Marco Silva appointed new Fulham manager

Fulham have appointed Marco Silva as their new manager, following the departure of Scott Parker to Bournemouth.

The former Everton, Hull and Watford boss has penned a three-year deal at Craven Cottage, and will be tasked with returning the Cottagers to the Premier League at the first time of asking following their relegation to the Championship in 2020/21.

The club took to its official Twitter account to confirm the news of Silva's appointment on Thursday evening.

His predecessor Parker was named Bournemouth manager on Monday, joining Fulham's Championship rivals following the deterioration of his relationship with the west London club's board after the relegation campaign.

In his first season, Parker achieved promotion to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs in 2019/20 but oversaw a disappointing campaign during 2020/21, eventually leading the Cottagers to an 18th-placed finish in the top flight, 11 points off safety.

Speaking to his new club's official website, Silva said: “I’m really pleased and proud to be appointed Head Coach of such a historic football club. I want to thank the owner, Mr Khan, Tony Khan and the entire football structure of Fulham Football Club, for the trust shown in us.

"I’m excited to get started and my message for our fans ahead of this big challenge is we will all be working very hard together to be successful so they can feel proud at the end of the season.”

The Fulham job will be the Silva's fourth in English football. The Portuguese has been out of work since December 2019, after being sacked by Everton with the Toffees languishing in the Premier League relegation zone at the time.

He has also managed Hull City in 2017 - not being able to save the club from relegation - and Watford during the 2017/18 season, overseeing a promising start. However, Silva eventually lost his job as results suffered amid talk of him taking the vacant Everton job.

Silva will oversee his first match as Fulham boss in the afternoon of Sunday 8 August, as the Cottagers host Middlesbrough to kick off their 2021/22 Championship campaign.