'I understand why Marco Silva has felt frustrated' Former Fulham star Bobby Zamora on a frustrating summer at Craven Cottage

Bobby Zamora has offered his backing to Marco Silva after what he described as a “frustrating” summer transfer window at Fulham, suggesting the Portuguese gaffer’s ambitions were not fully matched in the market despite some late business.

“It’s hard knowing what exactly goes on in the background, who they’ve potentially tried to sign in the summer, what players have been discussed, who they’ve tried to get rid of but maybe couldn’t,” Zamora tells FFT. “Sales create budget and obviously there’s a PSR element now and everybody’s hands are tied.

“I understand if Marco Silva has felt frustrated, and he obviously has done a great job recently, and he’s looking to kick on at Fulham. I suppose he wanted or expected a little bit more from his board.”

'I think Marco would have loved to have signed a few more' Zamora has understood the Fulham manager's frustrations in recent weeks

For much of the window, Fulham’s business was subdued, with goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte’s arrival from Montpellier the only addition of note.

It wasn’t until deadline day that Silva was handed a trio of new recruits – Brazilian midfielder Kevin from Shakhtar Donetsk in a club-record deal, winger Samuel Chukwueze on loan from AC Milan, and teenage striker Jonah Kusi-Asare from Bayern Munich, also on loan with a potential option to buy.

Even so, Zamora suggested those late moves only underlined Silva’s impatience.

“Certainly it reiterates his frustration,” he said. “I think it may be on his part he’s thinking, well, that’s a bit of a blessing as it may have forced them into action. I think Marco would have loved to have signed a few more and really, really pushed on with their progress.”

The departures of experienced figures such as Willian and Carlos Vinicius earlier in the summer left Fulham light in attacking areas, and Zamora believes those gaps have not been fully filled. Yet he was keen to stress how far Silva has already taken the club since their return to the Premier League. “

They’ve been tremendous over the last couple of years,” he said. “Anybody going to Craven Cottage knows they’re in for a game and even away from home as well. They’re a very good, organised side, they create lots of chances and are good to watch. Really good to watch.”

Zamora was speaking to FourFourTwo on behalf of the Every Minute Matters campaign, which aims to help create an army of 500,000 CPR lifesavers – and raise vital funds for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

First launched at Wembley in May 2024, Every Minute Matters has already had a big impact. The campaign set out to teach 270,000 people how to perform CPR using the BHF’s free RevivR tool and smashed that target eventually inspiring over 300,000 fans to start learning CPR.

In an attempt to go one step further this year, Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation with the support of the EFL, are launching the EFL ‘Red Boot’ – a new one-off award for 2025/26 season for the best striker across all three tiers of the English Football League.

“This season’s game plan is clear,” Zamora tells FFT. “For footballers across the EFL to bang in as many goals as possible and raise as much money as they can for the British Heart Foundation and the amazing Every Minute Matters campaign.

“I saw the great work the partnership did last year in raising awareness of the need to learn CPR and I really hope the race for the Red Boot can take the campaign to another level.”