Marco Silva to haunt Tottenham as departing Fulham boss likely to ruin Spurs transfer plans

Marco Silva could make Tottenham Hotspur deeply regret their manager decisions as transfer plans begin to take shape.

While Roberto De Zerbi is set to achieve exactly what he was brought in for – securing safety in the Premier League – hiring the Fulham boss may have been the smarter play based on Spurs’ latest target.

With European football now unlikely, Silva seemingly has his heart set on returning to Portugal. He has reportedly reached an agreement with Benfica, just months on from being linked with the Lilywhites.

Tottenham’s transfer chiefs are unable to really make any moves until the club’s Premier League status is confirmed, but that has not stopped transfer targets being eyed in North London.

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As his first act as Benfica manager, the last thing he’ll want to do is sell one of the club’s most valuable players, but according to reports, the Lilywhites are joined by Aston Villa in the race for Vangelis Pavlidis.

The 27-year-old has notched 31 goals and seven assists in 57 games across all competitions, including the winner against Sporting CP in the Super Cup final, attracting plenty of attention from around Europe.

De Zerbi’s side are in desperate need of a new striker once the summer transfer window opens, but Silva could now get in the way of Spurs completing a deal for their primary target.

Richarlison cannot be relied on as Spurs’ main striker, and given Dominic Solanke’s injury problems, it seems almost inevitable that the Premier League club will go in search of Pavlidis’ signature.

It is extremely unlikely that West Ham send the Lilywhites into the relegation zone on the final day, and so, transfer rumours are flooding out of the Hotspur Way ahead of the summer.

Football Insider understands that Tottenham remain interested in Maghnes Akliouche and have been asked to be kept informed about his situation, especially with Monaco missing out on European football.

Marcus Rashford and Crysencio Summerville are names linked with a switch to North London, but both would be rather ambitious moves, given the increasing interest in both attackers.

The 2025-26 campaign has highlighted just how desperately Spurs require new forwards, but it is now unlikely that Pavlidis leads them into next season as Silva edges closer to becoming the new manager.

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