Fulham owner Shahid Khan is splashing the cash to help keep the club in the lucrative Premier League. The Cottagers have been somewhat of a yo-yo team over the last decade. For instance, they were relegated from the English top flight after finishing 19th in the 2018/19 season. They then quickly bounced back after winning the Championship playoffs the next year.
Nevertheless, Fulham’s stay in the Premier League did not last long at the time. They were relegated once again thanks to a disappointing 2020/21 campaign under Scott Parker. New manager Marco Silva then brought the Cottagers back to the top flight after winning the second-tiered Championship the following season.
Since then, Fulham has managed to stave off the drop by finishing middle of the pack in each of the last two campaigns. Khan has previously resisted spending excessive amounts of money since earning a place back in the Premier League during the summer of 2022. This strategy is, however, now changing for the Pakistani-American billionaire businessman.
Fulham seems set to break their transfer spending record by the end of the month. The Cottagers smashed the club record for a single transfer when they purchased Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal earlier in the month. The creative midfielder set back Khan about $44 million.
Along with the playmaker, Fulham also previously signed Jorge Cuenca and Ryan Sessegnon as well. The collective fees for the duo, however, were quite modest. The Spanish defender cost just $7 million and the English full-back moved from Tottenham Hotspur on a free deal.
Nevertheless, Fulham is not done spending just yet. Team officials announced on Thursday that they have completed the signing of Sander Berge from Burnley for $32 million. The Cottagers were previously linked with a move for Manchester United star Scott McTominay, but ultimately opted to go with Berge.
Along with the Norwegian midfielder, Fulham also has agreements in place to sign Joachim Andersen and Rayan Cherki. Once completed, the two stars would cost a combined $57 million. There are concerns regarding the latter deal though. Cherki has not agreed to a move to Fulham just yet.
Assuming the last deal does get finalized, or Fulham chooses to spend the Cherki money on another player, Fulham will have spent $142 million this summer. This would significantly top the club’s previous combined transfer record six years ago.
Khan is doing his best to at least keep Fulham safe from relegation. If the spending spree does pay off, the Cottagers could even hope for a European place in the standings. This would mean that the west London side would need to finish in the top seven of the division or win a trophy.
Spending freely, however, does not necessarily guarantee success on the pitch. Fulham fans will be well aware of this. After spending $129 million during the 2018/19 campaign, the club still suffered relegation. Despite the massive risk, Khan is pushing on in an attempt to better the club. This comes as a recent report claims that the businessman has recorded $500 million in operating losses with Fulham.
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