Report Reveals How Claudio Ranieri Convinced Fulham Board Over Taking Manager's Job

Claudio Ranieri blew away the Fulham board for the vacant manager's position at Craven Cottage during his interview, using a detailed dossier on the failing squad to convince the club he was the right man for the job.

Fulham were forced to fire Slavisa Jokanovic after a less than impressive return to the Premier League in which they've managed to earn just five points from a possible 36. The side's defensive woes are well publicised - they've conceded 31 times in the league already - but Jokanovic showed no sign of being able to add defensive stability.

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According to the Daily Mail, Ranieri's interview at the Cottage blew the club away, the Italian reportedly used a detailed dossier on how the squad was failing, and where improvements could be made.

A source close to the club told the Mail: "Some of the others who were interviewed were unprepared but Ranieri was very impressive." 

Although Ranieri's job appears unenviable from the outside looking in, this is a Fulham squad with more than £100m worth of investment in it. The likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic, Andre Schurrle and Luciano Vietto will be key if the Cottagers wish to stay up.

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Their defensive problems are highlighted frequently, but the newly promoted side have plenty of work to do going forward too.

In his initial press conference in charge of the club, the Italian spoke of the importance of defensive solidity and articulated that his side needed to feel like a family on the pitch.

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"The players must show me this — heart. Now we have our family on the pitch. They must think this, 'Our families are on the pitch and we have to save our family'. I will ask them how they want to save the family. It is clear. Very easy.

"Fulham concede a lot of goals and I’m an Italian manager. For us Italians it’s important to maintain the clean sheet." 

The task in hand is difficult, but for the Premier League there's no doubt the return of the charismatic Italian is a good thing.