as I can.”

Fulham’s Quiet Constant

Since arriving from Blackburn Rovers in 2015, Cairney has become the embodiment of Fulham’s story: 354 appearances, 47 goals, and 38 assists. Not numbers that leap off the page, but each one etched with a moment – a pivot in a play-off campaign, a glide through midfield, or that sumptuous strike that tipped a balance.

His crowning moment remains the 2018 Championship play-off final, where his goal against Aston Villa secured promotion under the Wembley arch. It was a match that summed him up: composed, unflustered, decisive. Since taking on the armband in 2017, he has become more than just a playmaker – a symbol of calm in a club that has known its share of upheaval.

Last season, the 34-year-old’s role was more peripheral, but no less poetic. A looping header away at Brentford sealed Fulham’s first league double over their west London rivals in more than 70 years – a contribution from the fringes, perhaps, but no less iconic for it.

Khan: “He Is Fulham”

Sporting director Tony Khan put it simply: “A leader on and off the pitch, Tom has been present at so many pivotal moments over the last decade… scoring vital – sometimes spectacular – goals, and helping to cement our position in the Premier League.”

Khan’s words capture what Cairney represents – not just a player, but an anchor. Someone who stayed, who captained through promotions and relegations, who never quite chased the bright lights elsewhere.

Legacy Etched in White and Black

There are louder players, flashier signings, but Fulham Cairney is not a story of noise. It is one of quiet excellence, of loyalty in a game that too often rewards the opposite. His 11th season will be more than just a swansong – it will be another chapter in a career defined by grace, poise, and place.