Marco Silva agrees Benfica deal to succeed Jose Mourinho as head coach | OneFootball

Marco Silva has agreed a deal to take over as Benfica head coach following his departure from Fulham.

The 48-year-old has accepted a two-year contract with an option for a further year. He replaces Jose Mourinho, who has signed a contract to return to Real Madrid, provided Florentino Perez wins re-election as president. The club said in a statement to the Portuguese stock exchange on Thursday that Real Madrid will pay up to €15 million after a break clause in the 63-year-old’s Benfica contract expired.

Fulham announced on Tuesday that Silva would be leaving after five years at Craven Cottage.

Silva guided Fulham to the Championship title in his first season, then delivered back-to-back 11th-place finishes in the Premier League.

Mourinho joined Benfica in September, weeks after leaving Fenerbahce, and took them to the Champions League play-off round, where they were eliminated by Real Madrid. They finished third in the Portuguese top flight last season, eight points behind winners Porto, but did not lose a single league game.

Silva began his managerial career in Portugal with three years at Estoril and one at Sporting CP, winning the Taca de Portugal in 2014-15. He spent a season at Olympiacos, lifting the Greek Super League title, before spells in England with Hull City, Watford, Everton and Fulham.

Source: NY Times