Southampton will take on Claudio Ranieri’s Fulham after the international break.
Fulham’s dismal form this season has been a major talking point in the Premier League of late, and manager Slavisa Jokanovic finally met his end this morning after weeks of speculation.
The Cottagers, who clinched promotion by defeating Aston Villa 1-0 in the Championship play-off final thanks to Tom Cairney’s winner at Wembley, splashed more than £100miillion on new signings in the summer, including eight additions in the final week of the window as they showed real ambition in the transfer market.
However, so many late additions left Jokanovic struggling to form a cohesive team, as seen by so many different line-ups and the fact that three different goalkeepers have been used this season; out of choice, not necessity.
Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Liverpool made it six defeats in a row for Fulham, and proved to be Jokanovic’s final game in charge as Fulham not only sacked him today, but replaced him instantly with Claudio Ranieri.
The 67-year-old Italian returns to the Premier League over 18 months since losing his job at Leicester City, where he won the Premier League title in 2016, and many believe that he can give Fulham the boost they need.
One club’s fans are far from impressed though, and that’s Southampton, as they are not only struggling on with a manager of their own in Mark Hughes, but have to face Ranieri’s Fulham in his first game after the international break.
Clubs regularly get a bounce from a new manager, and Southampton fans took to Twitter to share their concern that he could lead Fulham to a win over the Saints in such a crucial game, with some unhappy that Southampton didn’t land Ranieri themselves.
Others urged the board to make a risky move; sack Hughes and appoint Jokanovic, with many not put off by the Serbian’s struggles at Fulham this season, believing that he could be a major upgrade on Hughes at St Mary’s Stadium.
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