Fulham have sacked manager Slavisa Jokanovic and replaced him with former Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri in a bid to fend off Premier League relegation.
Cottagers owner Shahid Khan made the move during the international break with his team bottom of the league having collected just five points from 12 games.
Jokanovic spent £100m in the summer as Fulham looked to make a big impact on the Premier League, but while Wolves thrived the Londoners could only muster one win with the main problem being a porous defence that has let in 31 goals already.
Ranieri is the man Fulham have looked to as they try to remain in the Premier League, with the Italian famously leading Leicester to the title in his last stint in England.
Ranieri told the Fulham website: “It is an honour to accept Mr Khan’s invitation and opportunity to lead Fulham, a fantastic club with tradition and history.
Sky Bet have now Price Boosted Fulham to 6/4 (from 5/4) to stay up after Claudio Ranieri's appointment, the same odds as Cardiff and Huddersfield, with Burnley next at 4/5.
Click Here for the full relegation market.
“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.”
Jokanovic led Fulham out of the Sky Bet Championship with an exciting brand of football, and he was thanked by Khan for his efforts but the circumstances meant he decided to make a change now.
“I wasn’t anticipating having to make this announcement related to Slavisa and wish the circumstances were such that I didn’t have to, but our path this season has led me to make what I know is the correct decision, at the right time, for our players, the Club and our supporters,” Khan said.
“Slavisa will always have my appreciation and respect for everything he did to return Fulham to top-flight football. I am hoping everyone in the Fulham family shares my heartfelt sentiments for Slavisa and joins me in wishing him success and good fortune, wherever his next stop may be.”
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