Marco Silva Leaves Fulham Benfica Links Grow After Five-year Tenure

Marco Silva’s time at Fulham has officially finished, with the head coach leaving after five seasons and expected to take charge at Benfica, where Silva is tipped to replace Real Madrid-bound Jose Mourinho following a period of consistent Premier League stability at Craven Cottage.

Silva first arrived after Fulham’s relegation under Scott Parker in the 2020-21 campaign and immediately delivered promotion, then oversaw finishes of 10th, 13th, 11th and 11th in the Premier League, culminating in a club-record tally of 54 top-flight points in the 2024-25 season.

The former Everton and Watford manager leaves Fulham with a 38.2% Premier League win rate, the highest of any Fulham boss, while amassing 58 league victories and taking charge of 152 top-flight matches, a total that matches Chris Coleman for the most Fulham games managed in the competition.

Silva is now widely expected to return to Portugal with Benfica, having previously coached rivals Sporting CP, and the switch would link one of Fulham’s most successful modern managers with a club preparing for Mourinho’s move to Real Madrid and seeking continuity in domestic and European competition.

Fulham confirmed the news with this statement on June 2, 2026, underlining the length and success of Silva’s spell and formally marking the end of a partnership that reshaped the club’s recent Premier League status.

Key numbers from Silva’s Fulham tenure in the Premier League highlight that impact, with finishes, points and records summarised below in a simple overview for context on what Benfica, and Portuguese football, might soon inherit.

After five years, our journey together comes to an end, said Silva in an open letter to fans. To our fansI asked you, from day one, to always be with us. And that's what you did these past five years. We achieved a lot together. My staff and I always felt your support. It will never be forgotten. Fulham will always be in my heart, and sooner or later I will be back at Craven Cottage.

Silva’s departure closes a chapter in which Fulham moved from relegation to stability, set new points records and matched long-standing club benchmarks, while Benfica seems poised to gain a coach familiar with Portuguese football and proven in leading teams through demanding domestic and European schedules.