Fulham sack Jokanovic and appoint Ranieri

 

Fulham have announced they have sacked Slavisa Jokanovic and appointed former Premier League winner Claudio Ranieri as his successor.

 

Ranieri has been out of work since leaving French side Nantes at the end of last season and returns to the Premier League for the first time since being sacked as Leicester manager in February 2017.

 

The Italian won the Premier League as Leicester manager but was sacked less than 12 months later.

 

Fulham spent in excess of £100m on new players in the summer but have made a disastrous start to the season.  

 

The Cottagers are bottom of the Premier League and three points adrift of safety after only managing one win from their opening 12 games.

 

Ranieri will now be tasked with leading Fulham out of the relegation zone and his first match is at home to Southampton before facing former clubs Chelsea and Leicester.

 

“It is an honour to accept Mr. Khan’s invitation and opportunity to lead Fulham, a fantastic club with tradition and history,” Ranieri told the club’s official website.

 

“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.”

 

 

Ranieri finished his spell at Chelsea with a win ratio of 52.1% in the Premier League, which dropped to 44.4% in the league during his spell at Leicester.