Fulham owner Mohamed Al-Fayed wanted to transform Craven Cottage to look a little more like the classic Wembley – but ran into obstacles along the way
(Image credit: Getty Images)
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.
Ed is a staff writer at FourFourTwo, working across the magazine and website. A German speaker, he’s been working as a football reporter in Berlin since 2015, predominantly covering the Bundesliga and Germany's national team. Favourite FFT features include an exclusive interview with Jude Bellingham following the youngster’s move to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, a history of the Berlin Derby since the fall of the Wall and a celebration of Kevin Keegan’s playing career.
