Fulham are preparing to talk to former Germany boss Jurgen Klinsmann about possibility of the former Tottenham striker succeeding Roy Hodgson at Craven Cottage, according to the People.
The tabloid reports that Mohamed Al-Fayed wants to finalise a top class appointment after Hodgson left for Liverpool but is not as keen on the prospect of Sven-Goran Eriksson taking the job as his chief executive Alistair Mackintosh. Mackintosh has been blamed for failing the secure of the services of Martin Jol, who decided to stay with Ajax last week, and has put forward former England manager Eriksson, whom he worked with at Manchester City. as a possible alternative.
Al-Fayed is more interested in bringing Klinsmann back to the Premier League. The California-based boss has been out of work since he left Bayern Munich last summer and is widely credited with turning around the fortunes of the German national side. He is not thought to have been applying for club jobs but is intrigued by the possibility of managing in England.
It is understood that the former Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate – thought to be a contender to take a coaching role in Fabio Capello’s national team set-up – has applied for the Fulham job. Al-Fayed has stressed that he is not seeking an urgent appointment, preferring to take his time and line up the right candidate. The Fulham chairman is confident that the first team are in safe hands under the stewardship of Fulham stalwart Ray Lewington, who is popular with the players, and has been assured of his future at the Cottage regardless of the identity of the new boss.
