Fulham have decided to part ways with manager Slavisa Jokanovic and replaced him with former Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri. Jokanovic had played a crucial role in the Cottager’s return to the Premier League after a four-year absence but the team have struggled this term with just five points after the opening 12 matches.
As such, Cottagers owner Shahid Khan has taken the responsibility of making the change and Ranieri returns to the Premier League for the first time since his Leicester City stint, where he guided them to a historic league title in 2016 against all odds. Speaking after the arrival, Ranieri said:“It is an honour to accept Mr. Khan’s invitation and opportunity to lead Fulham, a fantastic club with tradition and history.
“The objective at Fulham should never be to merely survive in the Premier League. We must at all times be a difficult opponent and should expect to succeed. This Fulham squad has exceptional talent that is contrary to its position in the table. I know this team is very capable of better performances, which we will work on straight away as we prepare for Southampton at the Cottage.”“Fulham made the headlines during the backend of the transfer window as they went on to make numerous signings on both permanent and temporary deals.“ Among those, the likes of Jean Michel Seri, Andre Schurrle and Luciano Vietto were the big-name signings and there had been the expectation that they could comfortably stay aloft “in the Premier League“.
However, their return to the top-flight has paved much differently than expected and this paved the way for Jokanovic’s sacking after a seven-match losing streak in the Premier League. Ranieri’s first take comes against Southampton following the international break and the home game could offer them the perfect chance to end their dreaded run, given the visitors have likewise been short of goals this campaign.