Marco Silva’s Fulham future could be decided by the end of the season and how Fulham perform, with a source telling The i Paper, ‘it is do or die time.’
Marco Silva’s future is hanging around like a bad smell at the moment, and it seems unlikely that it will change anytime soon.
The Fulham manager is out of contract in June and, despite being offered an extension in October, has thus far not signed it.
That means that, as things stand, Fulham will be without a manager at the end of June and though there will be a number of suitable candidates who can come into the club and fill the void of Silva, for continuity if nothing else, Fulham fans, players and the ownership all want him to stay.
The issue is, does Silva himself want to stay?
Well, we know he wants to manage in Europe, that much is clear and he feels that after guiding Fulham to a position of security that he deserves to take that next step.
He has his frustrations around certain aspects of the club, not least the size of the backroom team and with the options that Fulham have at right back and striker in particular.
Those are all areas that Tony Khan would be willing to compromise on should Silva commit his future to Craven Cottage.
And the source from Fulham has said that all parties do want Silva to stay, right from the top down to the supporters.
They told The i Paper: “I think a lot of fans are still in the camp of wanting Marco Silva to stay.
“The Premier League has been a bit stale this season. Look at Chelsea in sixth down to Crystal Palace in 13th place.
“They are all much of a muchness. Fulham’s inconsistency is a concern, as is the squad depth.
“While it pays for Silva to assess options, would he be seen as a strong option for Newcastle United if Eddie Howe leaves? I’m not so sure. The club have been good to him.
“Ideally he would like to stay – he knows from previous jobs that the grass isn’t always greener.
“From the club’s perspective, they want him to stay, but they also want the team to finish the season in style.
“So these weeks are very important in terms of Silva staying or going. I do feel he owes some loyalty to Fulham.
“The players love him. It’s ‘do or die’ time for Fulham, really.”
Fulham’s final five matches are against Aston Villa, Arsenal, Bournemouth, Wolves and Newcastle and it will be from those matches that the club’s and Silva’s future is decided.