Martin Jol Stays With Ajax

The tug of war over Martin Jol has finally ended, and it is Ajax who have come out on top.

Ultimately, Fulham were unable to secure the services of the former Spurs manager despite the fact they were able to agree personal terms with him.

However, Ajax – who are well up there with the Dutch championship title odds once again -  were unwilling to let their man go and their resilience has paid off in the end.

Speaking to the Dutch club's website, Jol explained his current employers would not let him leave and, as such, he would be staying put.

He added: "I came here last summer to be successful, build a good team and to have fun - those three things are what I am interested in achieving next season."

Fulham had hoped to use a release clause in Jol's contract to free him from his commitments, but as negotiations progressed it became clear the clause was no longer valid.

In the end, the whole saga has provided more questions than answers. Fulham fans will be left wondering if Jol ever really wanted to move to Craven Cottage, while Ajax supporters will worry about his commitment to their club.

Perhaps the biggest question is who will Fulham appoint as their manager now? Time is running out for the club to get someone in before the new season starts and whoever does come in will know they were, at best, second choice.

It was always going to be tough to replace Roy Hodgson - who is now trying to boost Liverpool’s Premier League title odds - and the Jol saga will only have made it harder.

Fulham will probably need to rebuild their squad and face losing a few key players in the coming weeks. Unless they appoint a new manager soon, whoever does come in could have very little time to bring in new faces before the transfer window closes.