Fulham have been rocked by an approach for manager Marco Silva in recent days as Benfica look to pounce on any uncertainty, it has been claimed.
Mixed start for Fulham
After losing key figure Joao Palhinha this summer when he finally completed a long-overdue move to Bayern Munich, it has been a strange transfer window for Silva's side.
They broke their transfer record to sign wantaway Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe, while they also added across their ranks with Sander Berge arriving to fill Palhinha's role in the side and Joachim Andersen rejoining from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace in a £25m deal in a bid to replace Tosin Adarabioyo, who left on a free transfer for Chelsea.
Fulham's summer signings 2024
Player
Fee (as per transfermarkt)
Emile Smith Rowe
€31.8m
Joachim Andersen
€29.5m
Sander Berge
€23.55m
Jorge Cuenca
€6.7m
Ryan Sessegnon
Free
Reiss Nelson
Loan
Their window culminated in the signing of Reiss Nelson on loan from Arsenal, with the English winger taking the no.19 shirt at Craven Cottage. And there was a clear desire to bring the average age of their squad down, with Willian (36), Tim Ream (36), Bobby De Cordova Reid (31) and Terence Kongolo (30) all leaving as free agents.
So far, their season has been mixed, with the Cottagers taking four points from their opening three games. They fell to a late 1-0 defeat to Manchester United on the opening day of the season thanks to a debut goal from Joshua Zirkzee, but have since managed to edge past newly promoted Leicester City before holding on for a draw against fellow newly promoted side Ipswich Town. But now news out of Portugal threatens to disrupt any feel-good factor in west London.
Marco Silva wanted by Benfica
That comes as Portuguese outlet Record claims that Benfica have made an approach to try and lure Silva away from Fulham after parting ways with Roger Schmidt. The Portuguese outfit sit seventh in their league after just four games, having finished 10 points off the pace last season, and fired Schmidt over the weekend.
Now on the hunt for a new boss, they have been long term admirers of Silva and have opened talks directly with the Fulham boss to land him as their next manager, reports relayed by Sport Witness claim.
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For now, they appear to have failed though. The report adds that his €15m (£12.5m) release clause at Craven Cottage plus his high salary have given the Portuguese giants pause for thought, while "timing" has also "taken the Fulham man off the table".
Nonetheless, the news will certainly come as a concern for Fulham fans despite Silva penning a new contract last year to keep him at the club until 2026. With the pedigree of Benfica and the Portuguese connection, a future offer may be harder to turn down for the Lisborn-born tactician.
