Fulham Eye Top-Half Push Despite Quiet Summer | OneFootball

Perennial mid-table strugglers Fulham head into the 2025/26 Premier League season aiming to pick a fight higher up the Premier League standings.

Last season had the potential to be Fulham’s best yet since returning to the Premier League in 2022, but they ran out of steam in the second half of the campaign.

They had to settle for an 11th-place finish, again failing to break into the top eight despite being part of the European battle for most of the season.

However, manager Marco Silva deserves the credit for erasing Fulham’s notorious tag as a ‘yo-yo’ club, establishing them as a permanent fixture in the top flight.

Relegation has not been part of the conversation at Craven Cottage for a long time now, and this season should be no different despite the club’s lack of effort in the transfer window.

Without further ado, here is our Fulham season preview for 2025/26.

Fulham Fixtures

Fulham’s pursuit of a first top-nine finish in the Premier League since the 2011/12 season gets underway at the Amex Stadium against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Their first home game of the campaign pits them against none other than Manchester United, followed by a tough-looking cross-capital trip to Stamford Bridge for a day-three clash against Chelsea.

Once back from September’s international break, Silva’s men face a relatively light schedule before taking on three-time consecutive runners-up Arsenal at home in mid-October.

Not until late November will Fulham feature in another London derby when they lock horns against Tottenham Hotspur away from home to prepare for Manchester City’s visit to Craven Cottage.

Another game against fellow London rivals arrives on Boxing Day as the Cottagers travel across the city to encounter West Ham United. Their calendar year ends away to Crystal Palace.

The start of 2026 could hardly be any challenging as they entertain reigning holders Liverpool at home and face Chelsea at the same venue a few days later.

While fixtures will be coming thick and fast in January, Fulham’s next high-profile match comes towards the end of the month when they head to Old Trafford to trade tackles with Man Utd.

Perhaps the roughest spell of the second half of the season begins in early April with a trip to Liverpool, followed by clashes with Brentford (A), Aston Villa (H) and Arsenal (A).

Fulham’s season concludes at home against Newcastle United.

Manager

Silva has made progress since taking over in 2021. In addition to bringing Fulham back to England’s top table, he has helped them thrive in the competition.

Despite lacking resources compared to the division’s elite, the 48-year-old tactician has instilled a clear identity and competitive mentality in his squad.

The Cottagers have become a thorn in the side of the division’s top teams, often earning plaudits for upsetting the odds with disciplined defensive performances and incisive counter-attacks.

Given Fulham’s past struggles, maintaining mid-table stability without the fear of relegation is no small feat by any means.

Silva’s challenge this term will be to push the club into uncharted territory by breaking into the top half of the table.

However, Fulham have failed to back their manager’s lofty ambitions in the transfer market so far.

Transfers

Fulham have never been heavy spenders, but their cautious spending has bordered on stagnation.

Rather than making a statement in the market, the Cottagers have brought in just one player, leaving many people to wonder whether they have enough depth to sustain another push up the table.

Veteran goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte has joined the club from Montpellier in a low-cost deal and is likely to play second fiddle to Bernd Leno.

However, the outgoing market has been equally uneventful, with no significant departures. A few fringe players have left to free up wages.

After years of underwhelming form, Brazilian forward Carlos Vinicius has returned to his homeland to sign for Gremio.

Willian is also no longer part of the squad after Fulham refused to extend his contract, while Reiss Nelson returned to Arsenal despite a decent season-long loan at Craven Cottage.

Unless the Cottagers do something radical in the final weeks of the transfer window, last season’s starting line-up should remain unchanged.

Starting XI

Fulham will likely continue lining up in a 4-2-3-1, with Leno keeping his spot in goal despite Lecomte’s arrival.

Jaochim Andersen and Calvin Bassey have been Silva’s preferred centre-back pairing, and they’ve often lived up to expectations. As such, their presence in the starting XI looks guaranteed.

Despite drawing enquiries across the league, vice-captain Antonee Robinson has stayed in West London and will continue to be Silva’s first-choice left-back.

On the opposite side, Tete has established himself as a regular at the expense of Timothy Castagne.

Sasa Lukic has been indispensable in the midfield’s double pivot, with captain Tom Cairney and Sander Berge fighting for a place next to the Serb.

Alex Iwobi and Andreas Pereira have been Fulham’s driving force in the front third, while most of Harry Wilson’s good work often came off the bench.

With that in mind, Adama Traore could get the nod on the right wing.

Finally, Raul Jimenez boasts a slight advantage over Rodrigo Muniz for the centre-forward’s role.

(4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Anderson, Bassey, Robinson; Lukic, Cairney; Traore, Pereira, Iwobi; Jimenez.

Star Player

Although Jimenez was Fulham’s best scorer in the Premier League last term with 12 goals, Iwobi was arguably their most influential player.

Not known for his scoring prowess, Iwobi fared reasonably well in front of goal, netting nine times while providing six assists.

However, his ball-carrying ability and knack for unlocking defences made him the creative heartbeat of Silva’s side.

Equally capable of performing on either wing, Iwobi’s versatility adds a note of unpredictability to this Fulham team.

Prediction

Another mid-table finish looms for Fulham, with a lack of significant squad reinforcements likely to cap their ambitions.

Silva’s well-drilled system and the Cottagers’ resilience should exclude the prospect of relegation.

However, there’s a feeling that they’ll do worse than last term.

Predicted finish: 14th.

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Read Next: Our full Premier League 2025/26 preview (with links to all individual Premier League team previews).