Five Seasons, One Promotion
Fulham confirmed on Tuesday that Marco Silva will leave after five years as manager. The 48‑year‑old Lisbon native guided the club straight back to the Premier League in his first season, clinching the Championship title in 2022.
Five years is a rarity in a league where a rough winter can feel like an eternity.
The numbers are doing most of the announcement work here, which is usually how teams prefer it.
Before Fulham, Silva managed Hull City, Watford and Everton across nine years in England.
A Homecoming in Lisbon
Silva is widely expected to take over at Benfica, the club where he began his professional career. Reports earlier in the day from BBC Sport’s Sami Mokbel said the Portuguese side were ready to appoint him once Jose Mourinho’s planned return to Real Madrid becomes official.
Fulham offered Silva a contract extension, but he chose not to accept it.
Mourinho’s Brief Spell
Mourinho spent only one season at Benfica, finishing third in the Primeira Liga, eight points behind champions Porto. He is now set to go back to the Bernabeu, where he previously lifted the Copa del Rey in 2011 and La Liga in 2012 before departing in 2013.
A single season was enough to end his Benfica tenure, and now he’s moving on again.