Fulham may return to the Cottage

Fulham’s failure to buy a site for a new ground has forced chairman Mohamed Al Fayed to consider a budget plan to return to Craven Cottage.

The scheme, which would be popular among supporters desperate to see the club return to their home of 106 years, is a scaled-down version of the controversial £100m (€145m) redevelopment which was shelved in December.

The Londoners left their traditional base last July to groundshare with Queens Park Rangers and are poised to commit to a second season at Loftus Road.

But they have had two attempts to purchase a site in Wood Lane in Shepherd’s Bush rejected, and are now dusting off old plans for the Cottage and assessing how millions can be slashed off the projected costs.

Lee Hoos, the club’s deputy managing director and company secretary, broke the news at last night's London Assembly sport committee meeting.

He said: “We’ve looked at alternative sites, all within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

“And now we’re looking at a revised plan for Craven Cottage which would have to be on a smaller scale.

“Our fan base is very much in south-west London but we’re still assessing all our options.”