Manager

Fulham appointed Marco Silva as the Cottagers’ latest manager in July 2021 after Scott Parker left by mutual consent. The coach led the Craven Cottage outfit to the Championship title in his first season.

Parker walked away from west London and took charge of AFC Bournemouth after Fulham endured relegation into the Championship. He failed to keep the Cottagers in the Premier League in their first term back in the division. While Silva was still out of work after Everton sacked the manager in 2019.

Fulham became Silva’s fourth job in England after previous spells at Hull City and Watford before he joined Everton. His tenure at Craven Cottage has also already eclipsed his spells with the Tigers, the Hornets and the Toffees. Silva is also under contract in west London until June 2024 on his first deal.

Fulham manager Marco Silva’s past coaching career

Fulham afforded Silva his return to coaching after giving the manager an initial three-year contract to replace Parker. The tactician had been out of work since he was sacked by Everton in December 2019 after losing 5-2 to Liverpool. A Merseyside derby loss was the last straw for the Goodison Park board.

Silva spent 18 months in charge of the Toffees but left with Everton in the Premier League relegation zone. Liverpool dealt their local rivals their ninth defeat of the season and their third in a row. It was also Silva’s 25th loss from 60 games in charge of Everton in all competitions to 24 wins and 11 draws.

His Toffees teams further scored 89 goals to 85 conceded with Richarlison netting the last of his time at Goodison. It was not the tenure that Everton hoped for after finally hiring Silva in May 2018. They even upset Watford with their chase of the Portuguese tactician earlier on that year, per Sky Sports.

Everton annoyed Watford when trying to appoint Marco Silva

A frustrated Watford sacked Silva in January 2018 having won just once in their previous 11 top-flight games. Silva had taken the Hornets as high as fourth in October 2017. But their form collapsed in the weeks after Everton owner Farhad Moshiri spoke with Watford’s owner Gino Pizzo about hiring Silva.

Watford had only employed Silva in May 2017 and results proved promising at first. Yet he left having won just eight of his 26 matches in charge across all competitions to 13 defeats. He similarly only led Hull for 22 fixtures from January 2017 to May 2017 and enjoyed eight wins to 11 defeats at the club.

The Tigers turned to Silva as they fought for their survival in the Premier League from bottom of the pack. Hull had taken just 13 points from their first 20 games to start the season. And while Silva took 14 points in his 18 fixtures in charge, the Tigers fell into the Championship after an 18th-place finish.

Marco Silva was not Hull City’s title-winning golden ticket to survival

Hull had hoped that Silva’s tenures at Sporting Lisbon and Olympiacos would be the golden ticket to their survival. He enjoyed spells with the Portuguese and Greek giants from May 2014 to June 2015 and July 2015 to June 2026 respectively. But Silva’s methods still saw Hull finish six points off safety.

It was Estoril Praia who gave Silva his first job as a manager after hiring the now-Fulham boss back in September 2011. He had already worked for the club as their director of football since July 2011. But he moved into the dugout and would oversee 116 games before Sporting Lisbon secured his appointment.

Sporting Lisbon were confident about what Silva could offer having led Estoril to promotion from the Portuguese second tier. The Liga de Honra even named Silva as its Coach of the Year for the 2011/12 campaign after lifting the title. And further silverware followed after Silva returned home to Lisbon.

Silva led Sporting Lisbon to the Taca de Portugal title in his first season at the Estadio Jose Alvalade. But it was not enough to last beyond the 2014/15 term and Silva later moved to Olympiacos. Yet he would also only spend one season in Greece after resigning on the back of winning the league title.

Marco Silva’s coaching career

Fulham (July 2021 – June 2024 expected)

Everton (May 2018 – December 2019)

Watford (May 2017 – January 2018)

Hull City (January 2017 – May 2017)

Olympiacos (July 2015 – June 2016)

Sporting Lisbon (May 2014 – June 2015)

Estoril Praia (September 2011 – May 2014)

Marco Silva’s playing career

Fulham manager Silva became Estoril Praia’s director of football in July 2011 after retiring as a player for the club. He had spent the previous six years at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota outfit after joining in July 2005. It was the longest stint that Silva spent at a single club during his playing career.

Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses handed Silva his breakthrough in 1996 after the right-back emerged from their academy team. He joined the club in his youth but struggled at the senior level and joined Atletico CP in 1997. Yet further moves would follow after his spell at CD Trofense from 1998 to 2001.

Trofense eventually sold Silva to Rio Ave in 2001 after a loan spell at SC Campomaiorense during the 1999/2000 season. Yet he left the Vilacondenses for SC Braga’s B-team in 2002, joined SC Salgueiros in 2003 and Odivelas FC in 2004. Silva’s switch to Estoril then followed as he found his forever home.

Silva enjoyed the final match of his playing career in January 2011 as Estoril lost at home to Futebol Clube de Penafiel. He called time on his career having spent six years in the Portuguese second-tier with the Canarinhos. The defender seldom earned the chance to test himself in top-flight matches.

Marco Silva at Fulham

Silva took to the Craven Cottage dugout as the manager of Fulham for the first time in August 2021. Middlesbrough visited west London and would spoil Silva’s party by coming from behind to rescue a 1-1 draw. The Cottagers then thrashed Huddersfield Town 5-1 on the road to hand Silva his first win.

Winning in the Championship came easy for Fulham under Silva as they swept the title with 27 wins from 46 fixtures. They also scored 106 goals with Aleksandar Mitrovic taking home the Golden Boot with 43 to his name. Mitrovic shattered the previous record for the most goals during a season of 31.

Yet despite winning the Championship title, Fulham were among the favourites to endure relegation from the Premier League in 2022/23. The Cottagers had failed to prevent an immediate return to the second tier in 2018/19 and 2020/21. But Silva would snap their poor record and finish in 10th place.

Drawing 2-2 at home to Liverpool on the opening day of the 2022/23 term set the foundations for a strong Premier League season for Fulham under Silva. The Cottagers would even develop ambitions for qualifying for Europe at the turn of the year. They only helped their case by beating Chelsea 2-1.

A difficult run of form after winning the west London derby put an end to a dream European return, though. But Silva still had some high moments and beat Everton 3-1 on his return to Goodison Park. Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli even offered Silva a £40m two-year contract in July 2023 to leave Fulham.