Martin Jol’s first job as Fulham manager will be to seek a reunion with Robbie Keane, who he made one of the Premier League’s most deadly strikers while they were at Tottenham.
Fulham are close to agreeing compensation with Jol’s club, Ajax, and the 54-year-old Dutchman should be confirmed as Roy Hodgson’s replacement in time to oversee the first game of their Swedish tour, against Halmstad on Thursday.
Jol’s priority will be a new forward, with Andy Johnson, a record £12million signing from Everton in July 2008, understood to have suffered a new setback in his recovery from a long-term knee injury.
Johnson made just 13 appearances last season and has not played in Fulham’s two friendlies against Brentford last week and at Bournemouth on Saturday, when Bobby Zamora marked his comeback from injury with the equaliser in a 1-1 draw.
Celtic want to keep Keane on loan from Spurs for another season – the Republic of Ireland captain was the fans’ player of the year – and Aston Villa are fighting for his signature with a £6m offer.
But the 30-year-old, who played in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with San Jose Earthquakes and had a goal’ ruled out for offside, would relish the chance to stay in the capital, where he worked with Jol between 2004-07 before Spurs dismissed him even though he secured successive top-five finishes.
Jol has always maintained he has unfinished business in the Premier League and still owns a house near London. It is believed he has been offered a package that will match his £1.75m deal with Ajax, plus the promise of money to strengthen a Fulham squad that might yet lose goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer to Arsenal and defenders Brede Hangeland and Paul Konchesky to Liverpool, where Hodgson is now manager.
