From the press box: Silva and board still aligned as they seek January solutions

JK updates us from the latest Marco Silva press conference.

As Fulham look to add to their squad before the transfer deadline, there is still the small matter of Premier League football to play. Brighton visit the Cottage tomorrow, but in Marco Silva’s press conference, transfers and contracts were the questions on the journalists’ lips.

We’ll start with team news - a bitter blow for Fulham and Sasa Lukic. The Serbian picked up a hamstring injury last week against Leeds and could be on the sidelines for four-to-five weeks.

Silva: “Difficult moment for Lukic. Painful. Difficult to walk. A serious injury, difficult to define a timescale. Maybe four-to-five weeks he will be out of the plans for the game. ESR - some fatigue last week, he's in contention this weekend."

In better news, Kenny Tete is available, as are the three Nigerian members of the squad following AFCON.

If all goes to plan, the only absentees from the squad tomorrow will be Lukic and Rodrigo Muniz. The Brazilian is closer to a return, with Silva saying he could be in contention soon.

Obvious questions around a certain Oscar Bobb were put to Silva, but as expected, he refused to talk about a player who was not a Fulham player. As it stands, Fulham are still in the driving seat, and confident that they can get the Manchester City winger’s signature.

Silva also laughed off reports that Wilson’s future depends on what the Fulham manager does in terms of his future. He played down those rumours.

“Not at all. I don’t know where it comes from – it’s just a nice way, and probably the easiest way to start to put something out.

“I don’t know if it’s just a rumour. I don’t believe that something like that will come from Harry or from his camp really.

“I’m 100% sure that Harry isn’t going to use any excuse, if he needs any excuse. A professional like him is not going to need any excuse to take care of his future.”

I think my main takeaway from today’s presser was how Silva answered questions on transfers. He seemed upbeat, and stressed how he and the board are still on the same page.

“What I can say is that we were aligned on everything we wanted to achieve in January.

“As I’ve said before, the January transfer window is never easy. If the summer window is challenging, you can imagine how difficult January is when you want players who can make an immediate impact.

“Usually, those players are settled at good clubs where they are performing well. Naturally, it’s hard for those clubs to let them go. That’s why it’s more difficult.

“We remain aligned, and I truly believe the club is doing everything possible to implement the plan and structure we agreed on.”

I feel good about the short and long term future of the club, and let’s hope we can bounce back from last week with a win against Brighton.

Enjoy the game, and COYW!