Louis Saha: Marco Silva Can Secure Trophy Or European Place For Fulham

Louis Saha has backed Marco Silva to deliver a trophy or a place in Europe with Fulham despite an underwhelming summer transfer window.

The Cottagers signed Shakhtar Donetsk’s Kevin for a club-record £36.5million and fellow winger Samuel Chukwueze on loan from AC Milan on transfer deadline day, but otherwise they were fairly quiet.

Aside from the departures of Andreas Pereira and Carlos Vinicius, the west London club at least managed to keep the bulk of their squad intact, including Rodrigo Muniz, who had been linked with both West Ham and Leeds.

In an exclusive interview with Gambling.com, former Fulham striker Saha, who is playing at the Manchester Masters on Friday night, believes keeping key players like Muniz, Raul Jimenez and manager Silva will be crucial to their hopes of a European spot this season 

Fulham are available at nifty odds on football betting sites to finish in the top six.

When asked whether they had done enough in the summer to have a successful season, he said: "I'm not sure. The best transfer they could have done in some ways was to keep the manager.

"Losing him would have disrupted the momentum and have a lot of consequences. 

"It was also very important to keep the players that they had. They have some great players like Jimenez and Muniz. So, they can keep the same style and provide the same kind of platform to their fans, which is very important.

"Yes of course - when you miss out a little bit in the transfer window, and then when you can't give your players enough competition, it has an effect as well. So, let's see if their new signings can provide that."

Spirits High In West London

Saha, who scored 53 goals in four seasons with Fulham before joining Manchester United in 2004, believes Muniz staying at Craven Cottage proves there is togetherness within the squad.

The Cottagers just missed out on a top-half finish in the Premier League last season and made it to the last eight of the FA Cup, but lost 3-0 at home to Crystal Palace.

However, Saha reckons his former side can go much further this season

He said: "It was important [that Muniz stayed] because it showed the kind of spirit that this club has. They want to improve and be respected in the league. 

"It was a good season, and they finished 11th, but they could have done better.

"Yes, they reached a quarter-final, but I think Fulham can aim higher as long as the consistency is there. I think they can challenge for a trophy this season."

Fulham Boss Could Leave

Silva expressed his frustration with Fulham’s transfer activity a few weeks ago, claiming the club had been “too passive”.

However, they it's still worth checking out the Premier League Odds on the Cottagers to finish in the European places. 

The double signing of Kevin and Chukwueze may have appeased the Portuguese, who has started his fifth season at Craven Cottage without a win in the Premier League.

Asked whether Silva may start to look elsewhere if Fulham fail to match his ambition, Saha said: "Yeah, he could be tempted.

"People respect his work and what he has achieved. He's a good manager and understands the Premier League very well now.

"I think it's just a matter of time [before other clubs start looking at him], and I'm very happy that he’s still at Fulham, because I think he can achieve more. He can win a trophy or bring them to the European spots. 

"Showing loyalty is also good. We need that more and more. When managers aren’t playing very well for 10 games, they get sacked.

"And when they're playing really well for one year, they want to move on. So, it’s just nice to see a bit of consistency there as well."