Contenders for the Fulham manager vacancy

Since Roy Hodgson's move to Anfield, speculation over who will take the Fulham hotseat has been rife.

This week the Cottagers' number one target, Ajax and former Tottenham boss Martin Jol has confirmed that he will stay at his current club, leaving the door open for chairman Mohammed Al Fayed to choose another candidate.

Here, we take a look at some of the contenders.

DAVE JONES

Cardiff boss Jones is one of the bookies' favourites to take the post. Last season he nearly took the south Wales team into the Premier League, narrowly losing out to Ian Holloway's Blackpool 3-2 at Wembley. Jones' native roots may keep him in the Welsh capital, though the recent transfer of Joe Ledley to Celtic will have left him frustrated. Jones is thought to have known nothing about the move which took the talented youngster to Parkhead.

ALEX McLEISH

Birmingham boss McLeish has also been strongly linked to the role. He led Birmingham to a ninth place finish in the Premier League last season in their first season back in the top flight. His team went 12 games unbeaten which was a record for the Premier League last season and he picked up the manager of the month award in December.

SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON

Former England boss Eriksson is now a free agent following his World Cup exploits with the Ivory Coast in South Africa. Eriksson's contract expired on July 25 and no new deal has been confirmed although the Swede has indicated his readiness to stay on. The former Manchester City and England boss enjoyed some success during his last tenure in the Premier League. Eriksson won both league derby games against Manchester United in the 2007/08 season as well as achieving the joint highest Premier League points total in the club's history.

MARK HUGHES

Another City favourite, Hughes has also been out of managerial work since he left Eastlands. Following the takeover by the Abu Dhabi United investment group, rumours that Hughes only had a matter of time began to emerge. Despite a great start to the 2009/10 season, in which Hughes led City to four successive wins, failure to keep pace with the league leaders sealed his fate. City narrowly lost out to United in a thrilling Carling Cup semi-final, but only two wins in 11 Premier League games led to hughes leaving the club in December.

GIANFRANCO ZOLA

Former West Ham boss Zola left the club last season despite saving the east London outfit from the drop. Financial problems at Upton Park had left Zola with a tough task, compounded by chairman David Sullivan's decision to put the entire squad up for sale except for midfield star Scott Parker. The Hammers managed to finish five points clear of relegation in 17th last season but that was followed by Zola's departure.

ALAN CURBISHLEY

Another former Hammers boss, Curbishley, would relish a return to club football. Curbishley believes he has struggled to find work with another club after he won £2.2million in damages against former employers West Ham following a dispute regarding transfers. Curbishley famously saved West Ham from the drop on the last day of the 2006/07 season with a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford and enjoyed years of success at Charlton, where he was manager for over 10 years.

JURGEN KLINSMANN

The former Bayern Munich and Germany manager is rated 7/1 by the bookmakers. Klinsmann led his native country to the 2006 World Cup semi-final, only losing out to eventual winners Italy 2-0 after extra time before replacing Ottmar Hitzfeld as Bayern Munich boss in 2008. But defeat in the quarter-finals of both the Champions League and DFB Cup lead to his dismissal in 2009. Klinsmann was closely linked to the Liverpool job during Rafael Benitez's reign at Anfield, causing a rift between the Spaniard and the club owners.