Why it is déjà vu for Slavisa Jokanovic at Craven Cottage

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For most clubs, the opening of the transfer window brings newfound optimism and excitement, filled with intrigue and hopes for an impact addition to the squad. Yet for Fulham in the Slavisa Jokanovic era, there is a far different flavour to the window: one of public spats and constant displeasures voiced to the media.

In the run-up to last weekend’s FA Cup Third Round loss against Southampton, the Serb unleashed another of his patented transfer tirades. Jokanovic expressed his disappointment with the club’s supposed lack of ambition in the market, and offered a provocative solution to the problem: he should be sacked.

To many Fulham fans, these sentiments are far from a revelatory bombshell. One only has to look back to late July for a similar outburst. Then, Slavisa claimed his transfer list was being “completely ignored”, in addition to stating his support for Sone Aluko, who he said he was fighting to keep at the club. In the end, Aluko was sold to Reading, seemingly against Jokanovic’s best wishes.

The fractious history doesn’t end there. Back in August 2016, after Fulham’s impressive unbeaten start to the Championship season, Jokanovic was frustrated with Fulham’s lack of transfers.

Add in the Craig Kline disaster, in which the controversial American data analyst had an outsize say over transfers and clashed with Jokanovic, one gets a recipe for managerial discontent.

It is certainly clear that there are still problems behind the scenes at Fulham, illustrating that the departure of Kline has done little to cool the tensions between Slavisa and the club’s ownership. Yet the public voicing of disapproval from Jokanovic has to stop.

The state of affairs regarding the club’s transfer policy indicates serious issues behind the scenes. At any organisation, issues such as Jokanovic’s should be dealt with behind closed doors, rather than publicly aired in the media. If the manager truly felt aggrieved, he should take these matters up privately with the ownership.

No matter how annoyed Slavisa may be, taking internal disputes public is counterproductive and can only make matters worse. The fact that he has complained publicly for the past three windows shows the collapse of normal communication measures at the club.

But this does not indicate a club in crisis; Fulham is by no means in disaster mode. The new plans to redevelop the Riverside Stand, the retained Category One status of the academy, and the gleaming new Motspur Park training ground are all prominent examples of the healthy state of Fulham Football Club.

Much of the public posturing can be attributed to Slavisa’s sometimes abrasive demeanor. These threats have persisted throughout his tenure at SW6, and the Serb has stayed with the club and expressed his desire to take the Whites to the Premier League. Surely if Slavisa truly intended on leaving, he would have deserted Fulham long ago?

Jokanovic’s public outbursts appear to be nothing more than the manager throwing his toys out of the pram. The threats and ‘back me or sack me’ proclamations carry little weight and only serve to disrupt the club. The media focus should have been on Fulham’s superb dismantling of Ipswich in midweek, yet instead Slavisa’s petulance dominates the headlines.

Fulham supporters hope they have heard the end of their manager’s complaints, and will be hopeful of bringing in Matt Targett, who has been linked by Sky Sports, on loan in the coming days. Slavisa hopefully has learned his lesson, and given his comments following the Southampton match, he intends to change his ways.

“If somebody is hurt, sorry, I’m not going to [talk] anymore”, Jokanovic told BBC Radio London. “I’m going to be quiet and [continue] coaching my team.”

For the sake of Fulham and its stability, let us hope Slavisa Jokanovic honours his word.