Fulham have been given a late opening in the Marco Silva saga, with Friday’s Portuguese newspapers claiming the manager has chosen Benfica in principle but is now hesitating over whether to wait for the Lisbon club.
Yesterday, local outlets reported that he is already in Lisbon, with Benfica hoping to move things towards a decision. But nothing concrete happened yet.
Still, Correio da Manhã say Silva had expected his future to be resolved this week. Fulham had told him they would wait until the end of the month for an answer to their renewal offer, while Benfica expected José Mourinho’s exit to Real Madrid to move quickly… But that has not happened.
According to the newspaper, Silva assessed his options over recent weeks and effectively picked Benfica. That position still stands. However, he now has to decide whether he is prepared to remain in limbo until at least June 8th, the day after Real Madrid’s elections.
That gives Fulham a chance they may not have expected a few days ago.
Fulham still waiting for formal answer
Marco Silva has not yet formally communicated a decision to Fulham.
Correio da Manhã say that is because of the uncertainty around Benfica. Silva does not want to cut ties with the London club and then find himself stuck if the Mourinho situation fails to move as expected.
That is where Fulham’s patience matters. Their offer remains on the table until the end of the month. It would run until 2030 and guarantee Silva €30m (£25.3m) in net salary across four years, before bonuses.
The Portuguese newspaper say Fulham are prepared to make him the third highest-paid manager in the Premier League.
As we pointed out before, that is not the decisive factor for Silva, but it keeps the English club alive while Benfica wait.
Staff salaries become key issue
Benfica’s financial proposal is lower, and Silva has already accepted that. The new detail is his condition around the rest of his staff.
Correio da Manhã say Silva is willing to lose around a third of his annual salary to take the Benfica job, but he wants proper salaries protected for his assistants. He does not want Gonçalo Santos, Gonçalo Pedro, Fernando Ferreira and Bruno Mendes to face the same level of reduction.
A Bola also say Benfica are likely to try to reduce the gap through a signing bonus and performance-related bonuses. They still believe an agreement is possible, but admit there is still work to do.
The same newspaper add that Silva has been receiving advice from people close to him in recent days, and those opinions have not always pointed in the same direction. That helps explain the hesitation.
Benfica confidence meets Real Madrid delay
Interestingly, there is a slight divergence between the approaches taken by Portugal’s main newspapers.
Record remain confident. They say Silva has practically everything agreed to become Benfica manager and “should no longer escape”. They also expect Fulham to soon communicate that he will not continue. A Bola goes the same way.
Correio da Manhã, though, are more cautious. They insist Silva has still not given Fulham a formal answer. O Jogo follows that pattern.
It shows Benfica feel they are close, while Fulham have not yet received the one thing that really matters: Silva’s final decision.
O Jogo also report the move is effectively waiting on the Real Madrid election process. Florentino Pérez spoke about Mourinho on Thursday, but still avoided confirming him as the club’s next manager.
So the situation remains stuck in an awkward middle ground. Silva appears ready for Benfica, but not ready to wait forever.
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