Axed Claudio Ranieri loses £2m of Fulham pay-off due to crafty contract clause

It means Fulham do not have to pay the Italian his full £2m-a-year contract which would have run until the end of next season. Coach Scott Parker has taken over as interim boss until the end of this campaign but could land the job permanently depending on results. His first game in charge ended in a 2-1 defeat by Chelsea but the performance was much improved than in recent matches. Bristol City boss Lee Johnson is another candidate to take over the full-time role but he is in line to be offered a new deal at Ashton Gate to head off any attempts to prise him away. Ranieri famously won the Premier League with Leicester – and that is where Fulham go this weekend as they battle to stay up. They are second from bottom in the Prem and 11 points from safety with only eight games to go. Meanwhile, reports in Italy claim Ranieri could be set to take charge at Roma. The Serie A side are struggling this season, and could sack Eusebio Di Francesco after crashing out of the Champions League to Porto on Wednesday night. Culled from www.thesun.co.uk/]]>