The Fulham Owner who had a bag of dreams which came crashing down

Khan’s gamble on investing over £100 million ($131m, 117m euros) in new players ended in relegation after an abject defeat by Watford on the same night Wolves, who also spent heavily after coming up from the Championship, beat Manchester United to consolidate their place in the top 10.

 Fulham owner Shahid Khan must have looked at Tuesday night’s Premier League results and wondered where he went wrong and how fellow promoted club Wolves got it so right.

The ‘Cottagers’ dire campaign rounded off an awful year for Ali  also owner of the NFL franchise Jacksonville Jaguars  as his bid to buy Wembley Stadium also bit the dust.

Wolves Chinese owners meanwhile have been helped by a talented manager in Nuno Espirito Santo, who adapted well from the second tier Championship to the stiffer challenge of English football’s elite.

Fulham’s recruitment policy by contrast looked incoherent, and it did not help that one of the more talented purchases – Ivory Coast international Jean-Michael Seri – had hoped to go to Barcelona instead.

Manager Slavisa Jokanvoic was unable to blend the new arrivals with the mainstays of the promotion side, and just as Jokanovic’s star dimmed so did that of teenager Ryan Sessegnon, who largely failed to meet the huge expectations which had seen him linked with a move to one of the big six after a sensational campaign in the second tier.