Jokanovic ready for new

Challenge

SLAVISA JOKANOVIC was the first Premier League boss to lose his job this season and wants to be the first back on the merry-go-round.

The 50-year-old was sacked by Fulham last month and is looking forward to his first Christmas with his family in years.

But he said: “I am open and looking around. I am one of the first coaches to lose my job but I can be one of the first to get a new job.

Plan

“It will be a strange situation for me because I can enjoy Christmas with my family, spend time with my children and it will be a little bit different to so many past Christmases.

“I’ve had four years with no rest. I’m not tired but I also try to find something that is interesting and a plan to be successful.

“I live a good life. It’s not about money, I want to find a way for success.

“I am rested, I am ready and hope to find something interesting for myself. I want to carry on working, it is my profession and I hope I will find work for the next 20 years. Where? This world is so big that I cannot give you answers.”

Jokanovic has regrets but very little bitterness from his three years at Fulham, with his biggest disappointment that in his mind he only got two months to work in the Premier League.

Fulham spent more than £100m in the summer, brought in 12 new signings in a bid to assemble a squad of top-flight players and yet still have not gelled under new manager Claudio

Ranieri (inset).

But transfers and

Fulham is always a sticking point. Jokanovic did not have the final say on new recruits, not even fellow Serbian Aleksandar Mitrovic, with the club’s complex set-up identifying and signing players.

“I could complain about many things in my three years at Fulham but not in my last three months and maybe that was my biggest mistake,” he said.

“My participation was minimal in this process. Different managers complain about this situation, it’s not just in Fulham.

“In the end, it’s about the final say. People say, ‘You signed Mitrovic in June’. No, it’s not true. Mitrovic signed himself because he scored the goals, the supporters wanted him and he signed himself at a different price.

“But I understand modern football, how the club is working.

“It’s also part of modern football that I only had 12 games, no proper pre-season, two international breaks without 10 important players.

“In total, I worked just two months in the Premier League – not enough time.”

Jokanovic led Fulham back into the Premier League and also got Watford promoted before being replaced.

Yet he is philosophical and clearly has enough good memories of Craven Cottage to believe they can stay up under Ranieri if they buy well in January.

Jokanovic added: “It was not in my hands but I think they can do it.

“They can find a solution in January, they can turn this situation and find a solution.”