Breaking: Fulham sack Slavisa Jokanovic after 12 Premier League matches and appoint Raineri

Premier League club Fulham have sacked their manager Slavisa Jokanovic and hire former Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri as his replacement.

The Cottagers have been very poor since they gained promotion to the English topflight this season – winning just one and losing nine of their first 12 league games.

They currently sit at the base of the table with five points and they will be well on course to return to the Championship if they continue with this form.

According to the statement by the club chairman Shahid Khan, Raineri has been given a multi-year contract to lead club to glory.

The new manager’s immediate responsibility will be to ensure they avoid returning to the English lower league at the end of this current season.

Reacting to his recent appointment, Raineri said that: “It is an honour to accept Mr. Khan’s invitation and opportunity to lead Fulham, a fantastic club with tradition and history.

“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.”

The chairman also appreciated his former employee Jokanović for his service to Fulham, where he led the Club to two consecutive Play-Off appearances in the Sky Bet Championship and a 1-0 win over Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium in May to secure promotion to the Premier League.

“I wasn’t anticipating having to make this announcement related to Slaviša 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.