Marco Silva, Fulham manager has showed his disappointment over the club’s lack of transfer activity this summer, terming their approach as “too passive” with just one signing bagged ahead of their Premier League opener against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Fulham have only brought in goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte from French club Montpellier on a free transfer. The quiet transfer window has left Silva concerned about squad depth as the new campaign approaches.
It is nored that Fulham have finished 11th in the league last season and at one stage looked in contention for European qualification.
Arsenal winger Reiss Nelson, who spent last season on loan at Craven Cottage, has been linked with a return to the West London side. Meanwhile, Brazilian forward Rodrigo Muniz has reportedly attracted interest from Italian club Atalanta, adding more uncertainty to Fulham’s attacking options.
“It’s not an ideal scenario. You used the word ‘quiet’ — I have to say we’ve been too passive. If you asked me if I expected it, I’d say of course not. But it is what it is, it’s the market,” Silva told reporters on Thursday.
The Portuguese manager also highlighted the importance of having avoided injuries during pre-season, especially given how thin the squad currently is in some positions.
“It’s important we didn’t get injuries during pre-season because, in some positions, we are very short on numbers. We want to at least have a squad and players on the bench to play a Premier League game and meet the demands the league asks of you,” he added.
Silva expressed that while late signings are not uncommon at Fulham, this year’s delay has exceeded what he considers reasonable. “It’s unexpected, even if it’s normal for Fulham to sign players late. I don’t go in that direction — I know what we want, and the plan was there.”
Amid the speculation surrounding Muniz’s future, Silva confirmed that the striker remains in his plans for the opening fixture against Brighton. The 24-year-old has scored 26 goals in 97 appearances for Fulham since his arrival in 2021.
“It is not for me to comment on any type of offers, but he is going to be in contention for the Brighton game. Rodrigo knows what I think about him and how important he is,” Silva said.
Fulham will travel to face Brighton on Saturday before hosting Manchester United at Craven Cottage on August 24. With the Premier League transfer window closing on September 1, Silva remains hopeful that reinforcements will arrive before the deadline.
“Let’s hope we can do something before the end of the month, because right now it doesn’t make sense for us to look toward the Brighton game or even the Man Utd game, as we’ve left it very late to reinforce the positions we need,” Silva concluded.
