Marco Silva off to Benfica

[Jimsbeerbelly]

Although he came out yesterday and said there was no contact, a few creditable outlets are now reporting that he will now replace José Mourinho and become the new Benfica coach.

Obviously, Mendes would've been doing all the talking, so Marco wouldn't have had any direct contact yet, be it now seems to be a forgone conclusion, and he will leave Fulham at the end of the season. 

Whilst no coach is bigger than the club, Marco Silva has clearly been looking at options to leave for quite domestic tome now, and my worry is that the owners have let this drag on for far to long.

If true, big summer coming up, an ageing squad, and what now looks like to be coach-less.

[FFC007]

https://x.com/FulhamTransfer/status/2055740437856399731?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet


Looks like it could be a done deal.. big media frenzy in Portugal seems to confirm it.

[FFC007]

https://x.com/theMadridZone/status/2055728171853504999?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

[Rambler]

That's fine. All good things come to an end and tbh I think this has been coming to an end for 6 months or so.

I hope our owners have a plan because this summer it is absolutely crucial we act quickly on a manager and transfers otherwise we will be in real trouble.

[Rambler]

My vote Fabregas, or confirm pochettino for after the World Cup and work with him now on transfers for when he starts

[Citizen Smith]

Would love Poch, I´ve got to say. Are we too small a club for him to consider, I wonder? Hopefully the Khans are on the case

[AustrianGeezer]

Let's hope the club have already been contacting other managers since december and haven't put all their hopes into marco resigning

[Neutral Zone Ultra]

Filipe Luis or Fabregas please

[General]

Apparently, according to Google, our fourth longest serving manager.

A shame if he is leaving. Hope we figure out a replacement asap

[demeant0r]

It really took all of this time for Marco to make a decision. I feel like he made up his mind months ago and just been stringing the club along.

[SuffolkWhite]

I honestly don't think it matters when we find out he's going, other than the opportunity to say thanks at the Newcastle game.

Also, and more importantly, the club have a Manager lined up and ready to go from day one.in the close season.

[General]

I suppose one potential positive is that there are a lot of good managers available this summer... if he does go, whilst I'll be disappointed, I'd hope the club have acted quickly and sorted a suitable replacement.

[ArcticOctopus]

It really took all of this time for Marco to make a decision. I feel like he made up his mind months ago and just been stringing the club along.

Feel like this is the truth. If reports are right that he's taking a significant pay cut than it seems like he was just waiting for the first half decent opportunity to come along.

Feels like we were just his safety net.

[ArcticOctopus]

If we land on our feet after all of this, I guess all's well that ends well. But given how slow the club moves sometimes, I wish we'd have more time to get a replacement.

[Zoppa77]

Pre  Southhampton = stay
Post Southhampton = go , with my best wishes.

I think it's pretty clear MS wants to be elsewhere. The reasons are almost irrelevant. Almost any other business would not allow this situation to get to this stage.
"Nothing will kill a great employee faster than watching you tolerate a bad one" - Perry Belcher.
MS is far from bad. I appreciate what he has achieved with FFC. I think the longer he stays the closer we are heading to a bad outcome.

[IloveFFC]

https://x.com/NicoSchira/status/2055800209653789069

[hovewhite]

If true I wish him well

[hongkongfulham]

I think we have hit the ceiling for Marco. He got us out of a bad situation into a good one and i think he is a great manager. The problem is he cant seem to close out seasons (its really a big problem for him a feel), and he cant recruit a balanced squad with the right personalities to take the next step.

I 100% think he is gone and I am excited for what another manager can do with a talented squad. We have the potential to be very exciting, with kevin/bobb/ESR/King, and currently we can hardly get a shot on target.

[Oakeshott]

Going to Benfica now a mistake in my view.

When he came to us, Marco took over a struggling club and achieved success. Benfica have had a great season, unbeaten, and if under Marco they lose a couple early on ... Better to go to a club not doing so well, Chelsea, for example, though it seems from the news as though that vacancy has been filled.

If he does go, reportedly for a lot less money, then like the Middlesborough manager moving to the doomed Wolvs in mid-season, it looks like sentiment over logic - not that sentiment is to be under-valued. Without it, we long-time Fulham fans would have switched teams in the pre Al Fayed years when Conference football seemed a real possibility!

[Holders]

I'm sure a reported lot less money would still be a very great deal for most of us and quite sufficient to live comfortably on. To me it's a bit of a no-brainer: a bigger, more prestigious club in a better place, which also happens to be his homeland.

He's done 5 years with us and the right change wouldn't do us any harm either, disruptive though it is.