Benfica Plans for Marco Silva as Mourinho Successor

Benfica are drawing up plans to move for Fulham’s Marco Silva if José Mourinho is lured back to Real Madrid for a second spell at the Bernabéu.

Madrid have made the 63-year-old their preferred candidate and talks have already taken place over a return for the former Chelsea and Manchester United manager, 13 years after his first reign in Spain came to an end. The pull of Madrid is obvious, and within Benfica there is a growing acceptance that they may soon be fighting to keep a coach they only hired in September.

They do not want to lose him. Not after less than a season. But they cannot afford to be unprepared.

That is where Silva comes in.

The Portuguese coach has rebuilt his reputation at Fulham, dragging the club out of the Championship in 2022 and turning them into a stable Premier League side. Craven Cottage has seen flowing football, big scalps, and a team that no longer looks terrified of the drop. What it has not yet seen is a sustained push into the European places.

Silva, 48, stands at a crossroads. Fulham have put a new contract on the table and made it clear they want him to stay. He has not signed. He is weighing up whether this is the ceiling in west London or whether it is time to chase something bigger.

Benfica offer that something. They sit second to Porto in Portugal and remain one of the continent’s great springboards. A move back to Lisbon would drop Silva straight into the Champions League, into title races, into nights where every decision carries weight far beyond the weekend.

He is not short of admirers. Chelsea have also placed Silva on their shortlist as they search for a replacement for Liam Rosenior, who was sacked last month. The London club are in no rush, prepared to wait until the end of the season before making their move, but Silva’s name is firmly in the frame at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea, though, have a clear first choice: Xabi Alonso.

The Spaniard, who guided Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title in 2024, has been out of work since his dismissal by Madrid this season. His stock remains high. His football, bold and modern, has turned heads across Europe, and Chelsea have tracked him for at least three years.

Alonso is understood to favour a move to England for his next job. That stance keeps Chelsea interested and keeps the Premier League on alert. Liverpool have also been mentioned as a possible destination if they decide to part ways with Arne Slot.

So the chain is set. If Madrid prise Mourinho from Benfica, the Portuguese club will push hard for Silva. If Chelsea miss out on Alonso, their interest in the Fulham manager hardens. And if Silva decides that Fulham’s project has peaked, the summer’s managerial market could move very quickly indeed.