Reports: Fulham Planning to Name Mark Hughes Next Manager

Barely two weeks before the kickoff the 2010-11 Premier League season Fulham appear to have finally found a replacement for Roy Hodgson.

The Guardian, among other British sources, report the club has offered the job to ex-Blackburn and Manchester City boss Mark Hughes and will formally announced the appointment of the Welshman Thursday.

If this report is true it puts an end to any speculation U.S. National Team coach Bob Bradley would take over the reigns at Craven Cottage after weeks of speculation where his name was bandied about as a candidate.

All things considered this is a good hire for Fulham, which soared to unprecedented heights under Hodgson, culminating with a loss to Atletico Madrid in the 2009-10 Europa League final.

Hughes has proven more successful in the Premier League than either of Fulham's other two main candidates -- Martin Jol, who turned down the job to remain at Ajax last week -- and ex-England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, whom he replaced at Manchester City in June 2008.

Given essentially a blank check at Manchester City, Hughes brought in a slew of players to Eastlands including Shay Given, Gareth Barry, Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez and Nigel de Jong. But for all the transfer activity, Hughes and City never seemed to click as he was eventually fired in December 2009 with the club unable to get anything going.



Fulham, though, profile much more like Hughes' previous club -- Blackburn -- where he led Rovers to an impressive seventh place finish in 2007-08.

For whatever reason, the ex-Manchester United standout seemed better suited working on a shoestring budget with less heralded players than the would-be Galacticos at Manchester City.

His first order of business at Craven Cottage would be to sort out the goalkeeping situation, as No. 1 Mark Schwarzer has long been linked to a move Arsenal. Hughes will also need to make sure he can retain defensive stalwart Breda Hangeland, amongst others who may have been looking for the exit once the grandfatherly presence of Hodgson departed for Liverpool.

From an American perspective it bears watching how well Hughes and Clint Dempsey hit it off. Under Hodgson, Dempsey developed into a very good, solid Premier League performer who was assured of his standing in the team, whether it was on the right side of midfield or as a secondary striker.

Fulham also have disappointing U.S. striker Eddie Johnson on the books, though his place in the team is tenuous at best after a couple loan spells. However you slice it, Johnson doesn't have very long to impress Hughes.

As for Bradley? He's still under contract with the USSF until the end of 2010 and all signs point toward him coaching the U.S. on August 10 when it plays Brazil in a friendly at the new Giants Stadium.

His fate with the U.S. remains in the hands of USSF president Sunil Gulati, who was less than assuring of Bradley's future following the loss to Ghana in the Round of 16 last month.

Now, with the Fulham job filled, Bradley's personal future is a whole lot murkier.