Why Fulham must stick with Marco Silva despite their slide toward the relegation zone
Even though Marco Silva’s contract at Fulham was originally set to run until 2026, it now appears that some within the club hierarchy are surprisingly considering an earlier exit.
It’s a decision that seems entirely self-inflicted, one that could easily disrupt the progress Silva has made with the team.
Honestly, it feels like Fulham might be underestimating the stability he’s brought, letting him go sooner could undo years of steady development and smart management that fans have genuinely come to appreciate.
Silva and Fulham are clearly drifting apart over the past year, and a split in 2026 is becoming more and more plausible.
The former head coach of Everton and Watford is one of three Premier League managers who are in the last year of their contracts at their present club. They are all much more likely to quit than to sign new contracts.
Since joining Fulham following their Premier League relegation in 2021, he has done a fantastic job leading them to safety in three straight seasons with three mid-table finishes and achieving promotion from the Championship at the first attempt.
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Silva is one of the few managers who defied the increasing tendency of teams immediately regressing after winning promotion to the Premier League, and he has won the respect of clubs farther away as he has earned a greater chance.
The 48-year-old has previously fended off attention from the Saudi Pro League, but Fulham’s failure to match his aspirations in prior transfer windows has made it clear that he is restless.
This was especially true this summer, as the Cottagers spent the majority of the transfer window without making a deal, which infuriated Silva, their supporters, and commentators.
In the last few days of the summer transfer window, Fulham managed to complete a few deals, including the acquisition of Kevin from Shakhtar Donetsk for about £35 million and the loan of Samuel Chukwueze from AC Milan.
However, this was probably insufficient to placate Silva, as the club has caused problems with their concerning lack of desire.
The quality of the teams coming up from the Championship is typically far lower than those in the top flight, so it’s clear that their board has recently slowed down while naively assuming they would be safe in the Premier League for another season with the same squad as last season.
But like West Ham and Wolves, Fulham has been caught off guard by Sunderland, Leeds United, and Burnley being more competitive than most anticipated; as a result, these teams have sleepwalked into problems.
Fulham’s recent downturn is proof of this; their 2-0 loss to Everton over the weekend raised concerns as they are now only one point out of the Premier League relegation zone.
talkSPORT reports that his future has been “thrown into doubt” as they “weigh up” parting ways with his head coach, suggesting that there are now panic stations at Fulham.
“Tensions are mounting due to Silva’s reluctance to sign a new deal,” and there are also “concerns” regarding their standing in the Premier League.
Silva has suddenly emerged as the front-runner to be the next Premier League manager to be fired, possibly in reaction to this story, since the notorious November window could happen once more.
Fulham would be quite foolish to fire Silva on this particular occasion since they are unlikely to find a suitable replacement who is not a downgrade.
Additionally, they run the possibility of collapsing into a disaster akin to Nottingham Forest, which can be easily avoided by remaining with their current manager to lead them back to safety.
Silva is even less likely to extend his contract past this summer because Fulham’s own actions have significantly added to their present panic.
