Waiting game pays off as Jol takes over at Fulham

The 55-year-old former Tottenham boss has agreed an initial two-year contract with the option of a further 12 months and replaces Mark Hughes, who resigned last Thursday after just one season at the helm.

Jol saw his hopes of taking charge of Fulham following Roy Hodgson’s departure a year ago blocked by Ajax, but having left the Dutch club in December, he is relishing a second opportunity in the English top flight.

“I am very happy to be back and especially at a club like Fulham,” Jol said.

“I remember coming here with Tottenham and I even think I played here when I was a player. Craven Cottage is a real football stadium, I loved going to Fulham.

“I could have gone to other countries, but I was waiting for the opportunity to come back to England.”

Jol will already have an idea about some of the players he has inherited, but also revealed he had started looking at bringing players in during what will be a shortened summer break ahead of the Europa League qualifiers.

“There are a few players here I still know from my time at Tottenham, like Simon Davies, Danny Murphy and Stephen Kelly – they are all very good professionals,” the former West Brom and Coventry midfielder added.

“I enjoy watching Fulham and I enjoy watching players like Moussa Dembele, who I have known for a while.

“(On Monday) we had a good conversation about players and where we can try to strengthen and get one or two quality players.”

Fulham had been linked with a £10m move for Espanyol striker Pablo Daniel Osvaldo, and chairman Mohamed Al Fayed would appear ready to back his new manager.

“I would like to welcome Martin Jol to Fulham. He understands my vision for the club, and believes in what we are striving to achieve here,” Al Fayed said.

“I know that he will dedicate himself to helping us move forward, and is with us for the long term, to help us build and progress.

“We have enjoyed three incredibly successful years, and my hopes and dreams for this club are for that journey to continue.

“I know that with his wealth of experience and success, Martin is the right man to help us do this.”

Jol, though, could face a battle to keep forward Clint Dempsey, with the American suggesting he was now eager for a taste of Champions League football, while out-of-contract midfielder Zoltan Gera has indicated he would be open to a return to former club West Bromwich Albion.

The new Fulham manager will have to work quickly to get his squad in shape ahead of the start of their Europa League qualifying campaign at the end of the month. The west London club were awarded a place in the competition via the UEFA Fair Play standings.

A potential eight games stand between Fulham and a place in the group stages, which start in mid-September.

Aston Villa are finalising their shortlist of candidates to replace Gerard Houllier with former Middlesbrough and England manager Steve McClaren among their targets.

The Midlands club are believed to have sounded out several contenders to see if they are available and interested in the post including McClaren, who is known to be keen to return to the Premier League.

Villa owner Randy Lerner and chief executive Paul Faulkner will draw up the final shortlist before starting interviews on a formal basis, probably at the end of this week.

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez is also understood to have impressed Lerner after helping the Latics avoid relegation and he has still to sign a new three-year contract.

Lerner would ideally like to have Houllier’s successor in place by mid-June. That would give the new man time to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the current squad and potential transfer targets before Villa report back for pre-season training on July 7.

McClaren has been much derided for his 17-month spell in charge of England after the 2006 World Cup.

But he has a successful record at club level, winning the League Cup and reaching the UEFA Cup final with Middlesbrough.

After his unhappy England spell, McClaren returned to management with FC Twente and guided the Enschede outfit to the Dutch title although he then had an unhappy time with German club Wolfsburg and was sacked.