Fulham manager Marco Silva is ‘guarded’ on his next steps, with the Portuguese’s contract coming to an end in June. Silva wants to manage in Europe, something Fulham may achieve this season.
Marco Silva is ‘guarded’ on his next steps with the Fulham manager’s contracct at Craven Cottage coming to an end in June.
Silva has been Fulham manager since 2021, taking them up from the Championship into the Premier League and avoiding relegation since.
The club have firmly established themselves as a mid-table side and even picked up their record points tally last season.
Now they are in the mix for European qualification, with five games to go and that could play a big factor in what happens next from a Fulham managerial standpoint.
Silva wants to manage in Europe, he feels he has earned that right after taking Fulham to this position.
Should the Cottagers get into any form of European competition, then that may be enough to convince him to stay.
With that uncertainty though, Silva is ‘guarded’ on his movements for next season.
A source told the i Paper: “If Fulham finish strongly between now and the end of the season, he may stay but the club is at a crossroads,
“The club has ensured investment is there and Marco Silva is good at blending in players to the squad, but some fans suggest he is not looking enough at academy prospects.
“Silva is very guarded at the moment.
“He thought he might be in for the Tottenham job earlier in the season and there was interest from Brighton, too.
“In terms of his ambition, he wants to manage in Europe and that’s what makes the last part of the season so important for Fulham as they try and reach a qualification stage.”
Silva will have certain expectations if he is to stay at Fulham, one of which being an increased backroom team.
Marco Silva is keeping his cards close to his chest.The Portuguese feels his team is smaller than that of some of their rivals, while he is also said to be deeply unhappy with Fulham’s options at right back and striker.
There have been links in the market to Ricardo Pepi and Troy Parrott, suggesting the Fulham hierarchy are looking to ease those fears that Silva has but the source told the i Paper that they will also have a plan in place for if Silva decides to leave.
“If Marco stays then expect the backroom team to be bolstered,” they said.
“I think he feels it is a bit thin at the moment, compared to other clubs, but things like that are getting closer in discussions around his future.
“However, if Marco does go, Tony Khan has a contingency plan.
“Any replacement manager would have to be Premier League-ready, with a similar profile to Silva - someone who also knows European leagues and is a tracksuit manager.”