Marco Silva reached the landmark of 900 days as Fulham manager on Monday.
About two-and-a-half years may not seem an awfully long time, but Silva has tended not to stay in the same job for too long.
He became sporting director of Portuguese club Estoril just 12 days after retiring there as a player in 2011. Just 142 days later, he was their manager.
Silva resigned in May 2014 and was unveiled as Sporting manager nine days later. Sacked 379 days after that, he became head coach of Greek club Olympiacos.
He resigned after 351 days to join Hull, where he resigned after 140 days, following their relegation in 2017.
Just 48 hours later, he was appointed Watford manager, but was sacked after 239 days. He was then only at Everton for 554 days before being dismissed there.
Silva waited a year and a half for the right opportunity, and as he approaches three years as Fulham manager, it is clear he has finally found a place to call home.
Having guided Fulham to the Championship title in his first season and then to a 10th-place finish in the Premier League last term, Silva was hot property in the summer, but rejected a £40million offer to join Saudi side Al-Ahli.
“I want to be in the Premier League and I want to challenge myself,” he said. “I want to play against the best teams in the world and against the best managers in the world. It is easy.”
While Silva was left frustrated by the number of signings Fulham made in the summer, he was pleased with the personnel that did come in and has always retained a significant say in player recruitment.
Joao Palhinha, Timothy Castagne and Willian are all signings made on his recommendation, and all have fared well at Craven Cottage.
Buoyed by a burning intensity shared by many top managers, Silva has instilled a winning mentality.
He said last month: “When I arrived at the club, everyone reminded me of the ‘yoyo club’. We stopped that situation.
“You can leave a legacy inside a club. That can come from titles, your positions in the table, your way of playing football. I would like to leave here with a legacy.”
As Fulham gear up for tonight’s Carabao Cup quarter-final at Silva’s former club Everton, they find themselves on the cusp of a first domestic cup semi-final since 2002.
A run to Wembley would further add to the feeling that Silva has found a home where he can build a legacy.
