Luis Boa Morte to take charge of Guinea-Bissau 

Luis Boa Morte will step down as Fulham’s first-team coach at the end of the season to take over Guinea-Bissau. When Marco Silva was named head coach of the London club in 2021, the 46-year-old Portuguese joined the Cottagers. These two had previously worked together at Sporting Lisbon and Everton, and Boa Morte played more than 150 games for Fulham between 2001 and 2007.

Fulham said in a statement: “Everyone at Fulham would like to thank Boa for his efforts since his return to the club, and wishes him the best of luck in this next chapter when he departs following our season finale away to Luton Town.”

Boa Morte’s first coaching appointment in international football will be with the West African nation, where he will lead a team rated 118th in the world. Guinea-Bissau, dubbed the African Wild Dogs, has never qualified for the World Cup or advanced past the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations in four prior attempts. At this year’s Nations Cup in Ivory Coast, they lost all three of their games and finished last in Group A.

He is a left-footed striker, he played for West Ham, Southampton, and Arsenal, with brief stints in South Africa and Greece. In 1998, he also won the Premier League title with Arsenal. While at Arsenal, Boa Morte held legend status at Craven Cottage after scoring 54 times in 250 appearances before his return as a coach.

In 250 games for Fulham, the 46-year-old former Portugal international scored 54 goals. He previously played in the Premier League for Arsenal, Southampton, and West Ham United. Notably, he made just one appearance for Portugal at the 2006 World Cup. He played with the Gunners from 1997 to 1999 before joining Southampton.

Boa Morte’s only prior managerial experience spans from 2017 to 2018 at Sintrense, a Portuguese fourth-tier team. The 46-year-old has enjoyed stints as an assistant coach at Everton and Maccabi Haifa after hanging up his boots in 2013, in addition to his scouting work with Arsenal.