Revealed: Fulham’s crazy plan to renovate Craven Cottage… with bits of the old Wembley

Fulham owner Mohamed Al Fayed revolutionised Craven Cottage with teams that very nearly conquered the Europa League – but at one stage, he planned a much more literal rebuild in west London. 

At the start of the 21st Century, the Whites had to decamp to QPR’s Loftus Road since the Cottage didn’t meet Premier League requirements. Eventually, Fulham’s famous old ground was renovated into a 22,000 all-seater stadium, ready for the 2004/05 season.

But as detailed in the most recent issue of FourFourTwo, that wasn’t the only plan put forward by Fulham’s chairman. 

Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed had mad ideas about renovating Craven Cottage (Image credit: Ian Walton/Getty Images)”Talk of revamping or even leaving Craven Cottage surfaced,” Ed McCambridge writes. “One of Al Fayed’s wackier ideas was to buy the iconic Twin Towers that loomed over the soon-to-be-demolished old Wembley and have them installed as part of the Riverside Stand. 

“The plan was quickly shelved when the expected cost soared to as much as £30m to relocate the crumbling edifices.”

This isn’t the only time that a Fulham chairman has had a grand plan involving Wembley Stadium, either. Current chief Shahid Khan has offered to buy the national stadium in the past, with NFL side Jacksonville Jaguars potentially using it as a base in the UK. 

More Fulham storiesGary O’Neil has shared his frustrations with VAR, following Fulham profiting from a win against Wolves.

FFT editor and Fulham season ticket holder, James Andrew, meanwhile, has given the case for why half-and-half scarves are acceptable in modern football and given explained why matchgoing fans are being priced out of the game. 

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.