Fulham owner Shahid Khan has sacked Rene Meulensteen as manager of the club, and has replaced him with former Wolfsburg manager Felix Magath.

Magath has been appointed under an 18-month contract.

In reaction to the news, Khan said in a statement on the club website:

“I am very happy to welcome Felix Magath to Fulham Football Club.  Felix is an accomplished manager with multiple honours in the Bundesliga and a hunger to replicate his success with Fulham in the Barclays Premier League. I’m especially impressed with the reputation Felix has for coming into clubs at difficult times, often late in the season, and lifting them to their potential and beyond. Felix knows that is precisely the task awaiting him at Fulham, and he made it abundantly clear that he wants and is ready for the opportunity.

“Our Club has shown promise in recent matches, but the fact is we have not won a league match since January 1. Given our form, we can no longer merely hope that our fortunes will finally turn. And with 12 matches remaining and at least four points separating us from safety, we certainly can no longer post empty results. Action was required.

“Alistair Mackintosh did a wonderful job during the January transfer window to improve our Club. This week, Alistair recommended Felix, with his history of producing results for Clubs with similar challenges as ours, as the new manager of Fulham. Alistair’s recommendation received my complete approval and Felix has my unequivocal support.”

Meulensteen was appointed as manager of Fulham on December 1. In his 17 matches as manager of the club, Fulham won 4 matches, for a win percentage of 23.53.

Fulham currently sit at the bottom of the Premier League table, two points adrift of nineteenth placed Cardiff City.

While the sacking of Meulensteen is sudden, the timing of the announcement offers Fulham manager Felix Magath an opportunity to concentrate on training and tactics with the team since Fulham are out of the FA Cup and the club’s next match isn’t until February 22.

Do you think Khan’s decision to sack Meulensteen is a wise one or a mistake? Did Meulensteen have enough time to show his worth as a manager? And is it a cruel fate that Meulensteen gets sacked because Steven Gerrard scores a last minute penalty against the club? Share your opinion in the comments section below.