West Ham United reportedly approached Fulham for manager Marco Silva to take over from Julen Lopetegui.
Earlier today, C&H broke the news that the Hammers had a contingency plan should a move for Graham Potter fall through. We told you that Paulo Fonseca had been interviewed by David Sullivan last Friday but now it has been disclosed that Silva was also on the Irons hit-list.
The revelation came from Hammers ITK ExWHUEmployee, who claims the West Ham board were deterred by the £8m compensation package required to release the Portuguese coach from his Craven Cottage contract.
This news will come as a bitter blow to fans, considering Silva has Fulham flying high and playing an exciting, swashbuckling brand of football this season.
While the £8m fee might seem steep, it pales in comparison to the sums the club regularly spends on transfer fees, loan deals, and agents’ payments.
If West Ham are serious about progressing, those responsible for managerial appointments must stop treating the head coach role as a budget option. True ambition requires significant investment in coaching as well as playing staff.
Although Claret & Hugh have not received confirmation of any approach for Silva, if the rumours are accurate, it’s disheartening to think the club turned down a quality manager for less than the cost of a Jordan Hugill.
