Some interesting comments from Marco Silva on Fulham’s recruitment – courtesy of the Athletic’s Peter Rutzler. Asked specifically about the arrival of Rodrigo Muniz from Flamengo, the Fulham head coach said:

“Was he a player that I asked the board to sign? Definitely. Like I asked to sign Harry Wilson, and like I asked to sign Paulo Gazzaniga. I cannot see football in a different way. You work with the board, but to be clear, they were players I asked 100 per cent to be signed. Rodrigo was a player that came from myself to the club, and of course after the club analysed him and all the others as well.”

Silva’s insistence on prolonging Fulham’s interest in the Brazilian striker, which looked like floundering earlier this summer when Flamengo rejected the club’s initial loan offer, may hint at a change in transfer strategy or at least greater influence for the new head coach than some of his predecessors have enjoyed. It is noteworthy that Silva suggests that the signings of Paulo Gazzaniga and Harry Wilson originated with him rather than other members of the club’s recruitment team.