Fulham vice-chairman and director of football operations Tony Khan has confirmed the club have two candidates they “really like” as they search for a new manager.
Marco Silva departed Craven Cottage earlier this month after five years in charge, joining Portuguese giants Benfica to replace Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho himself has returned to Real Madrid, where he has been reappointed as head coach following his exit from Benfica.
Khan addressed the ongoing manager search in an interview with FFCtv, revealing that several conversations have already taken place with prospective candidates.
Speaking openly about the process, Khan said: “There have been a lot of names mentioned and it is interesting because it is going very well and there has been a few great conversations in particular.”
The American businessman was clear that not every name circulating in the media had actually been approached by the club.
Khan added: “There have been people who we have been linked to, where it says they were the frontrunner or that there was conversations, that were people we have never talked to or never even had a conversation about.”
Despite the noise surrounding various names, Khan confirmed that two candidates have already had substantive discussions with the Fulham board.
He said: “There are two in particular who have had multiple meetings with the board and who we really like, but we are open to more conversations and talking to more people.”
BBC Sport reported last week that Fulham are in advanced talks with 43-year-old Spaniard Alvaro Arbeloa, a former defender for both Liverpool and West Ham who served as Real Madrid’s interim manager at the end of last season.
Arbeloa had stepped into that role at the Bernabeu after replacing Xabi Alonso, who has since been appointed as Chelsea’s new head coach.
Frank Lampard, 47, has also been linked with the vacancy after leading Coventry City back to the Premier League last season by winning the Championship title.
Fulham are also known to have held talks with Kieran McKenna, who recently departed Ipswich Town following their promotion to the Premier League, citing a desire to spend time with his family.
Khan acknowledged that Silva had been expected to sign a new contract and remain at the club before his surprise departure to Portugal.
Fulham finished 11th in the Premier League last season, missing out on European football by just two points.
