As Fulham took another step closer towards Premier League safety with a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest, the difference between the two newly-promoted sides could not be clearer.
Forest’s recent resurgence was firmly halted at Craven Cottage by a highly organised team full of genuine leaders as Marco Silva’s side moved to within five points of the mythical 40-point mark that usually guarantees survival.
The victory was Fulham’s fourth league win of 2023 in a year that marks the tenth anniversary of Pakistani-American businessman Shahid Khan’s purchase of the club from Mohamed Al-Fayed for somewhere in the region of £150-£200m.
In that time Khan has seen Fulham bounce between the Premier League and Championship, presiding over three promotions and three relegations as the club struggled to establish a foothold in the top-flight.
This season, though, it feels like the Khan dynasty may be approaching its greatest achievement, as many fans slowly begin to adjust their ambitions for this Fulham side.
At this stage during Fulham’s last Premier League campaign in 2020/21 under Scott Parker, the Cottagers had accrued just 15 points and were duly relegated without a whimper.
After 23 games in their 2018/19 campaign things were even worse – the team had just 14 points and were doomed to finish in 19th place.
Investment hasn’t always gone as smoothly as it has this season – the infamous £100m campaign in 2018/19, emulated to the extreme by Forest this year, asked serious questions about who was pulling the strings in the market and gave cause for concern that Khan’s son Tony had too much influence over the recruitment strategy.
READ MORE: From uncertainty to irreplaceable – the remarkable turnaround in Tim Ream’s Fulham career
But during the Khans’ fourth season in the Premier League, Fulham have done the double over Forest, taken four points from two games against Chelsea, managed five wins on the bounce following the World Cup, are in the FA Cup Fifth Round and sit seventh in the table after 23 games – above both Liverpool and Chelsea.
The list of Fulham positives goes on – the squad’s mixture of young and old, the impressive new Riverside Stand, some shrewd transfer window business and the seemingly happy marriage between Khan and Silva are indications the Cottagers have begun a new chapter in SW6.
In his programme notes before the Forest game, Fulham chairman Khan wrote: “Dinner with Marco (Silva) is always outstanding, but the bread we broke just before Christmas was particularly enjoyable.
“Marco is very confident in the work he and his staff have put into this club and every bit as convinced in the quality of his squad.
“Marco is also an advocate of constant improvement, which is why we discussed and then made a handful of moves during this January transfer period.”
READ MORE: Channelling Aleksandar Mitrovic’s aggression is Marco Silva’s greatest achievement as Fulham boss
Those moves saw the club bring in Serbian box-to-box midfielder Sasa Lukic and former Arsenal full-back Cedric Soares last month, who were both handed their debuts against Forest.
It caps a year of astute business from the club that has seen the arrivals of Joao Palhinha (£20m), Andreas Pereira (£10m), Bernd Leno (£3m) as well as a reinvigorated Willian (free).
Khan’s programme notes spoke of the “enviable culture” Silva and co have created at the club, and they have certainly done that this season, showing real progress four years on from the infamous £100m season.
Following the Forest game, on the club’s latest arrivals, Marco Silva told London Football Scene: “For Cedric (Soares), it’s just about changing the shirt and the dressing room. For (Sasa) Lukic it’s slightly different.
“I think he felt straight away the pace and the intensity are different but he is a great player and we are going to see that during the season and the next few ones as well.
“We have clearly added quality during the January transfer window and they are both going to help us for sure.”
READ MORE: Marco Silva may be keeping grounded but there’s no reason Fulham fans can’t dream big
When the deal to buy Fulham was completed in July 2013, Khan said in a statement he thought of himself as more of a “custodian of the club on behalf of the fans”.
Therefore, the £40 ticket price for Fulham’s FA Cup tie against Leeds may have caused a stir amongst some sections of the fanbase, but ultimately Khan is a businessman and runs the club as such.
Over the course of his tenure, the Jacksonville Jaguars owner has pumped tens of millions into Fulham and has rebuilt Craven Cottage to become a ground more befitting of a Premier League side.
It may have taken a decade, but the Khan ownership appears to have finally invested in a team and a manager that look poised to have a sustainable run in the Premier League, marking this campaign as his most successful yet.