Marco Silva, at the start of February, admitted to The Athletic that Fulham should expect competition as they look to secure the services of Shakhtar Donetsk loanee Manor Solomon on a permanent basis.
“We have to be ready for competition in the market if it appears,” said the former Everton boss. “We tried to sign him permanently (last summer). For many reasons which are not important to talk about now, it was not possible.
“I tried my best to sign him permanently in that moment. And now, it is what it is.”
But, in an intriguing and unexpected twist of fate, could Marco Silva be leading a charge to snatch Solomon from the Cottagers’ grasp?
The 45-year-old Portuguese, according to The Sun, is fast becoming Tottenham’s number one pick to replace the out-of-contract Antonio Conte in North London. Interest from Spurs, meanwhile, has coincided with talks over a new deal stalling, Silva presumably keen keeping his options open (90Min).
The former Sporting Lisbon and Olympiakos coach has bounced back superbly from that ill-fated spell at Goodison Park; taking Fulham from the Championship and into a battle for European qualification in the space of just 18 months.
A man with his CV, hunger and tactical acumen – Everton a rare blot on an otherwise pristine copybook – is certainly more-than deserving of an opportunity the likes of which Tottenham can provide.
Will Marco Silva replace Antonio Conte at Tottenham Hotspur?
Solomon, meanwhile, is one of a number of players producing some of career-best displays under Silva at Craven Cottage – scoring in five successive games recently – with Fabrizio Romano reporting that a whole host of clubs are taking note of the winger’s West London wizadry.
Premier League leaders Arsenal are among them, per Israeli publication Ynet. Tottenham too.
“For me, personally, it’s exciting,” Solomon’s partner, Dana Waszcina, tells Sport1. “But let’s wait and see because you never know what will happen in the summer, as always. I hope that we will be in a good place, at a good team. And that both of us will be good.”
Solomon, The Athletic say, is happy and settled in London. A long-term stay at Fulham appeals to him. But so will, one suspects, an opportunity to take his career to a whole new level down the road at Arsenal or Spurs.
And Marco Silva – who wasted little time in bringing Richarlison with him when swapping Watford for Everton in 2018 – might just be the ace up Tottenham’s sleeve in what could be a fierce battle for Solomon’s signature.
“He was one of our first transfer targets,” Silva tells Sky Sports. “It was him, Andreas (Pereira), Bernd (Leno) and Joao (Palhinha). Manor was one of the first players we talked to. We knew his quality and he was ready to come to the Premier League.”
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