Marco Silva to leave Fulham: Portuguese head coach to depart after five seasons in charge amid Benfica links

Marco Silva is set to take over as Benfica head coach after his exit from Fulham was confirmed.

An agreement has been reached on a three-year deal plus an optional year until 2029 to become Jose Mourinho's replacement at the Lisbon club.

Silva has been in charge at Craven Cottage for five years - winning the Championship in his first season in the 2021-22 campaign, before establishing Fulham as a Premier League club.

Fulham have finished 10th, 13th and then secured back-to-back 11th-placed finishes in Silva's four top-flight seasons in west London.

After the club announced his impending departure, Silva said: "To our fans - I asked you, from day one, to always be with us. And that's what you did these past five years. We achieved a lot together.

"My staff and I always felt your support. It will never be forgotten. Fulham will always be in my heart, and sooner or later I will be back at Craven Cottage."

Fulham owner Shahid Khan revealed the club has prepared for Silva's departure and will replace him soon.

He said: "Marco Silva leaves our club with my gratitude and best wishes. Fulham and Marco were an excellent fit for five seasons, but change is inevitable in this game, and we've accordingly prepared for this moment.

"The talent in our squad, our historic home ground of Craven Cottage, our faithful supporters, and my commitment to backing the club, all make Fulham an extraordinarily attractive destination for an incoming head coach.

"We will soon appoint a new leader in a timely but deliberate manner, who will meet the standards of our club and expectations of our fans throughout the world."

Sky Sports News' James Cole:

"This was news that was becoming more and more inevitable with the silence that has been there since the last game of the season against Newcastle. In the build-up to that final game, Marco Silva said he'd make a final decision as to whether to sign a new contract. He said Friday, by the latest but we didn't hear anything on Friday, so this news just seemed to be becoming more and more inevitable.

"What he's done on a very small budget, relatively speaking, is absolutely fantastic. It's something that the fans, I think, will never forget this era. They will never forget how lucky they've been to have Marco Silva bring them back into this stable position where we could be talking this season about European football.

"They didn't quite get there. For the third season running, they just fell off towards the end of the campaign. But there's no underestimating what a fantastic job Silva has done for Fulham."