Uncertain times at Fulham. The word is out that the club’s ownership would like to extend Marco Silva’s stay. The manager himself has been non-committal, having previously been explicit about a lack of summer transfer business. Raúl Jiménez’s winner, coming when it seemed Fulham were incapable of scoring, should at least still choppy waters for now and lifted Silva’s team away from the increasing threat of a relegation battle.
The sheen has been fading from his regime, after last season’s record points tally and enterprising football, going a touch stale, though he could successfully argue little of that is of his making. The Khan family gambled on stasis, rarely a recipe for success when others spend money like it is going out of fashion.
Jiménez’s goal was a measure of his determination to keep trying when other heads would have dropped but that Fulham are relying on him remains an indictment of the lack of funding Silva and supporters complain of.
These have been far happier times for Sunderland. His team kicking off in fourth place, having become the first team in 10 matches to puncture Arsenal’s bubble, Régis Le Bris is this season’s best newcomer to the Premier League, but his team fell short in the second half. Fulham were able to bring on substitutes in Emile Smith Rowe and Samuel Chukwueze. The latter, loaned from Milan, looks a decent piece of business.
