The 2017-18 season is Fulham's 136th season, and the club's 4th successive season in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in 2013-14. Slaviša Jokanović began his second full season in charge at Craven Cottage. The main two signings that caught the eye in the summer were those of Aboubakar Kamara and Rui Fonte, two forwards which would hopefully solve the lack of striking options at the club.
Issues between Slaviša Jokanović and the board became prominent in the media, with continual clashing over how the club should operate its transfer policy - the manager displeased with the stats-based approach with which Tony Khan and Craig Kline insisted upon. A large bulk of the signings - Jordan Graham & Rafa Soares on loan, and Marcelo Djaló, Ibrahima Cissé & Yohan Mollo all barely featured at all with the club all season, leading to the notion among fans that these players were clearly not a choice of Jokanović but of the stats-based system that Craig Kline wanted to push. All came to a head as Craig Kline eventually was kicked out of the club in October 2017 after reports of police being called to Motspur Park training ground - a situation which Kline had created by calling them and accused the club of racism among other things on social media.
Fulham struggled with form in the first half of the season, in many respects similar to the previous campaign. However, they found their stride during the Christmas period and began to push toward the play-offs. After a 3rd round exit in the FA Cup to Southampton of the Premier League, the Whites embarked on a remarkable club record 23 League matches unbeaten which saw them not only surge into the play-off places but also threaten Cardiff City's 2nd place automatic promotion spot.
A sensational second half to the season culminated in a final match against Birmingham City in which Fulham would need a result better than Cardiff's to win automatic promotion. Unfortunately, the unbeaten streak came to a halt as Birmingham ran out 3-1 winners. Cardiff had only managed a 0-0 draw with out of form Reading which had meant if Fulham won then they would have switched places with Cardiff.
After securing 3rd, Fulham were to play 6th placed Derby County, the first leg at Pride Park in which the Whites struggled to penetrate a stubborn Rams defence and came away with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of a Cameron Jerome header. The second leg took place three days later at Craven Cottage, and Fulham were back at their best, playing attacking football which gave them a well earned 2-0 win, via a Ryan Sessegnon goal and a Denis Odoi header. This gave them a place in the Play-off Final in what would only be the club's second ever appearance at Wembley Stadium, following the 1975 FA Cup Final.
Fulham won the final with a first half Tom Cairney strike which would turn out to be the only goal of the match. Denis Odoi's previous Semi-final heroics were forgotten briefly after he was sent off with over 20 minutes remaining, but the Whites held on and were promoted back to the Premier League.
Shahid Khan
Slaviša Jokanović
Tom Cairney
Ryan Sessegnon (15)
Javier Pereira
Gary Hall
Marco Cesarini
Ibrahima Cissé
Aboubakar Kamara
Rui Fonte
Zenit St Petersburg
Cyrus Christie
Berti Schötterl
Cameron Burgess
Jesse Joronen
AC Horsens
Sone Aluko
Michael Madl
Ragnar Sigurðsson
Lucas Piazon
Oliver Norwood
Tomáš Kalas
Marek Rodák
Mattias Käit
