Marco Silva sure to approve of Kieran McKenna move as Fulham plot £8m Ipswich swoop - verdict
Marco Silva will be watching closely as Fulham edge towards a potential move to make Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna his successor at Craven Cottage.
The Portuguese recently stepped away from the West London outfit upon the expiry of his contract, and has been heavily linked with a switch to Benfica in recent weeks.
Fulham have been exploring a wide range of candidates in recent months, and McKenna has now come to the forefront of their thinking.
The Northern Irishman has now emerged as a "leading contender" to take over from Silva, according to Ben Jacobs, and could potentially turn his back on newly-promoted Ipswich.
The 40-year-old has led the Tractor Boys into the Premier League twice in the last three seasons, but has continually been linked with jobs elsewhere.
Ipswich have always been able to keep hold of the former Manchester United coach until now, but that could be about to change.
Marco Silva clearly a big admirer of Kieran McKenna
Silva secured a top-half finish for Fulham in the Premier League for the first time in over a decade back in 2022-23, and has left big shoes to fill.
The Portuguese may have left without fulfilling the ultimate goal of bringing European football back to the Cottage, but it will be a big ask to take over
Fulham are now understood to be "weighing up" a move to trigger McKenna's £8million release clause, according to Jacobs via his X account, and that move likely already has Silva's approval.
The departing chief has lined up against McKenna on several occasions in both the Premier League and the Championship, and was full of positive words for him back in 2023.
He told BBC Sport ahead of a cup tie against Ipswich that the way McKenna had guided them up from League One and established them in the second tier at the time was "really impressive."
Silva then added that his fellow manager and his staff deserved "all the credit" for their achievements, as he knew how difficult it was in the second tier.
Those words certainly suggest that Silva will see McKenna as a worthy successor, given that he has gone on public record to praise him in the past.
Fulham interest sparks McKenna U-turn
Jacobs has reported that McKenna is "keen" to take over at Craven Cottage in the coming weeks, which represents a major change in his stance.
Former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness previously told Football Insider at the start of May that he was prepared to reject interest from Crystal Palace in order to stay at Ipswich.
He was also heavily linked with the Celtic job, but has so far stood firm in his commitment to the project at Portman Road.
However, the fact that Fulham's interest has seemingly now convinced him to take a U-turn on that stance is testament to their recent development as a club.
The idea of leading the Cottagers is now seen as an appealing option for promising bosses, and they know that the potential is sky-high if they can go in and get it right.