Marco Silva has returned to English football with Championship club Fulham on a three-year contract, the London club announced on Thursday evening.
Just 24 hours after Nuno Espírito Santo took charge of Tottenham Hotspur, Silva also heads to the capital for what is his fourth job in England after 18 months out of the game.
Silva last coached Premier League side Everton until December 2019 when he was sacked midway through the season. Fulham represent the chance for Silva to return to the top flight, with the recently-relegated Cottagers looking to achieve promotion back to the Premier League during the upcoming season.
“I’m really pleased and proud to be appointed Head Coach of such a historic football club,” Silva said upon his arrival. “I want to thank the owner, Mr Khan, Tony Khan and the entire football structure of Fulham Football Club, for the trust shown in us. I’m excited to get started and my message for our fans ahead of this big challenge is we will all be working very hard together to be successful so they can feel proud at the end of the season.”
"I loved his energy and optimism" - Khan
Fulham owner Khan revealed the impression made by Silva in their recent meeting left the former Sporting boss as a strong candidate to fill the void left by Scott Parker’s departure last week. “I met Marco Silva in Portugal last week and was inspired. Marco’s body of work in football was evident, but listening to him break down in detail his experiences at each of his stops as a head coach was thoroughly impressive.
“Marco also came prepared, with a full understanding of the players we have and ideas on how we can move forward this season. I loved his energy and optimism, and I’m confident Marco Silva is the right choice to lead Fulham Football Club as our new Head Coach.”
Boa Morte return
At just 43, Silva remains a young coach, however the Portuguese is has already gained extensive experience in the British game. Stints in charge of Hull City and Watford preceded his spell on Merseyside with Everton, while Silva has also managed Estoril, Sporting and Greek giants Olympiacos.
In a nice touch, Silva will be joined once again on his staff by former Portugal international Luís Boa Morte, who accompanied him at Everton. Boa More is a keen fan favourite at Fulham, where he spent the majority of his playing career and amassed over 200 appearances.
By Sean Gillen
@SeanGillen9
