SVEN-GORAN Eriksson would welcome the invitation to manage Fulham and is a leading contender, along with Ottmar Hitzfeld, as the west London club digests the disappointment of their failure to prise Martin Jol from Ajax.

Eriksson, the former England manager, took charge of the Ivory Coast at the World Cup finals and the African nation would like him to sign another contract. But Eriksson has waited for Fulham to make their decision, having always been on their shortlist to succeed Roy Hodgson, and met them before their public pursuit of Jol which ended when he confirmed he would stay at Ajax.

The Swede, who worked well with Fulham’s chief executive, Alistair Mackintosh, during their time together at Manchester City, does not feel slighted at being behind Jol on the wish-list. He believes Jol was the personal favourite of the Fulham chairman, Mohamed Al Fayed, and that he was and remains the number one choice of the club’s other prominent football figures.

The much-decorated Hitzfeld, too, was on the original shortlist and, like Eriksson, he would bring experience and kudos to the position. The German is under contract with Switzerland, whom he led at the World Cup; they upset Spain in the opening group game before losing to Chile and drawing with Honduras to bow out.

Hitzfeld has said that he intends to honour his contract with Switzerland, which takes in the 2012 European Championship.

If Fulham want to make a relatively swift appointment by the end of the month, they are expected to turn to Eriksson or Hitzfeld. They could yet leave Ray Lewington in caretaker charge for a longer period, to take stock and cast the net for other candidates but it is more likely they will follow the first option.

Cardiff City’s Dave Jones was installed yesterday as the bookmakers’ favourite for the job and he would be keen but he is not thought to be under consideration.

Fulham remain in limbo, as do some of their transfer targets. The Aston Villa midfielder Steve Sidwell, for example, has negotiated personal terms on a move to Craven Cottage and a €2.4m fee has been agreed between the clubs but he needs to wait for the new manager to be revealed.

He was originally a name put to the Fulham board by Hodgson, before he left to join Liverpool. Fulham also face losing players while the instability endures. Left back Paul Konchesky has been linked with a reunion at Liverpool with Hodgson.

Fulham had been optimistic about securing Jol’s services as he had agreed his personal terms on a three-year contract at Craven Cottage but the stumbling block all along was Ajax’s refusal to entertain negotiations for his release. Although a meeting was held among the Ajax hierarchy, Jol and Mackintosh in Amsterdam on Wednesday night, which ran deep into the early hours and at which Jol is believed to have urged the club to release him, Ajax remained steadfast. The 54-year-old did not want to walk out on his contract at the Dutch club as he might have opened himself up to being sued.

“I was probably a bit disappointed I had to say ‘No’ to Fulham because the board don’t want to let me go under any circumstances,” Jol said.