Thursday Fulham Stuff - 11/06/26...

[WhiteJC]

Silva agrees to replace Mourinho at Benfica
Marco Silva has agreed to become Benfica's new head coach as the Portuguese club formalised Jose Mourinho's departure for Real Madrid.

Silva, 48, ended his five-year stint as Fulham boss a week ago when his contract at Craven Cottage expired.

Benfica said they had "reached an agreement" with Silva who is set to sign a contract until the end of the 2027-28 season which can be extended to 2028-29.

Fulham were Silva's fourth English club after spells in charge of Hull City, Watford and Everton.

Mourinho's exit from Estadio da Luz was also announced, with Benfica saying Real Madrid will pay them £13m (15m euros) in compensation to bring the 63-year-old back to the Bernabeu.

"The coach [Mourinho] has given his agreement to this hiring," added a Benfica statement.

"Thus ended Jose Mourinho's second spell as manager of Benfica's professional football team."

Mourinho took charge of Benfica in September and led them to third place in the Primeira Liga this season as they went through the league campaign unbeaten.

In his previous spell in charge of Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013, the Portuguese won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c74y8x7grr3o

[WhiteJC]

Benfica eyeing summer move for Jorge Cuenca
Benfica will look to sign 26-year-old Spanish defender Jorge Cuenca from Fulham to replace the departing Nicolas Otamendi this summer.

According to an update by Pablo Oliveira, Jorge Cuenca is the subject of interest from Benfica. The Primeira Liga giants are keen on reinforcing their defensive unit by signing a centre-back in the upcoming transfer window, and they have set their sights on the 26-year-old Fulham defender.

The update by Pablo Oliveira has revealed that Benfica will aim to sign two centre-backs in the summer transfer window, with Cuenca one of the targets for those positions. Meanwhile, Fulham will demand "slightly above" €10 million to part ways with the Spaniard in the coming weeks.

How has Jorge Cuenca fared at Fulham?
Jorge Cuenca has endured a topsy-turvy ride since joining Fulham from Villarreal in August 2024. The 26-year-old arrived at Craven Cottage with an enhanced reputation after an impressive 2023/24 campaign with the Yellow Submarine. However, he has struggled for regular game time during his spell with the West London club.

The Spanish defender managed only 1,523 minutes of game time in 22 appearances for Fulham in the 2025/26 season. With Joachim Andersen and Calvin Bassey being the undisputed first-choice centre-backs for the West London club, regular action will evade him. With first-team opportunities limited at Fulham, a move to Portugal could offer Cuenca a chance to reignite his career.

Benfica's need for a centre-back
Benfica's interest in Jorge Cuenca is understandable. The Primeira Liga giants are combing the market for a centre-back, as Nicolas Otamendi is reportedly closing in on joining River Plate. Additionally, they are in a spot of bother over Antonio Silva's long-term future, as recent reports have linked the Portuguese international with Newcastle United.

That explains Benfica's desire to sign two new centre-backs in the summer transfer window, and Cuenca is a viable target. Despite irregular involvement at Fulham, the Spaniard has shown his quality whenever he has taken the field.

However, it is unclear if Benfica will be open to paying over €10 million to sign Cuenca from Fulham. Meanwhile, the West London club may not stand in the Spanish defender's way, as recent reports have linked them with several centre-backs, including Real Madrid's Raul Asencio.



https://thehardtackle.com/transfer-news/2026/06/10/benfica-eyeing-summer-move-for-jorge-cuenca/

[WhiteJC]

Ex-Millwall goalkeeper released by Fulham
EX-MILLWALL loanee Steven Benda has been released by Fulham.

Benda, 27, signed for the Lions last summer to temporarily replace their number one shotstopper, Lukas Jensen, but failed to impress.

The German gave away a soft equaliser at Norwich City on the opening day after failing to clear his lines, then made another mistake when coming off his line against Wrexham at The Den later that month to hand the Welsh side the opener.

Benda went on to start ten games before picking up a groin injury that sidelined him for two months. Back-up Max Crocombe started in his place and looked far more assured, retaining the starting role when Benda returned to match fitness.

Benda was given one last chance to impress against Burnley in the FA Cup Third Round, but shipped five goals and was sent back to Fulham later that week. He finished his Lions career having conceded eighteen goals in eleven games.

He joined Feyenoord for the latter half of the season, making one appearance for the Eredivisie side.

Benda came through 1. FC Heidenheim's academy and spent a year with 1860 Munich before signing for Swansea City in 2017. He spent six seasons at the Welsh club, making 31 appearances. He also enjoyed loan spells at Swindon Town and Peterborough United.

He signed for Fulham as their back-up keeper in 2023, making four cup appearances before his release this month.



https://southwarknews.co.uk/sport/football/millwall/ex-millwall-goalkeeper-released-by-fulham/

[WhiteJC]

What we learned from Jack Kelly's interview with Tony Khan
Our Director of Football came out of hiding to chat with one of our own.

Fulham Twitter went into meltdown last night when Jack Kelly revealed he was set to interview Tony Khan that evening.

There was no warning or build-up - Jack even admitted at the start of the interview that the deal was agreed less than an hour before they went live.

Nevertheless, what followed was a fascinating hour of chit-chat. I'll start by saying I thought Jack asked the questions we all wanted some answers to and guided the chat well. Tony is a slippery fish when it comes to the media, but I think we got some interesting nuggets.

I'll not go through it all because you should all listen to it or watch it below, if you haven't already, but here are some of the key points from the interview.

There was no plan B
The biggest news to come out of this was the fact that Fulham were not prepared for Marco Silva's exit.

I do not care which way you slice it, that is negligence.

Tony says that even on Tuesday morning, Marco indicated that he was signing a new contract, and when he flew back England, the club believed it was to sign on the dotted line.

How naive. It was clear from January that Marco was reticent to sign a new deal, for whatever reason. A deal was on the table, unsigned, for months. It is during that time you do your due diligence. A shortlist of names who fit tactically and culturally at the absolute minimum.

Tony stopped short of saying they had that.

"We'd had conversations but we hadn't met with anyone formally while Marco was in office. I've seen a lot of people linked that we haven't talked to, and some that we have..."

He used the time to poo-poo reports in the media, and cited those who report "what is advantageous for them to report", but he's long enough in the tooth to know there's no smoke without fire. It was clear from numerous reports that Marco was off to Benfica. It's literally been announced.

Crucially, the revelation goes against Shad Khan's line in Marco's exit post:

"Change is inevitable in this game, and we've accordingly prepared for this moment."

So, who's lying?

Khan addressed his silence on Marco's exit, saying he'd penned a statement for what he believed would be the press release announcing his extension, which was never used, and he needed more time to collect his thoughts after Marco's U-turn. I would argue that he should've collected them before his ill-timed AEW livestream on the weekend, but hey ho.

So, the long and the short of it is we're beginning our search for a new manager from a standing start. That has a knock-on effect on everything from pre-season prep to transfers. Let's hope that it doesn't have a negative impact on our campaign.

Marco was happy with the recruitment set-up
It's speculation, of course, but many believe Marco walked because he couldn't work with the way the club's recruitment process is structured. Tony flat-out refuted this.

"It's reported he wanted a change in the set-up. I never heard that - certainly he never communicated that. Every year working together, Marco was always really positive about the the things we accomplished and the work we've done. If I ever felt like it was holding us back then I would want to make a change"

We've all sat through five summers of Marco Silva pressers, so we know he wasn't happy - he famously described the club as "passive" during our latest preseason. But we don't know if it was a factor in his exit.

That set-up won't change
When pushed on our infamous approach to transfers - signing as late as possible to save money - Tony had this to say:

"People don't think about Financial Fair Play and trying to make sure the club isn't subject to a points deduction or any kind of sanctions, because we've always managed to avoid those while bringing in top players on very good wages."

I'd have liked to have heard how he feels our peers like Brentford, Brighton and Bournemouth manage to mitigate the factors he mentions better. If you have to save millions of pounds to make it a prudent deal, are there not better deals to be found elsewhere?

With SCR on the horizon sparking the need to change tack in terms of transfers, TK said:

"SCR will be incredibly important, especially to the clubs that aren't necessarily the biggest. We've put a lot of funding into the club and will continue to do so, but they are putting limitations around squad cost relative to the size of the club, and in this case we have a squad that's very well compensated.

"We'll have to continue to monitor that; we've been planning for this for years. Planning for FFP has helped put people in line for SCR. There'll be some different regulations, but we've already been working to make sustainability a focus for us. That's part of - again - why if you can chip £5m off a transfer, or two or three, that's £15m that can make a huge difference."

Khan looks to be comfortable with the club's approach to player recruitment, so I'd not expect any players through the door before the end of the World Cup.

But, for the sake of the 2026/27 season and beyond, I hope a manager comes through the gates of Motspur before that. Based on the comments we heard last night, that's far from guaranteed.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/p/what-we-learned-from-jack-kellys

[WhiteJC]

Fulham's €20m offer about to land – Pushing ahead of Sunderland
Fulham are seriously pursuing the signature of Parma's Mariano Troilo, who is attracting increasing interest from England.

The defender had a pretty decent 2025/26 campaign at Parma. He replaced Giovanni Leoni and in the second half of the season, he became a vital cog in the wheel for Carlos Cuesta's side.

In all competitions, the centre-back played 23 times, famously scoring Parma's match-winning goal against AC Milan at the San Siro.

This played a part in his growing reputation, with Sport Witness having covered Sunderland's interest in the Argentine in May

Sunderland contacted his entourage over a deal but Fulham are pushing ahead of them.

Parma pushing high
ParmaLive note that Troilo had an 'excellent second half of the season' and he has now attracted many clubs.

Fulham are ready to make a serious move for him. They are offering €20m and this bid should land on Parma's table shortly. The Italian side, for now, are under no pressure to sell.

As a result, the London club's offer is likely to be rejected. This is a sign that the Crociati are waiting for more clubs to join the race, and their asking price remains unknown.

Regardless, the 22-year-old will have a 'very hot' summer transfer window. More offers can arrive, with Fulham said to be one of the many teams who are keen on him.

Sunderland now have to decide whether to submit their own offer.

Parma attempting auction
It is clear that Cuesta's side are doing all they can to drum up English interest.

Troilo joined for only €7m in 2025 and a €20m fee should hand Parma a significant capital gain.

Parma managed to earn a big amount from Leoni's sale to Liverpool. There is every chance they are aiming to do the same with his replacement.



https://sportwitness.co.uk/fulhams-e20m-offer-about-to-land-pushing-ahead-of-sunderland/

[WhiteJC]

Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna makes shocking move amid Fulham links
Last season saw Ipswich Town fight through the Championship to earn their promotion back to the Premier League, just a year after they faced relegation from the top flight. This challenge in the English second tier came after the Tractor Boys bid farewell to a few of their key players, with the departures of Liam Delap to Chelsea and Omari Hutchinson to Nottingham Forest, respectively, being their biggest losses in the squad.

But Ipswich Town would set the Championship ablaze, banging in 80 goals, the third highest in the season, while netting themselves an automatic promotion as they finished in the second spot in the table, with 84 points. All of this movement would see Kieran McKenna be in the technical box for their rise to the Premier League, subsequent relegation, and the fight for promotion once again, but he won't be there for the upcoming return to the top flight.

McKenna steps down

https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2064756037807190093

As reported by Fabrizio Romano, McKenna is to step down from his role at Ipswich as he plans to take a break from management. The career move comes as the 40-year-old has two years left on his contract with the Tractor Boys, leaving the club to find themselves a new manager ahead of the upcoming season.

The decision to take a break comes amid heavy interest from fellow Premier League outfit, Fulham as reported by talkSPORT, who have been looking for a replacement for the recently departed Marco Silva, who took his managerial talents to Portugal with Champions League contenders, Benfica.

Some of the bigger names on the managerial market include Arne Slot, who was just let go by Liverpool only two years into his reign at Anfield, as well as Thomas Frank, who was most recently the head coach of Tottenham Hotspur before being sacked midway through the most recent campaign amid a rough start to the season.

Whoever McKenna's successor will be is certain to be a storyline to follow throughout the offseason.



https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/ipswich-town/news/ipswich-towns-kieran-mckenna-makes-shocking-move-amid-fulham-links/854844e42e2e460bb8e10f3a

[Yamus]

Just because TK hadn't got a clue about what was going on doesn't mean SK didn't after all it's his money.

[Jims Dentist]

What's happened in the past and the inaccuracies in the interview highlighted by John above, makes me want to question nearly everything that comes out of TK's mouth.