Martin Jol leading the race to be Fulham manager, as Sven-Goran Eriksson drops out and Gareth Southgate joins the running--goal.com

Martin Jol leading the race to be Fulham manager, as Sven-Goran Eriksson drops out and Gareth Southgate joins the running--goal.com

While attention has inevitably focused on the titanic scale of the task facing the old Fulham manager Roy Hodgson in his new post on Merseyside, the process of finding the new manager at Craven Cottage is being carried out away from the media spotlight.

That has made it no less complex a task for chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed and chief executive Alistair Mackintosh. Hodgson has left a considerable void in west London and the skill-set required to replace the man who took the club to their first European final only two months ago is considerable.

Martin Jol has moved to the top of Fulham’s shortlist and become the new bookmakers’ favourite after being the subject of much activity on the betting exchanges on Wednesday.

While there have been rumours that the former Tottenham boss could be appointed within the next 24 hours, there is no agreement yet in place for the Dutchman to take over.

Jol is believed to have become edgy at Ajax because the club are preparing to sell their major assets. Gregory van der Wiel is on the verge of joining Bayern Munich, last season’s 49-goal striker Luis Suarez wants to move to Spain and centre-half Jan Vertonghen is the subject of interest from Arsenal. Sven-Goran Eriksson, the early front-runner and long-time favourite since it became clear that Hodgson was Liverpool’s first choice to replace Rafael Benitez, is now believed by Goal.com UK to be out of the running.

While sources close to Eriksson insisted today that the former England manager has not held formal talks with Fulham or any other club since relinquishing the Ivory Coast position he held during the World Cup, it is understood that he is close to agreeing a move to lucrative Dubai, with Al Ain keen to raise their profile in the United Arab Emirates’ Pro League.

"While there have been rumours that Martin Jol would be appointed this week, there is no agreement yet in place for the Dutchman to take over."

In any case, there was concern in the Craven Cottage boardroom about Eriksson’s salary demands and whether his profile would be ideal for a club who want to build on the popular appeal constituted by Hodgson.

This has paved the way for an initial outsider to take up a post that, including bonuses and add-ons, could be worth £1.5 million-a-year.

Earlier this week there was strong support in the club for Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, who wasexclusively revealed to be a contender by Goal.com UK, so much so that many were convinced he was on the verge of being appointed.

Mackintosh has spoken to the highly-decorated German, one of only three managers to win the Champions League with two different clubs, and he remains a viable candidate — despite comments to the media earlier this week that he intends to retire from the game in 2012. But there is a concern about whether he ticks enough of the boxes for the board, who have targeted a high-calibre manager who has experience of navigating the Premier League and will not disrupt the established coaching structure put in place by Hodgson.

The club have held talks with USA coach Bob Bradley but his lack of acquaintance with the English game is similarly a stumbling block.

Former Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has emerged as a new contender for the post while other British candidates like Alan Curbishley, Mark Hughes, Tony Mowbray, Glenn Hoddle and Lee Clark are no longer in the running.

Southgate is keen to return to management and has been mentioned at board level, as have highly-rated young coaches like Doncaster Rovers manager Sean O’Driscoll and former Fulham midfielder John Collins.

First-team coach and current caretaker Ray Lewington has revealed he is not interested in returning to management but he has been told that his job is safe at the club. The board feel the team, which began its pre-season preparations with a 5-0 win over Brentford on Wednesday, is in safe hands while they identify the right man for the job.

The senior players, including Danny Murphy and Aaron Hughes, have been kept informed about the hunt for the new manager and their views will be taken into account by the club’s hierarchy.

The board have been encouraged that there has been no suggestion that the players have been slacking off in pre-season in the knowledge that there is no-one to impress.

Perhaps that was the old Fulham manager’s last gift to the club – professionalism and pride in performance.