Marco Silva says returning to England was always his plan and believes Fulham is the perfect long-term project for a club looking for stability.
The west London club was relegated to the Premier League after a season last season, while Silva has been unemployed since being fired from Everton in December 2019.
After relegation from the Premier League, Fulham will focus on winning the title against Middlesbrough this Sunday, live on Sky Sports – and Silva takes on the challenge.
Sunday August 8th 1pm
Kick-off at 1:30 p.m.
“I was always close to going back to England to be honest,” he said. “As you know and expect, I had a few offers and spent the last season analyzing my inability to work to determine what I would like to do in my career.
“I wanted to take on a good challenge and a good project. If that happened in England, it would of course be very good for me. the idea was always to return to England when a good project came up.
“We were very happy when the Fulham approach came. I don’t have to say anything about the club’s history – that speaks for itself. I knew them well from my previous coaching experience. Their approach was really good and they proved it.” Trust us to build something important after a tough season.
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Silva replaces Scott Parker at Fulham
“As a club, we want to get back to the Premier League as soon as possible, but we know the championship will be a really tough competition.
“I’ve had really good conversations with Alistair Mackintosh, the CEO and the owners. I believe in the roster and base that we already have here. It’s now up to us to sign some players to join the roster like it the competition will be. ” long and hard. “
After agreeing to a three-year contract with Craven Cottage, Silva is determined to shape the club in ways he failed to do with his former associates Hull City, Watford and Everton.
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Slavisa Jokanovic brought up Fulham in 2018, but the top status lasted a season
“I encountered three very different situations at my three previous clubs,” added Silva. “When I came to Hull, we were in the middle of a season. My team’s goal was to get into the Premier League at that moment and, given the club’s position in the table, we obviously took a risk.”
“It was a really good moment for us as a technical team, even if the taste of relegation wasn’t nice in the end. The way we were received by the city was fantastic and will never be forgotten. It was part of” our career development .
“We then had some offers from the Premier League and after that came Watford and Everton, but now we definitely want to tackle a long-term project at Fulham. I want and Fulham needs some stability. As a group of people we ‘have to do something build that is longer than in the past.
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Parker left Fulham after two years at the helm
“Fulham seems to be the right place for that as they want to grow as a club and support us. The club needs some consistency and we will hopefully bring that about.”
The Portuguese had options on the table from elsewhere but said he had an “easy” decision to make when the Cottagers expressed interest.
Silva has already made two signings since taking office, bringing in Liverpool midfielder Harry Wilson and former Tottenham goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, but the new manager said his dealings in the transfer window are not over yet.
So what kind of football can Fulham fans expect under Silva?
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Fans will be returning to Craven Cottage this weekend
“You can talk about a lot of things about football, but the most important thing is always the results. Our goal as a club is clear – we want to fight for the Premier League, but many clubs want the same thing.”
“The relegated team are always touted as a candidate for promotion, but there have been many examples in the past where this has not happened. We have to be strong and in terms of our philosophy we learn something” every season.
“We have to try to be a consistent team and get the best out of our players. We have done that at previous clubs. I like to play offensive football, but we have to have a balance.”
“We want to play attractive football, but to win games in the championship you need the will and commitment. That is the main thing.”
EFL games live on Sky: Fulham start against Middlesbrough
Sky Sports will show live coverage of Fulham v Middlesbrough on Sunday 8th August when the Sky Bet EFL season begins 2021/22.
Sheffield United will be back on TV the following weekend as they travel to defeated play-off finalists Swansea on the night of Saturday 14 August, while Wayne Rooney’s derby travels to Peterborough United earlier in the day.
The first games of the week bring us to a London derby at The Den hosted by Millwall and Fulham, as well as Huddersfield’s game against Preston, both on Tuesday 17th August. A key game between West Brom and Sheffield United follows on Wednesday August 18th.
