Fulham have appointed Marco Silva as their new manager following Scott Parker’s departure for Bournemouth.
The former Everton, Hull and Watford boss has signed a three-year deal at Craven Cottage and will be tasked with returning the Cottagers to the Premier League for the first time to inquire about their relegation to Championship 2020/21.
The club went to its official Twitter account to confirm the news of Silva’s appointment on Thursday night.
His predecessor Parker was named Bournemouth manager on Monday and joined Fulham’s championship rivals following the deterioration of his relationship with the club in west London following the relegation campaign.
In his first season, Parker achieved promotion to the Premier League via the 2019/20 Championship play-offs but oversaw a disappointing campaign in 2020/21 and eventually led the Cottagers to an 18th place in top flight, 11 points off safety.
On her new club’s official website, Silva said: “I am very happy and proud to have been appointed head coach of such a historic football club. I would like to thank the owner, Mr Khan, Tony Khan and the entire football structure of Fulham Football Club, for the trust we have shown.
Incoming: ????? ?????! # FFC
– Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) July 1, 2021
“I am happy to get started and my message to our fans in the face of this great challenge is that we will all work very hard together to succeed so that they can feel proud at the end of the season.”
The Fulham job will be Silva’s fourth in English football. The Portuguese has been out of work since December 2019, after being fired by Everton with the Toffees weakening in the Premier League relegation zone at the time.
He has also succeeded with Hull City 2017 – failed to save the club from relegation – and Watford during the 2017/18 season, and oversaw a promising start. However, Silva eventually lost his job because the results were affected by rumors that he was taking the vacant Everton job.
Marco Silva in the Watford Excavation / Athena Pictures / Getty Images
Silva will oversee his first match as Fulham boss on the afternoon of Sunday, August 8, when the Cottagers host Middlesbrough to launch their 2021/22 campaign.
