Marco Silva Reflects on Fulham’s Missed Opportunity with Viktor Gyökeres
Marco Silva reflects on Fulham’s choice to forgo Viktor Gyökeres in favour of Mitrović.
Fulham manager Marco Silva has openly discussed a notable transfer decision that saw the club pass on Viktor Gyökeres in favour of Aleksandar Mitrović. Despite Gyökeres’ impressive goal-scoring record at Coventry City, where he netted 43 times over two and a half years, he failed to capture the attention of England’s top six Premier League clubs. However, mid-table sides including Fulham did show interest.
Silva acknowledged that although the top clubs overlooked Gyökeres because he wasn’t quite ready for their level, mid-tier teams recognized his potential. “Now, the mid-table clubs in England had all noticed, and so much so that there were some offers to buy Gyökeres, at least in those two years when he stood out a bit more,” Silva said.
Fulham approached Gyökeres’ agent but ultimately chose to rely on their established striker Mitrović, a decision Silva admits might not have been the best in hindsight. Mitrović scored 111 goals for Fulham before his departure to Al Hilal in August 2023, while Gyökeres moved to Sporting CP that same summer.
Looking forward, Gyökeres is set to join Arsenal for the 2025/26 Premier League season, where manager Mikel Arteta hopes he can address the club’s attacking challenges. Silva expressed confidence in Gyökeres’ suitability for Arsenal’s style, noting, “I think [Gyökeres will] fit into a phase of play that Arsenal has. They have very strong midfielders and wingers, so he’ll fit in very well. In a positional attack, when Arsenal is clearly in their highest space. He’ll have an impact; whether he’ll have the same impact as Portugal, we’ll have to see how he adapts.”
Manchester United
Pochettino’s United link grows as his USMNT stance shifts
Pochettino’s contract talk has sharpened speculation over a possible future move to Manchester United.
Mauricio Pochettino’s position on his United States men’s national team deal has become more flexible, and that only adds weight to renewed speculation over Manchester United.
The former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea manager is already well regarded at Old Trafford. He delivered Spurs’ strongest sustained domestic spell in the Premier League era and has also brought structure and unity to the USMNT setup.
United have looked at him before. Sir Alex Ferguson once travelled to meet the then-Tottenham boss over lunch. Pochettino later described that exchange as, “It was a meeting in London between colleagues, between a genius and an apprentice,” and he chose not to take the job at that stage.
More recently, Tottenham made contact again before the World Cup. Pochettino, who signed a new four-year deal with the USMNT only months ago, had no interest in leaving before a home tournament. As he put it: “They called everyone, they called all the coaches!”
That situation looked difficult to change at the time, with reports suggesting any move would have required “one of the biggest financial compensation fees in football history”, around $30 million. Yet Pochettino has since made clear that the wording of his current contract matters.
“Now it’s a four-year contract, it’s different,” Pochettino explained. “We can next season lose the Copa América, or the Gold Cup, and they’re not happy with us, they can sack us. Or we can say, ‘O.K., it’s not the way that we think.’
“Four years is different. Maybe now if someone calls in the future, it’s a different type [of situation]. We are excited, we are thinking to spend four years, to the next World Cup. But now it’s a long period.”
He has also spoken openly about wanting a Premier League return. “I have the ambition [to return],” he told Sky Sports News in September. “My dream now is to be in the USA for four years, but after that, why not? We are still young, and I think coming back is always my goal; to win the Premier League, to be in the Premier League and to build a project with the possibility of winning.”
For United, the attraction is obvious. For Pochettino, the footballing case is less straightforward, with the club in a very different place from the one he has known before.
Still, the mutual interest is real, and the manager has left the door ajar.
Liverpool
Alisson makes his Liverpool stance clear as contract talks go on
Alisson has said he wants to stay at Liverpool as the club weigh up a new deal and his fitness record.
Alisson Becker has removed any ambiguity over his Liverpool future, making it clear that he wants to remain at the club beyond next summer while renewal talks continue.
Liverpool already activated a clause last summer to extend his contract by another year, and the Brazilian still occupies the undisputed starting role in goal. At 34, he is no longer at the very top of his peak, but he remains one of the most important figures in the side. After the 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace at the weekend, he addressed his future directly and said he wants to extend his stay in Merseyside.
“Yes, in my mind,” Alisson responded, per Sky Sports , when asked if he wanted to continue at the club. “I’m focused on playing every game, but in my mind, I’m happy to stay. You know, that depends on a lot of aspects and different situations.
“But my will is to stay. I’m happy here, my family is happy here. I’m still hungry for titles and for delivering good performances. I still want to play at the top level for as long as I can. So that’s my thinking on that.”
Those remarks followed what was arguably his finest showing of the season, a six-save performance against Crystal Palace. They also arrived only days after Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola said he wanted the Brazilian to “continue with us for more time.”
There is, though, a broader conversation around whether Liverpool should commit to another deal. Alisson is not the same goalkeeper he was five years ago, even if he can still reach a very high level. Under Iraola, Liverpool are still a work in progress defensively, and Alisson has kept only four clean sheets in 14 starts in all competitions this term while conceding 20 goals.
Fitness is another concern. Injuries have been a recurring issue for the Brazilian over the last three years, with at least two months missed in each season since the start of 2023-24.
When available, however, he remains Liverpool’s strongest option in goal. Giorgi Mamardashvili has not seriously challenged him since arriving as backup last summer, while Caoimhín Kelleher, now at Brentford, might have been a more natural successor.
Liverpool are not dealing with a goalkeeper crisis, but they do have other areas to address. A short-term renewal for one of their veteran leaders could still prove sensible if the terms are reasonable. Virgil van Dijk is also due to be out of contract next summer, leaving the club with major decisions to make on two long-serving defensive pillars.
Man Utd
United’s Carrick era under threat after latest collapse
United may sack Michael Carrick after eight winless league games leave them 18th in the table.
Manchester United are facing another managerial change, with reports on Monday suggesting Michael Carrick is expected to be dismissed before club football resumes after the November international break.
The club’s decision comes after a damaging sequence of results. Consecutive defeats to Como and Bournemouth had already pushed Carrick into danger, and although United were later able to respond with a comeback win against Roma and then recover again to draw 4-4 with Aston Villa on Sunday, the point was not enough to shift the mood around the manager.
That result extended United’s Premier League winless run to eight matches and left them 18th in the table. It also means the club are in the relegation zone for the first time in 40 years, at least nine matches into a season, as they head into the final international break of 2026.
A final call will rest with owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family, but TalkSport reported that chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are expected to “recommend” Carrick’s removal when they meet with Ratcliffe on Tuesday.
Even the backing of supporters has not prevented the situation from deteriorating. United have won only three of their 15 matches in all competitions this season, and that record has left Carrick’s position looking increasingly untenable.
If the reports are accurate, Carrick would become the fourth permanent manager the club have dismissed since the start of the decade. The wider pattern is stark. Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Ten Hag, Amorim and Carrick have all been unable to restore United to the top of English soccer since the turn of the decade.
Should Carrick go, he would also be the seventh permanent manager of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era to fail to deliver a Premier League title back to Old Trafford.
According to multiple reports, U.S. men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino is the leading candidate to take over. Pochettino signed a new four-year deal after the 2026 World Cup, but the contract includes a release clause, and TalkSport say it would not be a major obstacle for United to trigger it. The Argentine, who has long wanted a return to the Premier League, is preparing for the USMNT’s Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals against Haiti, yet could be set for a swift change if United act.
