Marco Silva left at a crossroads as Fulham signings struggle to settle

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Marco Silva left at a crossroads as Fulham signings struggle to settle in Premier League

Cottagers showed ambition in summer but squad is still lacking

Work to do: Marco Silva

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Sam Tabuteau

1 minute ago

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After five defeats in their last six Premier League games, where do Fulham go from here?

This time last year, they were up to seventh in the table following a 2-0 win away to Crystal Palace.

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Now, though, with Marco Silva’s future hanging in the balance, this feels like a team drifting rather than pushing on after a run of encouraging seasons.

One point above the relegation zone and with a raft of injuries to contend with, there is a distinct lack of momentum and motivation around the club.

A frustrating summer transfer window has been compounded by the loss of Antonee Robinson and Rodrigo Muniz to injury, and Silva looks increasingly frustrated by the lack of options he has at his disposal.

Rodrigo Muniz has impressed when fit this season but has been saddled by injuries

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Silva has done well to solidify Fulham as a Premier League club again. However, the Portuguese boss is a deeply ambitious manager who is not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve, and with results failing, tensions have begun to rise.

Silva is out of contract next summer, and while Fulham owner Shahid Khan has been clear about his desire to keep him at the club, Silva is keeping his options open and was publicly disappointed at the pace of Fulham’s transfer business this summer.

Fulham prioritised renewing the contract of several first-team players over new signings this summer and waited until Deadline Day to bring in club-record signing Kevin, as well as AC Milan winger Samuel Chukwueze and 18-year-old forward Jonah Kusi-Asare.

The £34.6million deal to bring Kevin in from Shakhtar Donetsk, having broken their club-record transfer fee to sign Emile Smith Rowe last summer, showed ambition.

However, the Brazilian winger has taken time to adapt to life in the Premier League after arriving three games into the season.

Club-record signing Kevin has struggled to bed in at Craven Cottage

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Fulham have always tended to do their business late into the window, but Silva, like many managers, believes in the benefit of a full pre-season.

Late signings struggling to get up to speed has meant Fulham’s squad, the second smallest in the Premier League, has had to bear the extra load of an increasingly hectic schedule, and as a result, injuries have piled .

Silva described Fulham’s injury crisis as the worst he had ever experienced last month, and with Muniz set for another spell on the sidelines after re-injuring his hamstring on his return to action against Everton, there appears to be no let-up.

Muniz, who signed a new long-term deal at Fulham in October, had been expected to push on and cement his place as Fulham’s starting striker this season, but has struggled to stay fit.

It leaves Fulham, who continue to rely on 34-year-old Raul Jimenez, without a focal point and without much attacking impetus.

Fulham can ill-afford to lose Silva mid-season, such has been his influence over the last four years, and negotiating a new contract must be a top priority for the club.

In a league as competitive as the Premier League, complacency kills.

It is certainly not the time to panic, but Fulham need to be mindful; teams far steadier than they have suffered greatly as a result of their failure to prepare.

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