Marco Silva has slammed Fulham’s lack of activity in the transfer market – as he prepares to open the Premier League campaign at Brighton and Hove Albion tomorrow.
The Seagulls have spent almost £70m on summer signings whilst Fulham have only bought in French veteran Benjamin Lecomte as a back-up goalkeeper after allowing Steven Benda to join Millwall on a season-long loan. Silva insists that the Londoners have failed to follow up on the plan he had agreed earlier in the year, telling his pre-match press conference that the club risked resting on their laurels.
“At the level that we’re [at], if you think that any moment of your career at this level, any manager, player, or club, if you are comfortable with what you’ve achieved – I think that’s the first mistake you are going to make. When I mention ‘We cannot stand still’ it’s because it’s the only way I can be in this job – to always want and demand more, to have the ambition to do more, it’s the way I see it. When I have this type of personality, I cannot stand still.
“I want everybody to think in the same way because it’s the only way that Fulham can progress and improve. Until now, we haven’t achieved our [transfer] aims – not just us, it’s been difficult for many clubs. We haven’t given the step [up] we wanted to give – simple as that. In the plan, in the organisation, one thing we have to do, we have to progress as a squad. We have been working hard to do it. The board have been trying their best, I believe. But, until now, I have to say, we have been too passive in that aspect.
If you have a plan to renew [a contract] with the player A, B, C and D and you have a plan to sign player A, B, C or D, you can work in both situations together. You don’t need to do one after the other. For my vision of football, I don’t see it in this way.”
Silva, who turned down lucrative job offers from Saudi Arabia for a second successive summer to remain at Craven Cottage, has one more year left on his current contract. Reports earlier this week suggested the Portuguese head coach would be unlikely to stay beyond this summer because he was frustrated at Fulham’s slow recruitment.
Silva is a great manager and highly ambitious!! But the club is not matching his ambitious and he is a goner !!! The owners are just happy to stay in the league and do not really fault them .!!
So you’re going to quote a different story that is misrepresenting what Silva actually said. Really? Never even pretend to have any integrity. Where is the part where be blamed the market?
Hi Paul,
These are quotes from the embargoed section of Thursday’s press conference.
We covered Silva’s broadcast and written unembargoed quotes extensively on Thursday.
https://hammyend.com/index.php/2025/08/silva-i-didnt-expect-us-to-be-this-passive/
If you don’t think we have integrity, you are free to look at the Club’s official account of the press conference – which completely ignored both sets of comments.
Are any of you aware of the (IMO TOTALLY UNJUST) financial restrictions placed on us?
The Khans, for all their faults, and there are many, have NEVER failed to spend the most allowed by the restrictive financial limit allowed.
Last year (almost certaily under Silva’s direction), we spent the best part of 100M on ESR, Andersen,Berge and others, which has added probably 15-20M per year to our amortisation cost.These are offset ONLY by the sale of Pahlinha (maybe 4M).
That takes our amortisation costs to aprox 75M per year!
Their salaries are huge, which again bumps up our yearly cost.
Contrary to the fantasy posted on Londons Otiginal, THIS YEAR WE DO NOT HAVE A POT TO P!SS IN!
Until you fantasists realise the realities of the financial restictions that we have to operate under,you will be forever writing the fantasy posts.
Of course Silva will be angry, but IMHO, he is largely to blame, in that most sources indicate that ALL the above transfers were his choices which have effectively hamstrung us to spend ANYTHING this year without a major sale.
This is NOT the KHANS fault. This is purely the ridiculous situation regarding FFP, PSR, whatever they call it this year.
People have to get real!!!
Looks like the club has turned into the Kremlin censoring manager comments. What next? These owners and management need to go. Dont care how much theyve spent in the past. They clearly dont have the heart for the fight.
Spend 300mill on a stand in always thought you need the team to fill it let’s be fair 30 mill ain’t alot to spend on player now when you spend that kind of cash you have to keep something back for the coming market
I understand Silva Frustration. FFP has never been fair it keeps the big clubs big, and doesn’t let any smaller club develop even if the owners have money. Look at Newcastle being held back with money to invest, villa get into Europe and have to sale players. If the rules like this were in place when MAF took over we would still be struggling in the lower leagues. While theses rules are in place it will be very hard to do better than last season who ever owns the club. A cup would be great . I can see both sides Silva been great the Khans are keeping us a float
Hello Zal,
We’re very aware of the PSR rules and the SCR revisions that Fulham voted for as a Premier League club. We’ve covered those extensively. The ownership are able to adjust their business approach accordingly. They could have sold Pereira last winter for the hefty fees that were offered, but chose not to. They didn’t have to take out a loan with JP Morgan, either.
I’d be interested in how you know that Silva is largely to blame for the club’s financial situation. I would suggest that is speculation and calling fellow fans fantasists isn’t very ‘Fulhamish’. What seems to be clear is that the head coach was promised signings that haven’t materialised.
Why are you answering for Chloe, does she not have confidence in her own article to answer?
The FACTS are in the 23/24 accounts.
The Khans have (again) maxed out the spending and we have lost 30+
Million!
There is almost 97Million already noted against the 24/25 accounts for the cost of ESR, Andersen, Berge and Cuence, which means another 19 Million per year in amortisation. Palhinha is gone soe that saves about 5M but that means that our amortisation costs will be around 73milllion plus the (allegedly huge wages of the first 3 named.
These were all reportedly Marco’s choices!
Without a major sale we are really strapped.
You and Chloe, and others continually state that the Khans have let Silva down, but they have in fact given him exactly what he has asked for until the pot is empty.
I HATE the situation, but I recognise it. I have no doubt that if they were able (legally), the Khans would spend whatever they could to achieve success, which would dwarf the Fayed spending when these restictions were not applicable.
It’s the rules, not the Khans that are hamstringing us!