Fulham hires Slavisa Jokanovic as manager

Fulham has hired Slavisa Jokanovic, the man who guided Watford to the Premier League last season, as its permanent manager.

(Courtesy: FulhamFC)

The Championship side has been searching for a new bench boss since the sacking of Kit Symons on Nov. 8. The Cottagers have not won a match since Symons was ousted.

"While the search was time-consuming and painstaking at times, I knew that when the process was complete that Fulham would have the best man possible for this opportunity and challenge," said club chairman Shahid Khan.

"Slavisa's credentials and passion for the job rose to the top through every stage of this process, and we cannot wait to welcome him to Motspur Park and Craven Cottage to get things going in the right direction for the second half of the season."

Jokanovic most recently managed Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he guided the Israeli side through its six matches in Group G of the Champions League this season. Maccabi failed to pick up a single point, and lost 4-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Before that, the 47-year-old had taken a short-term contract to manage Watford. Under his guidance, the Hornets went up to second in the Championship, and secured promotion to the Premier League with one game to spare.

He now has a tough task ahead of him in west London. Fulham, whose last win in the Championship came against Bristol City on Halloween, sits just four spots above the relegation zone.