It is no surprise that the 48-year-old has attracted the attention of the Old Lady
For the majority of Fulham fans, the idea Marco Silva is reportedly subject to admiring glances from one of Europe’s most prestigious clubs in Juventus comes as no surprise.
The Portuguese head coach took over from Scott Parker after the club’s third successive Premier League relegation and definitely had a point to prove after spells at Hull City, Watford and Everton.
During those previous stints, Silva certainly showed in glimpses that he had the potential to thrive in English football, but his departure from Goodison Park in 2019 with Everton sitting 18th following a 5-2 defeat to Liverpool raised doubts about whether he would get another coaching role in this country.
Having spent more than 18 months out of the game, his subsequent appointment by Fulham led to some scepticism about his suitability to manage in the Championship, having never overseen a team in the division before.
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 02: Tom Cairney of Fulham lifts the Sky Bet Championship Trophy as Players of Fulham celebrate winning the Sky Bet Championship and promotion to the Premier League after the Sky Bet Championship match between Fulham and Luton Town at Craven Cottage on May 02, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Fulham played swashbuckling football under Silva en route to the Championship title (Photo: Getty)
But having quietened the doubters by leading Fulham to their first league title in 21 years – with 106 goals scored in the process – Silva then achieved what many supporters were craving, guiding them not just to Premier League survival (finally), but an incredible 10th place and a long-awaited win over local rivals Chelsea.
Following such a successful campaign, it was inevitable that wealthy clubs would come calling, and given Silva’s decision to leave Hull and Watford for pastures new, Fulham fans were understandably fearful of the same thing happening following mega-money approaches by Saudi Pro League sides Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal.
The fact Silva opted to turn down those offers was a huge boost to the club heading into 2023-24, even if Al-Hilal did manage to sign Fulham’s talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic.
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Silva’s third campaign in charge proved just as successful as the previous two, but in a slightly different way as Fulham reached the League Cup semi-finals for the first time in their history, making up for a slightly underwhelming 13th-placed finish that can partly be explained by Mitrovic’s departure.
After an approach by Al-Ittihad was also rebuffed by Silva last summer, Fulham started the 2024-25 season strongly despite the departure of star midfielder Joao Palhinha, and had lost just four league matches by the turn of the year.
However, a campaign that promised so much, especially after an FA Cup fifth-round win on penalties against Manchester United, fell flat following a collapse against eventual winners Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals, before a run of five league defeats in seven ended credible hopes of European qualification as Fulham finished the season in 11th.
Despite a club-record Premier League points total, it was a disappointing conclusion to the campaign, and perhaps for the first time, there are now rumblings of discontent from an admittedly small minority who doubt whether Silva is the right man to take Fulham forward.
One of the biggest complaints about Silva centres around his apparent inability to manage squad minutes effectively for the duration of a campaign – as seen by the fact that results have dropped off after the March international break during all four of his seasons at the club.
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 29: Fulham's Rodrigo Muniz gestures during the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Fulham and Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage Stadium on March 29, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Andrew Kearns - CameraSport via Getty Images)
Fulham’s FA Cup loss to Crystal Palace preceded a poor ending to their league season (Photo: Getty)
The other issue has been his tendency to struggle at working out how to break down teams that defend deep, something that was highlighted most clearly when Fulham were knocked out of the cup at home to Palace, just over a month after a similar type of game unfolded against the same opponents at Craven Cottage in the league.
It is indicative though of how well Silva has done in his current role that only now pockets of the fanbase are getting frustrated.
The 48-year-old is the victim of his own success, and has extracted far more out of the squad than most head coaches would be able to.
Had Fulham finished 16th or 17th on their Premier League return under him, most fans would have been satisfied but then tempered expectations.
However, a top-half finish raises pressure on the team to maintain the levels, which have made the following two seasons seem slightly less impressive than they otherwise would have been.
Silva’s latest rejection of the Saudi Pro League ahead of this summer continues to underline that his priority is to establish himself in a major European league rather than chase eye-wateringly lucrative contracts.
But despite having reiterated recently that his future is at Fulham for the upcoming season, the opportunity to coach Juventus would no doubt be enticing to some degree, especially as the Old Lady can offer him Champions League football, while Napoli’s low title-winning points tally of 82 suggests that Juve can mount their own Scudetto challenge with a strong transfer window.
Such backing in the market hasn’t always been forthcoming at Fulham, with players often not signed at all or acquired too late to be bedded into the squad ahead of the new season.
With just a year left on his current contract, discussions about Silva’s Fulham future will need to be had imminently, and if the hierarchy want to ensure that the club remain in the top flight and potentially push on, doing everything to keep him and giving him significant funds to strengthen the squad seems a no-brainer.