Despite his sacking, Slavisa Jokanovic will always be a Fulham legend

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On Wednesday morning, shocking news pierced the football community: Slavisa Jokanovic had been fired by Fulham and replaced by Claudio Ranieri.

Although the Whites were dead last in the Premier League and boasted the worst goal differential, many expected Jokanovic to remain in the job, as Fulham did not act after the 1-0 defeat to Huddersfield a week earlier.

Despite his sacking, Slavisa Jokanovic will always be known as a Fulham legend.

The Serbian manager was appointed to the position in December 2015, perhaps Fulham’s lowest point in recent memory. The club were languishing in the lower reaches of the Championship, flirting with relegation to League One. Kit Symons had been sacked in early November, with the club undergoing a period of almost two months without a full-time boss.

The situation Jokanovic inherited was directionless.

But the manager worked absolute wonders at SW6, saving the club from relegation in his first half-season, building a free-flowing team that finished sixth the following year, and finally granting Fulham fans their sweetest-ever moment with a Wembley victory in the play-off final in May.

Along the way, Jokanovic gave Ryan Sessegnon a debut as a 16-year-old and oversaw his progression to one of the brightest talents in world football. He handed Tom Cairney the captain’s armband and brought the best out of the midfielder. And perhaps most important of all, he instilled a strong, possession-based, attacking ethos in SW6 that captivated the footballing world.

All of these tremendous accomplishments will never be forgotten by Fulham fans. Three poor months in the Premier League can never erase those two glorious Championship seasons.

The sad reality is that Slavisa Jokanovic is not a Premier League manager. But he is a Fulham legend.