Fulham turn attention to Sven Goran Eriksson after Jol

Poignant SG

Fulham manager-elect Martin Jol is eager to bring Tottenham striker Robbie Keane to Craven Cottage after being promised a £20million transfer kitty by club owner Mohamed Al Fayed.

Jol spent Monday afternoon in Holland with Fulham officials finalising his move from Ajax, despite the Dutch side making a last-ditch attempt to keep him.

Friends reunited? Jol wants to re-sign Keane

Also present were the former Spurs and Hamburg manager's agent Mino Raiola and his brother Cock Jol, who is expected to join the staff at Craven Cottage.

And once his expected move to west London is rubber-stamped, Jol is ready to spend a large chunk of his transfer windfall, far more than was given to Roy Hodgson, to engineer a reunion with Keane, 30.

The pair worked well at White Hart Lane, and with Harry Redknapp ready to listen to offers for the striker, who spent the back end of last season on loan at Celtic, Jol will try to pip Aston Villa to his signature. Spurs would be willing to listen to offers in the region of £5m.

Steve Sidwell's £2m move from Villa to Fulham should be completed once Jol's appointment as manager is official. The Dutchman could also be in the market for a goalkeeper if Arsenal complete the signing of Australia No 1 Mark Schwarzer.

Jol's move back to England has been smoothed by the fact that a release clause was included in his contract, allowing him to return to a Barclays Premier League club in return for compensation of around £1m.

The 54-year-old's basic salary will be around £1.5m a year, with a wide range of performance-related bonuses. Jol is said to have fallen out with Ajax's board over the sale of the club's top stars.

Chris88110 SG

He has a brother named cock???

Poignant SG

Martin Jol has turned down Fulham's offer to step in as Roy Hodgson's replacement at Craven Cottage.

Jol has committed himself to the European giants after days of negotiations between the Dutchman, Fulham and Ajax.

The west London club will now be forced to look at other candidates for the job, with former England and Manchester City boss Sven Goran Eriksson leading the contenders.

Amster-damn! Fulham failed in their bid to prise Jol from Ajax

Jol told the Cottagers earlier in the week that he was ready to take over the hot seat vacated when Hodgson left for Liverpool.

But Ajax have assured the 54-year-old of their ambition and promised him transfer funds, which has convinced the former Tottenham Hotspur manager to stay at the Amsterdam Arena.

Jol said: 'Ajax let me know they didn't want me to go. And I don't think I can bring myself to leave Ajax at this time.

'I came here last summer to be successful, to build a good team and to have fun. And those three things are what I am interested in achieving next season.

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'It was always my intention to build Ajax further. It is full speed ahead and we all need to roll up our sleeves. That is essential.'

Departed: Liverpool boss Hodgson

Fulham were convinced they had got their man when details of talks emerged at the weekend, with Jol frustrated that he could not achieve his dream of winning the Dutch league with Ajax while working under serious financial constraints.

Several players have left the Dutch club this summer, while none has signed, and there are a number of European clubs eyeing up Uruguay forward Luis Suarez and emerging Holland right back Gregory van der Wiel.

Jol still has concerns but is committed to turning Ajax around.

'We have held detailed talks in the last few days,' he said. 'The club and I share each other's concerns. Everyone knows that Ajax have financial difficulties.

'Last year we lost another million. But what is equally annoying is that we want to perform better next season than last season.

'The expectations are always high at Ajax. But now I have lost, among others Marko Pantelic, Dennis Rommedahl, Kennedy (Bakircioglu) and Gabri, and nobody has been signed. Also, there is uncertainty about whether key players will stay.

'I received offers from other clubs in April and May, and I brushed them aside, but this time my agent Mino Raiola held serious talks with the British delegation.

'I am pleased that these hectic days are over. Together with the club I am looking to the future. We now have a priority and that is Wednesday's (Champions League) game against PAOK.

'And we want to strengthen the team. Both on and off the pitch it is an exciting time for Ajax. We are all going to do our best to quickly get the team to the desired level.'

Poignant SG

I think fulham should go for sven, he's good at club level.

Y_Shun SG

Sad only for Fulham.

sg_forum SG

What ashame...would love to see him back to PL...

Poignant SG

Fulham are turning to Sven Goran Eriksson to fill their managerial vacancy after they missed out on securing Martin Jol by 72 hours.

The former England and Manchester City boss is Fulham’s first-choice option after the expiry of a break clause in Jol’s contract brought an abrupt end to their interest in the Ajax chief.

Fulham’s hierarchy were forced to admit defeat in their pursuit of Jol after the Amsterdam club stood firm in their refusal to allow the former Spurs boss to quit.

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With the start of the Barclays Premier League season just three weeks away, Fulham have wasted little time moving on and the Swede will now be approached to replace Roy Hodgson.

Eriksson does have significant support at the club and it is understood owner Mohamed Al Fayed and chief executive Alistair Mackintosh were originally split on who should take over.

The controversial former England coach, who worked alongside Mackintosh at Eastlands, was always a strong contender in the eyes of his former colleague. This should help smooth negotiations and allay fears that Fulham will enter the season in disarray as their current tour of Sweden continues.

Fulham were, however, surprised at the collapse of talks with Jol this week when it became clear a £1million break clause in his contract was no longer valid.

Ajax had finally relented and agreed to see a delegation from south-west London on Wednesday night. But what was to be a new dawn for Fulham turned out to be a false one.

Staying put: The expiry of a break clause in Jol's contract brought an abrupt end to Fulham's interest in the Ajax chief

They, along with Jol, believed the Dutchman’s determination to quit the four-time European champions, allied to the escape clause, would force his paymasters into accepting defeat. But upon closer inspection it was found the window of opportunity had closed on Sunday.

Had it still been in operation, Fulham would have been able to hand over £1m and speak to their target, irrespective of Ajax’s wishes.

But with a vital Champions League qualifier next week, Ajax officials stood firm, leaving chief executive Rik van den Boog to crow: ‘We would not let Martin go for €10m to Fulham.

'It’s been hard that it lasted an entire week but for us the most important thing is the result — and it’s good. Martin is staying with Ajax.’

Jol was then pushed into a very public U-turn, saying: ‘I had immediately rejected offers from other clubs which came in April and May, but this time my manager Mino Raiola had serious discussions with the English delegation.

‘Ajax let me know they didn’t want me to go. And I don’t think I can bring myself to leave at this time.’

So with the Jol chapter closed, Fulham are seeking to open another one with Eriksson.