The i’s assistant sports editor, Katherine Lucas, has an interesting angle in her post-mortem of last night’s agonising defeat at the hands of Arsenal. Discussing Fulham’s lack of fit forwards to replace the tiring Raul Jimenez, she suggests that the Whites are likely to be one of the biggest losers from the Premier League’s proposed tweaks to their financial rules.

As Lucas writes:

“The popular option would be to break with tradition and spend some serious money. The reality is more complex. Fulham are one of a number of clubs having to keep one eye trained further down the road.

They are in a relatively healthy PSR position but when it comes to the shaken up forthcoming financial rules, set to be brought in for the 2026-27 season, it is going to be tight.

Premier League clubs are expected to allow clubs an 85 per cent squad cost ratio. In layman’s terms, clubs can spend up to 85 per cent of their total revenue on costs relating to their squad – which is about where Fulham are at the moment, with little room for manoeuvre.

There are some safety blankets to ensure the new regulations do not totally disadvantage clubs with smaller revenues. The “anchoring” rule means even the richest clubs can’t spend more than 5x the income from broadcasting and prize money of the league’s bottom side.

When push comes to shove, however, clubs like Fulham can still spend less in absolute terms. And even if the Khans wanted to invest significantly, their hands would be tied. The new rules do little to smash the glass ceiling that PSR placed over the Premier League’s aspirational classes.”

Her concluding paragraph also reminds us all that the most important Craven Cottage signing – Marco Silva’s new contract – has yet to be completed.

“As Arsenal fans revelled in the demise of an ex-Spur with a rendition of Cheer up Postecoglou, Shahid Khan must have been listening. Nottingham Forest’s admiration of Silva is no secret.

He is out of contract next summer and one option which has been mooted is a stop-gap appointment by Evangelos Marinakis (aren’t they all?), with Silva a longer-term candidate. Keeping him happy at Fulham has to be a priority.”