After considerable persuasion by Mohammed Al Fayed and an “irresistible” offer in hand, Dutchman Martin Jol has agreed to become Roy Hodgson’s successor at Craven Cottage. Jol will quit his Ajax job and join Fulham as their manager on Monday. Jol’s £2m in wages at Ajax was considered to be a stumbling block for the deal to go ahead. But Fayed matched Jol’s wages at Ajax and also assured him money to spend on new players, unlike Ajax who were looking to offload stars like Suarez and van Der Wiel to raise money. Jol’s Ajax finished second in the Dutch League last season behind FC Twente but had a goal difference of over 100! It is reported that Fayed chose Jol for the job over other illustrious names like Sven-Goran Eriksson and Ottmar Hitzfeld.
Jol’s ambitious wishlist includes targets like Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swedish striker is not wanted at the Camp Nou and even has the same agent as Jol. Fulham reached the UEFA Cup finals under Hodgson last season and Jol would need to keep up the exemplary performance of his predecessor to keep the fan and Fayed happy. Meanwhile, Aston Villa midfielder Steve Sidwell is set to join the Cottagers after rejecting an offer to move to Upton Park.
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