£30m bids, Gordon ‘mess’, Man Utd hijack – how Fulham and Liverpool are trying to avoid embarrassment

Fulham or Liverpool face the complete embarrassment of being the last Premier League club to make a signing this summer. What are they actually playing at?

The worst possible thing a Premier League club can ever do is be the last to sign a new player in a summer transfer window. It is humiliating, embarrassing and undignified, inflicting upon the fanbase in question a deep-seated and thorough shame.

Whether moves were already arranged long ago, have been conducted in a PSR panic or are simply loans being made permanent, only three Premier League clubs have yet to bring anyone in. And of those, Manchester City are preparing to shift winger Savio along from within their multi-team ownership network after some incredibly difficult negotiations with themselves.

Fulham and Liverpool do not have that same luxury and will soon be in a direct staring contest to see who crumbles under rising pressure from their fans first. What, precisely, is either team playing at?

Fulham
There has been confirmed transfer activity at Craven Cottage, but only in the direction most supporters will have feared and indeed likely resigned themselves.

The contract extension Joao Palhinha signed last September merely protected the value of Fulham’s most-prized asset after a move to Bayern Munich worth more than £50m collapsed and left the midfielder devastated. Perhaps the only surprise is that the price dropped to an initial £43m when the Bundesliga giants finally got their man a year later.

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Tosin Adarabioyo and Bobby Decordova-Reid also left upon the expiration of their deals this summer, joining Premier League rivals Chelsea and Leicester respectively. Those three players made 105 appearances under Marco Silva in 2023/24 and need replacing. Willian might be off too.

What signings do Fulham need?

In short: a centre-half, a holding midfielder, a right-winger and a left-back, as Fode Ballo-Toure’s return to parent club AC Milan has left Antonee Robinson as the only specialist in that position.

Fulham have a very small first-team squad, having already used the fewest players of any Premier League team last season. They need numbers.

Have Fulham made any bids?

Scott McTominay appears to be their priority in terms of a Palhinha replacement but Manchester United have rejected a bid said to be worth less than the £30m offer West Ham made last summer.

They might move back to Andre, the 23-year-old Brazilian who almost joined Liverpool at various points last season.

Fulham have been knocked back by another Premier League club as their approach for Emile Smith Rowe was turned down. The Cottagers might intensify their interest after Arsenal refused £30m plus bonuses for a player who has started four club games in the last two seasons.

What has Marco Silva said about transfers?

“Probably we are going to look for two,” he said of the centre-back situation, adding: “For next season, we have three or four target positions that we clearly want to improve.”

Liverpool
Any suggestion that fundamental changes in the hierarchy at Liverpool might lead to a shift in the overall fan perception of owners FSG and their relative frugality have been immediately dismissed. Arne Slot will accept the hand he is dealt and focus on coaching like Jurgen Klopp, sporting director Richard Hughes will not be rushed into making any decisions and Michael Edwards will sit atop the tree, admiring the empire he has helped as much as anyone to build from a presumably air-conditioned office.

They will not rush into any decisions and equally that will not prevent a large portion of the fanbase panicking and demanding answers.

Liverpool were the last Premier League club to make a signing in the 2019/20 pre-season, only bringing in two teenagers and a couple of goalkeeping back-ups when they did, and they still went on to win the title by 18 points.

But supporters losing their entire minds over transfers is a proud tradition and there was only ever going to be one reaction to Manchester United’s first genuine coup in a decade, signing a player Liverpool were interested in but had given up on because he was apparently bound for Real Madrid.

What signings do Liverpool need?

The other side of the Yoro fume is that Liverpool absolutely do need a centre-half. Joel Matip has left and while Virgil van Dijk’s self-assessment on his future is unlikely to conclude that he must follow suit, it introduces a degree of uncertainty the Reds could do without.

Joe Gomez could be reintegrated as a central option once more, Ibrahima Konate has not quite kicked on as hoped despite his potential, and Jarell Quansah was excellent last season but it remains to be seen whether the 21-year-old can be relied upon consistently as a regular starter across a full season.

Beyond that, the talk is that Liverpool want a holding midfielder and another wide forward.

Have Liverpool made any bids?

Reports in Spain claimed that Lille rejected £42m from Liverpool for Yoro, then abandoned their pursuit out of an obviously slightly mistaken belief he only wanted to join Real Madrid.

There was also speculation earlier this summer that Liverpool had a British record bid turned down by Real for Rodrygo, which tallies with the belief they want another wide forward.

An element of mystery surrounds whether a bid was ever lodged for Anthony Gordon. Newcastle’s financial situation created the circumstances for a possible sale but either their valuation of the England international, or the request for Quansah to be included in a part-exchange, saw the prospective move break down with the Liverpool target’s “head in a mess”.

Crysencio Summerville, Dani Olmo and Lutsharel Geertruida are among those who have also been linked with Liverpool.

What has Arne Slot said about transfers?

Not much. As head coach rather than manager, Slot wants to “work on a daily basis” with his squad and assess them before any signings are made. Hughes wants Liverpool to “improve on the training pitch, first and foremost,” while being “opportunistic” if anything presents itself.

“I see a quiet July, and then perhaps a crescendo in August,” he added of the window as a whole, rather than Liverpool’s specific approach.