- Crystal Palace hoping to swoop for Fulham boss
- Pep Guardiola ‘admires’ him
- Winning record matches Glasner’s
Crystal Palace are interested in an ambitious swoop for Fulham boss Marco Silva, according to Alan Nixon.
Palace will be in the hunt for a new manager to replace Oliver Glasner, and reportedly want someone with Premier League experience. Andoni Iraola and Sean Dyche are also on the shortlist, but Fulham’s Marco Silva appears to be another favoured candidate.
The key question around this potential appointment is Silva’s ambitions and where he sees himself as a manager. At Fulham, Silva has impressed hugely with extremely restricted budgets, something he has addressed in the past.
Marco Silva’s Fulham record
Across 106 games, Silva boasts a 49% win rate, which compares identically to Glasner’s record at Palace. Fulham currently occupy 12th place in the Premier League, one space and just one point above Palace, who have a game in hand over every other side in the division.
Across his time at Fulham, he has led them to an FA Cup quarter final, which of course came against Palace, and a 3-0 win for Glasner’s men.
It does feel as if Silva has hit his ceiling at Fulham, and Palace’s squad is undoubtedly stronger than the Cottagers’, with the ownership at Selhurst Park also open to spending more money than the west Londoners’ notoriously tight owners.
Timing of appointment is crucial
With Glasner’s future clear and away from South London, Palace need to ensure that the new manager is appointed quickly and in time for a full pre-season campaign. There can be no flexibility around this, and there will be no excuse if the board fails in this task, as there will have been ample opportunity and time to address it come the summer.
In Silva, Palace would be signing a highly regarded manager. Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola recently stated:
“I admire him a lot. The job he has done, not just at Fulham. At Watford [he did] really well, some problems at Everton but at Fulham his impact is there.”
There is a lack of top-quality managers on the market; hence, Chelsea’s decision to expedite the planned appointment of Liam Rosenior. Silva has previously attracted interest from the likes of Manchester United, but it does feel as if Palace would also be a step up in terms of opportunity and backing.
Silva will instantly have a stronger squad than he has in West London, and he will likely be backed financially as the Palace board did in January with Glasner.
Whoever Palace select as their next manager, the decision needs to be prompt.
