Claudio Ranieri does not appear to have been Fulham’s first choice to replace Slavisa Jokanovic in the Premier League.
Fulham certainly acted quickly to appoint Claudio Ranieri, the veteran Italian’s appointment being conformed as part of the same club statement that announced the sacking of Slavisa Jokanovic.
But that does not mean the former Chelsea and Leicester City manager was the Cottagers’ first choice.
The Mirror reported on Wednesday that Fulham had been spurned by Arsene Wenger, with the 69-year-old reluctant to take another job in England after 22 years at Arsenal.
And the Telegraph is now claiming that the Premier League’s bottom club also approached Leonardo Jardim and Andre Villas-Boas before settling on Ranieri.
Jardim was sacked by Monaco in October after a dismal start to the Ligue 1 season, but the Venezuelan remains one of the most respected coaches on the continent.
He led Monaco to the French top flight title as recently as 2017, ousting PSG along the way, while reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League before Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Benjamin Mendy were sold.
Villas-Boas, meanwhile, endured disappointing spells in England with Chelsea and Tottenham and has most recently been coaching in China with Shanghai SIPG.
The Telegraph reports that both Jardim and AVB, as well as Wenger, declined the chance to speak to Fulham.
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