Fulham boss Marco Silva has been heavily linked to replace Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur are widely considered to be lining up a new head coach for the start of next season amid uncertainty surrounding Ange Postecoglou.
Spurs suffered a 16th Premier League defeat in 30 games in midweek as Chelsea eventually took all three points from Stamford Bridge. The spicy London derby ended with the sides separated by a second-half header from Enzo Fernandez. And after Everton and West Ham United drew their respective games with Arsenal and Bournemouth on Saturday, the Lilywhites have dropped to a lowly 16th in the table.
Postecoglou has lost the faith of the Tottenham fanbase following his poor tactical decisions and lack of game management skills. His relationship with the travelling away supporters soured further during the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea on Thursday evening.
The writing appears to be on the wall for the 59-year-old Australian, with Daniel Levy and his team scouring the market for potential replacements. Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is reportedly Levy’s primary target to replace Ange next season. Fulham’s Marco Silva is also on the club’s radar.
Marco Silva has been with Fulham since 2021. The Portuguese tactician has done an admirable job at Craven Cottage, providing the club with much-needed stability after guiding them to top-flight in 2022. He has given the West Londoners a playing style and an identity, whilst creating a team spirit in these years.
So, it is not puzzling to see Silva being linked with the Tottenham job. And former Everton CEO Keith Wyness has suggested why Levy will turn to Silva over any potential option this summer. He feels the Portuguese’s experience on a “tight budget” at Fulham will make him a good fit for the North Londoners.
“Silva is probably more in the running than Iraola,” Keith Wyness told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast.
“I think he’s more of a Levy character, he’s got the London experience – performing well with Fulham. He’s been with Everton, Watford – he’s got the runs on the board.
“I think he would operate at Spurs quite well. He’s done well on a tight budget with Fulham, and that’s what Levy will be looking for. We’ve seen the numbers at Tottenham, they’re not spending much on wages or fees – it’s very low.”
Iraola is Levy’s preferred target to replace Ange, but it would be difficult to poach him away from Bournemouth. This is because his current contract includes a release clause worth more than £5million, and if the Spaniard signs a new deal—as Bournemouth wants—Iraola’s release clause would only further increase. That should leave Spurs with no option but to spend a significant fee to buy the young Basque manager out of his contract at the Vitality Stadium.
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In the case of Silva, he has just over 12 months left to run on his contract at Craven Cottage. And like Bournemouth are doing everything in their powers to tie Iraola down to a new contract, Fulham want to secure Silva’s future by extending his contract. However, should the ex-Everton boss decide to pursue a new challenge, Tottenham’s hopes of landing him would only improve.
If Iraola is not attainable, Silva would not be a bad choice for Tottenham. The Lisbon-born tactician has gained solid Premier League experience and deserves a chance to manage a massive club in the Premier League—an entity in the ilk of Spurs.