Claudio takes first session as Fulham boss
CLAUDIO RANIERI was today preparing to take his first training session as the new Fulham manager.
Ranieri was appointed yesterday as the club sacked Slavisa Jokanovic after his team slipped to the bottom of the Premier League table with only five points from their opening 12 games.
The Italian is likely to lean heavily on first-team coach Scott Parker during his early days in the job. Parker, the former Fulham captain, was part of Jokanovic’s coaching staff and took yesterday’s session following the dismissal of the Serb.
Ranieri’s first task is to prepare the team for next Saturday’s home clash with Southampton, who are also struggling at the wrong end of the table.
But it remains to be seen what funds will be made available to Ranieri in January after Fulham spent more than £100million on new players during the summer. following promotion from the Championship last season.
His Leicester side that won the Premier League title in 2016 was founded on a strong defensive base, and Ranieri will be keen to shore up a team who have leaked 31 goals in the league so far this season.
Ranieri, a former Chelsea manager, has not worked in English football since he was sacked by Leicester early in 2017.