Fulham owner and chairman Mohamed Al Fayed has suggesting his appointment of Italian legend Franco Baresi was an experiment that has failed to work.
The Harrods owner also dismissed speculation surrounding the future of manager Jean Tigana and scoffed at rumours linking out-of-work Gianluca Vialli with the Premiership club.
Al Fayed spoke about the uncertain future of Craven Cottage and the financial implications of trying to turn Fulham into the 'Manchester United of the South'.
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Fulham owner and chairman
Mohamed Al Fayed |
Many football observers suggested Baresi's surprise appointment in May as director of football at Fulham was designed to undermine French boss Tigana.
'Not true,' said Al Fayed. 'Baresi came on a six-month trial period. I wanted to have a legendary name such as his linked to Fulham, but mainly I wanted him to repeat the role he had at AC Milan where he scouted worldwide for players.'
Al Fayed said: 'The press translated Baresi as a manager in waiting when, in truth, there has never been a problem between the two men.
'The only problem was that his title suggested he had other roles close to Tigana's. That's why we changed it to special adviser on football matters to me. Everyone, including Franco, agreed with this.'
'I believe in experimentation in business, and the same in football.
'That's why I created this unique role at a football club to maximise Franco's international experience. Sometimes experiments don't work.
'There is no manager-in-waiting and we have no plans to have one either. I am very happy with what Jean has achieved at this club.
'Jean has not given me the impression he is unhappy. What is true is that on a few occasions towards the end of last season he was unhappy about one or two decisions concerning the signing of certain players, but not any more.
'I employed Jean because the man is a maestro, especially when it comes to the way he works with the players. He's brought great success to this club and I try hard not to interfere on football issues. But you have to remember that Fulham is my club.'
Fulham's home for the next two years is Loftus Road while a new stadium is built, yet the tycoon is confident he will turn Fulham into a major power.
He said: 'The plan remains to transform the club into not only one of the top teams in England, but also a force in Europe.
'My stance is: whatever it takes within sensible business guidelines. I recognised that costs associated with a club had begun to spiral out of control, but did not expect it to cost as much as it has.
'My approach from now on will be prudent, looking to establish a healthy club with a strong, financial foundation for many years to come.'
Craven Cottage's development continues to be the subject of speculation but Fayed remains upbeat, even though he hinted that the club might have to look at other sites.
'Due to the long legal delays over the development of our planned new Craven Cottage, we'll be at Loftus Road for two seasons, and not the intended one,' he said.
'It also means our initial design for 30,000 has to be modified to 28,000 all-seater capacity. With this, and the obvious fact that we can't continue to rely on TV revenue, we'll need a multi-purpose stadium used for football and other events such as concerts.
With this in mind it's pertinent to have an alternative plan to Craven Cottage, which is why we've started to look at other sites nearby.'