Fulham lining up David Wagner to take over as permanent manager

Fulham are considering David Wagner to take over as permanent manager at the end of the season.

The west London club made first-team coach Scott Parker caretaker manager when they sacked Claudio Ranieri in February but the club have lost the first three matches since their former midfielder took charge.

They have been tough fixtures, against Chelsea, Leicester City and Liverpool, and get no easier when Fulham return to action after the international break when they face Manchester City, but the club are making plans for the summer without Parker at the helm.

Wagner needed a break

Wagner, 47, is currently unemployed after leaving Huddersfield Town in January with the club bottom of the Premier League. Wagner was named Championship manager of the year when he led the Terriers to promotion into the Premier League via the playoffs in 2017 and his stock soared after the relegation favourites finished 16th in the top-flight in their first season.

Read more: Dilly ding, dilly wrong: Why Claudio Ranieri was sacked as Fulham manager

But this season that form did not continue and Wagner admitted to Huddersfield chairman Dean Hoyle that top level football had taken its toll on him and that he needed a break from the game when he offered to leave the club, with Huddersfield eight points adrift of safety. “I know the term ‘mutual consent’ is often a byword for the manager being sacked in professional football, but this is a truly joint decision,” Hoyle said at the time.

Wagner wants to wait until at least the end of the summer before making a return to football and Fulham have identified him as the ideal candidate to take charge.

Can he be convinced?

Behind the scenes, figures at Fulham have, naturally, conceded that they will be relegated this season. They are 13 points behind 17th-place Burnley, have only seven games remaining and have lost 11 of their last 12 games in all competitions.

Fulham vice-chairman Tony Khan, son of owner Shahid Khan, has taken the blame for the club’s failure in the transfer market, after they were unable to compete in the Premier League despite spending more than £100m in the summer.

Around half of their budget was spent on Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, around £30m, and Jean Michael Seri, around £25m, and neither have made the required impression.

It still, nonetheless, shows the potential financial muscle Fulham, who are also spending £100m on the redevelopment of the Riverside Stand at Craven Cottage, have behind them and there is hope that it could convince Wagner to join them and push for a return to the Premier League straightaway.

Wagner, who worked with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, would prefer a move to a top-flight club, and Fulham sources remain unsure if he would be tempted by another Championship promotion campaign.