Fulham plot raid on Premier League rival for new boss if Marco Silva quits club
Marco Silva has plenty of admirers. (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Wolves boss Vitor Pereira is viewed as a top candidate to become Fulham's next coach if Marco Silva decides to leave Craven Cottage this summer, according to reports.
Silva has overseen a spell of relative success in West London with Fulham on course to finish in the top half if their result against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon matches that of Bournemouth 's against Leicester City.
But the Portuguese is also being linked with a switch to Tottenham, should they decide to part ways with Ange Postecoglou following a dire domestic campaign and Europa League glory.
Pereira, meanwhile, has worked wonders at Wolves since taking over mid-season - guiding a side staring relegation in the face to safety with weeks to spare off the back of a six-game winning streak. READ MORE: Premier League final day LIVE: Amorim's Man Utd message and Wirtz to Liverpool transfer latest READ MORE: From falling short at Man Utd to cusp of Wembley glory - meet England's most under-rated manager
And with star forward Matheus Cunha looking likely to leave Molineux this summer, the club may also have a fight on their hands to keep on to Pereira, as per The Sun.
Silva, meanwhile, spoke ambivalently about his future at Fulham on Friday when asked about talks over a new contract.
Last week suggestions were made that talks had broken down, which Silva has said is wrong because no negotiations have taken place yet.
"No, not at all. We didn't even start,' Silva said. "I know there are some rumours around that I refused something but from my side, it's not true at all.
Vitor Pereira has won hearts and minds at Wolves. (Image: Wolves via Getty Images)
"Our connection is very, very strong and it's clear there are so many things for the club to be careful about with players' contract situations, there are many important decisions ahead with the summer coming up after a great season where we improved like all the other years before.
"We managed to reach some great numbers again, the best Premier League points tally in our history and if you want to improve, you have to focus on the most important things.
"I'm not saying the manager's situation is not important but I'm under contract with the club, I just wanted to clarify that the conversations didn't start and that's not for professional reasons but it was just not the moment."
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The same is true in deeper positions, especially in transition, when Cunha was capable of getting on the ball and play the final line breaking ball to release team-mates. He was extremely versatile with his positioning as he occupied pockets across the width of the penalty area. 10 Here Cunha has the ball in the left channel, drives at goal and then has the quality to slip the ball to a team-mate making a run beyond him In terms of his on pitch relationship with Fernandes, it will be interesting to see how Cunha interacts with him given their respective preferred creative operating areas. The 30-year-old is less of a runner and more of a passer which could create disconnects with Cunha due to a lack of vertical runners around him. With that said, the two should be able to connect deeper with Cunha being the player to make the more aggressive vertical run off the back of that connection. 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He is far better when allowed to play deeper and underneath a more physical and aggressive striker. 10 Cunha's intelligent movement off the back of the opposition midfield gives a team-mate a passing options before another striker pins an opposition defender Essentially, Man Utd should be looking to use a striker who can threaten space behind the defensive line. This should force the opposition defensive line deeper and then we would see Cunha, and Bruno, with more space that they could play in underneath the striker. The ability of a player to consistently make correct choices in terms of the timing and direction of his runs is something that is hugely underlooked. 10 Here he drops off the highest line to come back in and occupy a pocket of space between defenders Especially given the pace of the modern game and the intensity of the Premier League. 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