Fulham Consider Two Candidates To Replace Marco Silva As Head Coach

Fulham are narrowing their search for a successor to Marco Silva, with Tony Khan revealing that two candidates have moved ahead in talks. The vice-chairman and director of football operations confirmed that discussions are progressing as the club plans for the 2025-26 Premier League campaign.

Khan explained that plans had originally been based on Silva remaining at Craven Cottage. Khan said, "The expectation here for a while was that Marco [Silva] was going to stay, he told FFCtv." That shift has forced Fulham to accelerate work on a new appointment.

Alvaro Arbeloa is viewed as a leading contender after leaving Real Madrid at the end of the season. Jose Mourinho has since taken over at Real Madrid, while Arbeloa is now strongly linked with the Fulham job. Frank Lampard, who guided Coventry City to the Championship title, is another option.

Silva leaves a strong legacy at Fulham after five years in charge. Silva led promotion following relegation in 2020-21 and then kept the team in the Premier League. Fulham also set a club record top-flight points total in 2024-25, finishing with 54 points before Silva joined Benfica.

Khan outlined when Fulham learned Silva would depart. Khan said, "It's been less than two weeks now that we found out Marco changed his mind and really had indicated he wanted to stay and was planning to, but we obviously understand why." That late change shaped the timing of the recruitment process.

The vice-chairman also discussed the volume of interest in the vacancy and how talks have gone. Khan said, "There have been a lot of names mentioned, and it is interesting because it is going very well and there has been a few great conversations in particular." Fulham are continuing to assess which profile best fits the squad.

Khan stressed that not every name linked publicly has matched Fulham’s internal shortlist. Khan said, "We have got a few people that the board are talking to that are very exciting and interesting candidates." Khan added that speculation has often moved ahead of the actual discussions held by the club.

Clarifying some of that speculation, Khan said, "There have been people who we have been linked to, where it says they were the frontrunner or that there was conversations, that were people we have never talked to or never even had a conversation about." That comment underlined how private the real process has remained.

Khan confirmed that two names are clearly in front at this stage. Khan said, "There are two in particular who have had multiple meetings with the board and who we really like, but we are open to more conversations and talking to more people." Khan then added, "We are working on that process right now."

Fulham now move towards a key decision that will shape their next phase in the Premier League. Silva’s successful spell and late exit mean the choice of new head coach, whether Arbeloa, Lampard or another candidate, will be closely watched across English football and by supporters in West London.