da doce： Chelsea are targeting a surprise move for Fulham manager Marco Silva, according to reports.
What's the latest manager news at Chelsea?
da premier bet： On Sunday, Todd Boehly gave Graham Potter his marching orders following an underwhelming season of form and results, meaning that the owner now has to enter the market to find the 47-year-old's long-term successor.
The Blues reportedly made an approach for Mauricio Pochettino during an earlier period of uncertainty, while they were claimed to be admirers of Zinedine Zidane and Roberto De Zerbi. Elsewhere, they have most recently made contact with Bayern Munich’s former boss, Julian Nagelsmann.
Portuguese Silva is currently in charge at Fulham, with his contract at Craven Cottage not set to expire until next summer, but with his team in the top half of the table and one place higher than the Blues, he has caught the eye of the hierarchy.
According to The Mirror, Silva has “emerged” as a surprising candidate and is “in contention” to take over in the dugout at Chelsea. The SW6 boss has “admirers” on the board and is seen as a possible “left-field appointment”. Nagelsmann is, at this stage, the club’s number one target whilst Pochettino is also “under consideration”, but the 45-year-old is now additionally on their radar.
Would Silva be the right fit for Chelsea?
Olympiacos midfielder Pajtim Kasami was previously full of praise for Silva, who he worked under during his time in the Greek Super League, stating: “He devotes a lot of time to the details. He is very intelligent tactically. He is like a genius.” However, he may not be an ideal candidate for Chelsea.
The Cottagers boss may have picked up four trophies throughout his career and transformed the Whites into a top-performing side this season, but collectively, he has never been able to properly establish himself in the Premier League. Over the course of his spells at Hull City, Watford, Everton and Fulham, he has lost 55 of his 123 games in charge, winning 43, drawing 25 and averaging just 1.25 points per match – form which isn’t good or consistent enough to be given the responsibility of managing a club like the Blues (Transfermarkt).
With all due respect, Silva hasn’t yet been in charge of a club the calibre and size of Chelsea, just like Potter hadn’t when he made the step up from Brighton, so this would be a move that would be too much of a risk to take, with the owner better off targeting a more experienced and successful replacement to succeed the former boss.