Steve Clarke Puts Fulham Move On Hold

19 November 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Steve Clarke could be set to stay at Reading Football Club, after negotiations with Fulham have failed to see them secure his services - so far. Neither Reading or Fulham have made any announcements about Clarke moving between the clubs, but what is certain is Clarke was very close to completing the switch. Bookmakers stopped taking bets this morning with his departure seemingly a certainty. Reading Football Club cancelled the usual pre-match press conference, and everything seemed to suggest he had already left.

However, since then Clarke took training with the squad as usual this morning, and the expected announcement of his Fulham appointment failed to appear this afternoon. It is reported that Fulham have now said Clarke will not take the position. All of sudden it seems he may not be on the move after all. It's not clear if this is a temporary postponement of his move or if he really is staying put. If he is staying put then will he be off when the next club comes knocking waving money in his direction? Meanwhile, should Reading continue to work on their own contingency plan?

Talk of Clarke being among the favourites to take the vacant Fulham managers job has been on-going for most of this week, but it's only in the last 24 hours that he emerged as the leading contender for the job. It feels like a long 24 hours as Reading fans have been waiting for confirmation either way. If this latest twist plays out then it will be interesting to see what Clarke has to say about why the move broke down and what stopped him completing the move. It's hard to imagine, but it could be business as usual tomorrow as Reading prepare for the visit of Bolton Wanderers on Saturday - with Steve Clarke still in charge of the team.

More on the Steve Clarke "will he, won't he" saga:

• News: Royals Wait For Clarke Move
• News: Steve Clarke Set To Join Fulham
• Discussion: Do you care if Clarke goes?

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