Martin Jol poised to reject Fulham and stay at Ajax
The Fulham board may well have become slightly jittery this morning after news broke that Ajax manager Martin Jol is prepared to stay in Holland after holding positive talks with the Dutch club.
Yesterday, it was reported that the former Tottenham Hotspur manager was on the verge of penning a deal to take over from Roy Hodgson at Craven Cottage, but it now seems that the Premier League outfit may have to look elsewhere for a new manager.
With both Sven-Göran Eriksson and Ottmar Hitzfeld seemingly out of contention, Mohamed Al-Fayed and his aides now face a race against the clock to find a suitable replacement for Hodgson before the start of the season.
It’s been widely-rumored this morning that former Charlton Athletic and West Ham United boss Alan Curbishley is now the frontrunner for the vacant position with the Cottagers. The 52-year-old has been out of work since helping the Hammers survive relegation back in 2008, and is now expected to return to football management with the west-London club.
However, this will come as little consolation to the Fulham supporters, who were excited by the prospect of the talented Jol arriving at the club this summer.
The Ajax coach was expected to join Fulham by Wednesday, but it was reported in Amsterdam-based newspaper De Telegraaf this morning that Jol said: "They [Fulham] were interested but in principle I will stay at Ajax."
His comments come after extensive talks with financial director Jeroen Slop and chief executive Rik van den Boog. The duo are believed to have assured Jol that he won’t have to sell star striker Luis Suarez or talented right-back Gregory van der Wiel in order to bring in one or two fresh faces for the new season.
The iconic Dutch outfit played some breathtaking football under Jol in his first campaign in charge last season, scoring 106 league goals in the process. Somehow, they were pipped to the post by Steve Mcclaren’s FC Twente, leaving Ajax still desperate to wrap up their first league title since 2004.
Meanwhile, Fulham will have to accept Jol’s decision and focus on bringing in a manager of substantial experience to maintain the club’s status as a top-half league side.
Along with Curbishley, other leading contenders for the vacant position include Cardiff City’s Dave Jones, USA head coach Bob Bradley and former West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola.
Whoever Al-Fayed decides to offer the contract to, the Fulham supporters will be expecting instant results after Hodgson’s successful reign.
The job of Fulham manager might not have been regarded as among the most high-pressured positions in the Premier League three years ago, but thanks to Hodgson’s achievements that’s all changed now.
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