Fulham stalwart Tom Cairney and manager Marco Silva were both making the right noises about the long-serving midfielder extending his stay in SW6 after Sunday’s 3-2 win at Brentford.
Cairney, who joined the club in 2015 and has been part of three promotions to the top flight during that time, came off the bench to level at 2-2 at Brentford’s GTech Stadium before fellow substitute Harry Wilson scored the winner two minutes later.
Cairney, whose contract is up for renewal in June, told BBC Sport after the match he has yet to be approached about extending his stay.
“Nothing is sorted yet,” said the 34-year-old. “Next week is my final game for Fulham. Hopefully it’s not.”
Referring to Sunday’s final game of the season, at home to Manchester City, Cairney added: “In football, sometimes things go to the last minute and hopefully it’s not my final time at Craven Cottage next weekend.
“I’ve been through a lot here … through a lot with the fans. It was an incredible moment when I scored. It is a special bond.”
Manager Silva echoed that sentiment as he told BBC Match of the Day: “I think he is going to be with us and I hope it is the ambition to have him with us next season. He knows what I think about it. He’s a very good footballer and I know how we can use him.”
While Cairney appears keen to sign a new deal, the club may have to deal with competing claims from Hollywood-star backed League One runners-up Wrexham, with claims they are ready to offer the midfielder £50,000 per week.
Fulham boss Silva praised his veteran midfielder’s contribution on Sunday after Raul Jimenez had put his team ahead at a ground which has been a fortress for Brentford this season, only for Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo to reply.
“All the players that came in made a massive impact on the game,” said Silva. “I know very well what Tom can give us. I know what he can do. We have to understand the moments of the game. With him on the pitch and on the ball, we are at peace on the ball but off the ball we are not so aggressive. He made a massive impact.”
Despite victory, Fulham’s hopes of securing European football faded even further at the weekend, thanks to Crystal Palace’s FA Cup victory over Manchester City.
The complex shake-up of European slots means the Cottagers would not only have to finish eighth but also need Chelsea to finish sixth or seventh before beating Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League final.
If Chelsea do finish sixth, Fulham would still need Newcastle to finish seventh for them to have UEFA Conference League football next season.
The manager said he was more concerned about extending the club’s record-breaking Premier League points tally, adding: “We want to finish as high as we can in the table. Let’s support these players because they deserve to finish on a high.”
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