Not that Everton want to be Fulham, but the past few seasons have certainly made people who follow the club look at others and ponder what is it that we are missing.
From signings, to style of play, many of the things Marco Silva has implemented at Fulham would've been welcomed during his time on Merseyside.
Marco Silva’s time at Everton saw him in the dugout for 60 games, 24 wins, 11 draws, and 25 losses. His first season saw Everton’s last finish in the table above 10th place, finishing 8th with 54 points. The following season brought just four wins in 15 games with Everton languishing 18th in the table. At the time the decision to let Silva go felt the right one, with results and performances compiling into misery and frustration.
Had Marco Silva stayed longer or even seen out that season, we will never know where Everton would have ended up. The decision was made to ensure Everton remained a Premier League club, which we still are, but with no sense of any progression made on the field.
For Marco Silva, it gave him time to take a break, reassess and return to management in the summer of 2021. The Portuguese manager took over Fulham fresh off relegation, securing promotion by topping the table. They have placed 10th, 13th, and currently sit 11th in the league since returning to the top division, at a time when Everton have finished no higher than 15th.
The Fulham manager has spent over €262m at the club, a similar spend was seen at Everton with just over €219m. Emile Smith-Rowe, Joachim Andersen and Alex Iwobi are Silva’s three most expensive signings at Craven Cottage, with all three playing significant minutes this season. Clever signings like Adama Traore, Ryan Sessegnon, and Willian (twice) all on frees add quality to their squad. Fees under €10m for players such as Raul Jiminez, Rodrigo Muniz and Andreas Pereira show a shrewdness in the market that Everton can learn from.
In comparison to his time at Everton, the signature signing of Richarlison for €39.20m was one a few that met expectation. Alex Iwobi and Lucas Digne also justified Silva’s recruitment with performances. Fees of €25m+ each for Yerry Mina, Moise Kean, Andre Gomes and Jean Phillippe Gbamin highlight where things went wrong in recruitment, with injuries and gametime few and far between for players that Silva needed to contribute.
An FA cup run halted in the quarterfinals leaves this season ending on somewhat of lackluster note for the Cottagers, who would have favored a home tie against Crystal Palace to make it to Wembley. Silva and his men can however still finish as high as 8th, which currently feels all too far away for Everton fans.
Recruitment undoubtedly has aided Silva’s success at Fulham, with players fitting his style of play whilst being dependable. It is good to see Marco Silva flourishing, always spoke well and honest as Everton manager, an unfortunate end to his time at Goodison with games that often had elements of bad luck. Maybe the timing of his appointment for Everton was too early in his career, but he could be a manager to watch out for in the future.