Fulham are confident of keeping head coach Marco Silva at Craven Cottage – and are set to spend big in the summer as they look to build on an impressive first season back in the top flight.
Silva, linked with the possibility of succeeding Antonio Conte at Tottenham Hotspur in recent days, spoke publicly about his happiness in SW6 before Sunday’s defeat by Arsenal and talks are ongoing between the Portuguese coach’s representatives and the Fulham hierarchy about extending his contract current, which runs until July 2024. The former Hull City, Watford and Everton boss has steered one of the pre-season relegation favourites to eighth in the Premier League and the last eight of the FA Cup.
The Whites are willing to green light further spending to strengthen their first-team squad in the summer once Silva signs on the dotted line. Silva is believed not to be top of a provisional Tottenham shortlist for a vacancy that is yet to exist – with Spurs seeking candidates with both Premier League and continental success on their CV.
Fulham will not entertain offers for Joao Palhinha, who will return from suspension at Manchester United in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter final. The Portuguese international, signed for an initial £17.2m from Sporting CP last summer on a six-year contract, is delighted to be playing in the Premier League under his former manager and his family are settled in London. Fulham’s summer recruitment strategy is based on bringing in new signings to complement the tenacious 28 year-old, who has been a revelation in the engine room and is highest successful tackler in the top flight.
Hopefully there both stay. Be interesting to know João thoughts on transfer speculation with him. He’s a special talent and was surprised when he did join us. Hope it wasn’t just to put himself in the window with us.
A potential problem with us keeping Palhinha will be if he has a ‘buy out’ clause in his contract. If he has, I’d hope it was set at around £60M?
Any talk of European football, as exciting as it is, is premature to say the least. We need to beef up in several areas includings squad depth before we engage in actually getting what we wish for, in my, perhaps, not so humble opinion. Please bear with me.
The rumour mill is spewing out that Marco might get his head turned by Tottenham, though they kindly flatter to deceive by telling us that he’s nowhere near top of the list. Dan, this isn’t a go at you as you are reporting and commenting on what we’ve all read elsewhere. If it were true that Tottenham did make a successful approach, all it would show, for me at least, is that he is not the one for us. I know money doesn’t talk, it swears, and that our owners have to show Marco in no uncertain terms how much we value him, but amongst what I perceive as his many attributes are his overall ability to see and call things as they really are. He’s not infallible; I’ve disagreed with certain decisions, but these are minor details in the grand scheme and more often than not he was proved correct. But Tottenham?!… I am not trying to score cheap points against a rival and, as things stand, a bigger club. They should be challenging for the very highest honours and I would not begrudge them, but right now and in Premier League history, they have ultimately proved to be a poison chalice. If that’s what Marco wants, and for the record I would find it hard to believe, let him go without a moan. It would have to be about the money and a need to prove something (he’s been down that road before), so while Levy is still at the helm… yes, he runs a very successful business, but it’s not all about a successful business for us supporters, is it?
I know it may have taken too long to get there, but I hope you get my point.
Totally Agree Tottenham have not won the First Division/Premier League since 1961 Blackburn and Leicester have won the league so there’s something drastically wrong at Tottenham it is as Andrew said a poison Chalice other big clubs and we all know who they are don’t like the fact that Fulham are suddenly becoming a little itch in there side and they don’t like it they want our best players ala Palinha Solomon etc and between want to muck it up Also I say to Mr Khan give Silva the money for us to improve further and maybe next season TC is not playing all the time and how long will Ream go on for So give Palinha the armband next season let’s try and keep our manager and our best players