Johnson would be shrewd Fulham choice but problems run deeper than the manager

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Fulham are eyeing Bristol City manager Lee Johnson as a potential successor for Claudio Ranieri, according to the Daily Mirror.

They report that the 37-year-old and Steve Clarke are both in contention for the top job at Craven Cottage after Ranieri was given his marching orders yesterday.

That move, with Fulham ten points adrift of safety, looks like a move taken to begin preparations for life back in the Championship.

Johnson has done outstanding work in the second tier with Bristol City over the last couple of seasons and they look a good bet to secure a play-off spot.

All of that has come while playing some very attractive football – the kind Fulham played to get promoted before completely abandoning it under Ranieri – and not having the biggest budget in the second tier.

Johnson’s pedigree and room to improve would make him a prime candidate but there are problems at Craven Cottage that run deeper than the manager.

The club’s recruitment was shambolic in the summer and worse in January and this is the second straight top flight season in which they will be managed by three different managers.

The Khans have overseen an amateurish and chaotic approach to life in the Premier League. An exodus of top talent is likely and loanees will return to their parent clubs, leaving a shell of a squad in need of yet another overhaul.

Getting Johnson would be a step in the right direction but there is plenty more for Fulham to do before they can be considered promotion contenders next season – in the very likely event they go down.