Cottagers swoop for Ranieri
NEWCASTLE United’s relegation rivals Fulham have taken drastic action following their dire start to the campaign.
The bottom of the table Cottagers sacked Slavisa Jokanovic – who led the west London club to promotion last season – on Tuesday, and replaced the Serbian with former Premier League-winning manager Claudio Ranieri.
In what is an almost unprecedented move in recent Premier League history, Fulham took the extraordinary decision to announce Ranieri’s appointment at the same time as Jokanovic’s dismissal.
Yet Fulham’s official website has confirmed that Cottagers chairman Shahid Khan “spoke with a number of potential candidates [for the role] within the past week”, despite Jokanovic having still been in position, before determining that Ranieri should take charge.
Jokanovic is the first Premier League manager to be sacked during the 2018/19 campaign.
Despite spending more than £100m during the summer transfer window – including an initial £22m in order to sign Aleksandar Mitrovic permanently from Newcastle following a successful loan spell in the capital – the newly-promoted Cottagers have had a woeful start to the season, winning just one of 12 games and conceding 31 goals.
And, with Khan determined to establish Fulham as a top-flight side once again, Jokanovic’s dismissal had been expected for weeks given the Serbian’s failure to address defensive frailties.
The decision could have significant ramifications for Fulham’s relegation rivals, especially if ex-Leicester City boss Ranieri enjoys a fabled “new-manager bounce”.
Fulham may be bottom of the table but they are yet to be cut adrift, with only four points separating seven sides from Newcastle in 14th down to the Cottagers in 20th.
Former Chelsea manager Ranieri will bring his new side to St James’ Park on Saturday, December 22, in what already appears set to be a huge relegation clash.
The 67-year-old Italian has been out of work since leaving Ligue 1 outfit Nantes during the summer. As well as leading Leicester to a fairytale title during the 2015/16 campaign, he has also managed clubs such as Valencia, Juventus, Monaco, Inter Milan and Napoli.