Arsene Wenger rejected the chance to manage Fulham

Arsene Wenger rejected the opportunity to replace Slavisa Jokanovic as Fulham manager because he is holding out for the Bayern Munich job, according to reports. Fulham announced the departure of Jokanovic – and the arrival of his replacement, Claudio Ranieri – in a statement on Wednesday, though they spoke to a number of other candidates prior to making the appointment. According to the Telegraph, Wenger was their first choice but he turned the club down for two reasons, one of which is his desire to take over at Bayern.

Ranieri was named the new Fulham manager on Wednesday

The other is his respect for former club Arsenal, with the veteran coach adamant that he will not risk facing the team he became synonymous with by taking charge of a Premier League rival. Instead, he is waiting for the perfect opportunity abroad and is prepared to wait on returning to management in the hope that Bayern lose patience with Niko Kovac.