Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed has vowed to continue bankrolling the Cottagers until they overthrow Manchester United at the top of English football.
The Harrods chief is determined Fulham will continue their recent success story and become a global brand like United.
Al Fayed has already spent tens of millions on attracting new talent to Craven Cottage and Jean Tigana’s side have made a competent start to their first season back in the top flight.
But mid-table obscurity does not fit in with the game plan of Al Fayed, who will only be satisfied when Fulham establish themselves alongside the giants of world football.
He insists that it will be only a matter of time before the biggest names in the sport are making their way to the club and Fulham is revered around the world.
Al Fayed said: “Fulham has the potential to become a global brand. My ambitions are for domestic and European success over the next few years, followed by recognition as one of the major players in the football industry in this country and, ultimately, worldwide.”
The chairman’s obsession with toppling United from their perch is easy to spot. He said: “From the beginning it has always been my vision to make Fulham the Manchester United of the south.
“Jean Tigana is enjoying the challenge of creating a team which will fulfil my dream to make Fulham as big as Manchester United. I want to make the funds available to him that he needs to build a successful football team.”
Tigana has spent around £40m since taking charge at the start of the 2000-01 season, when he led the side to a runaway first division title success. This summer the French coach splashed out pounds £7m on goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar from Juventus and recently bought French striker Steve Marlet for £13m.
But Al Fayed insists that the Fulham academy is starting to crank up a conveyor belt of young talent that could provide the backbone of future England sides.
He said: “I have made a significant investment in the academy to ensure that there is a return on the investment over time.
“Jean’s philosophy is the development of the young players to lay foundations for the future of the club. Creating future Michael Owens and David Beckhams is the aim and, of course, we already have our own Sean Davis so we are well on the way. The future is bright.” Al Fayed took charge at Craven Cottage in 1996 and immediately put in place his plan to put the perennial under-achievers on the footballing map.
He persuaded Kevin Keegan to take charge before handing him over to the England job and eventually gave Tigana the task of continuing his master-plan.
Al Fayed believes the little Frenchman holds the key to Fulham’s future success. He said: “After Kevin Keegan I wanted to appoint the best coach in the world to take my vision forward.
“We did a great deal of research and discovered that Jean Tigana is one of the best five coaches in the world. I am delighted to have him with us.” The next item on Al Fayed’s agenda is having his team playing in a swanky new stadium rather than the pretty, but outdated Craven Cottage.
He added: “The redevelopment of the ground is an integral part of my vision and it is vital that Fulham remains in the borough.
“Our new stadium will be state-of-the-art because I want to create a unique footballing experience for all Fulham fans to enjoy.”
Al Fayed admits though, that when it comes to matching the big boys for support, Fulham are playing catch-up.
He said: “Although our core supporters have remained loyal through all the lean years, we lost a whole generation of potential supporters while the club was struggling in the lower divisions.”
