New Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri has given his players an interesting incentive to tighten up defensively.
The Daily Mail report that Ranieri, possibly tongue-in-cheek, offered to buy his players McDonald’s, having previously bought his Leicester City charges Pizza for the same feat during the season they won the Premier League.
The Italian was appointed Fulham manager shortly after it was announced Slavisa Jokanovic had been sacked earlier this week.
On the possibility of fast food, Ranieri said:
I have to promise something more. Pizza is not enough now. Better everybody to McDonald’s.
Ranieri has been out of work since leaving French side Nantes at the end of last season, having previously been sacked by Leicester nine months after guiding them to the title.
He will have his work cut out with the Fulham defence, as they boast the league’s worst defensive record this campaign.
The Cottagers have conceded 31 goals in just 12 matches, with Jokanovic struggling to find a consistent back-four to push the team forwards.
Whilst Marcus Bettinelli has been a regular between the sticks, Tim Ream, Denis Odoi, Alfie Mawson and Maxime La Marchand have all been heavily rotated at centre-half.
It has been the same situation at full-back, with both Joe Bryan and Timothy Fosu-Mensah suffering significant injuries.
Ranieri will be hoping to bring some of the famed Italian grit to West London and improve the club’s league standing as soon as possible.
