Fulham owner Tony Khan admits he had to ‘BEG’ Aleksandar Mitrovic to stay last year

Fulham owner Tony Khan has revealed he had to convince Aleksandar Mitrovic to stay at the club last year after they fell back in the Championship.

The West London club were relegated from the top flight in 2020-21 after finishing 11 points adrift of safety under Scott Parker.

After deciding to replace Parker with Marco Silva, Khan, who also owns wrestling company AEW, wanted to prioritize keeping Mitrovic at Craven Cottage, but has admitted it was a tough task and he had to keep the Serbian striker’ beg’ to stay before he signed his new contract.

Fulham owner Tony Khan (L) was desperate last year to keep Aleksandar Mitrovic at the club

Khan has admitted he had to ‘beg’ Mitrovic to sign a new contract with Fulham after relegation

“One of the most important things I think we did in the beginning, when we made the transition with coaching, and right when Marco came in, I worked really hard to keep Mitro at the club. And I really had to beg him,” Khan said in an exclusive interview with Sports mail.

And even then he had to be re-committed to Fulham. He had to be re-signed and we had to find our way in the summer of 2021.

And I remember we were on tour for AEW for another month, and I think I was in Houston on August 18, and I was talking to Mitro in the locker room, and I was just so excited because he’d just signed his new contract.

“And I was screaming, and people around the corner thought something was wrong. I was like, ‘no, it’s a good thing!'”

Mitrovic proved his worth for Fulham the following season, scoring a record 43 goals in the Championship to help the club win the title and secure promotion to the Premier League.

Mitrovic then shone in the Championship, scoring 43 goals to lead Fulham to promotion

The 28-year-old has been a huge hit at Fulham throughout his time at the club, scoring 105 goals in 189 appearances in all competitions.

Khan prepares for AEW’s final pay-per-view of the year on Saturday night when Full Gear drops in Newark, New Jersey. The 40-year-old can give the show his full attention now that the World Cup is on hold

Things could have been very different, however, as Khan has admitted that it was a struggle to convince Newcastle to part ways with Mitrovic in 2018.

“When Mitro came along, I think it was one of the most important things we’ve ever done,” Khan added.

“I think it was in January 2018 when I signed Mitro from Newcastle and in the summer of 2018 people said I did a lot of crazy things in the summer of 2018. Mitro’s contract from Newcastle.

Trust me, it wasn’t easy. Mike Ashley and I were in huge agreement on that. It was a good thing we managed to do it.’

Since returning to the Premier League this season, Fulham have taken 19 points from their opening 15 games to finish ninth in the table as the domestic season pauses for the World Cup.

Fulham are doing well in the top flight and Khan is pleased with progress under Marco Silva

The Serbian striker is a combative presence when leading The Cottagers, but Khan won’t be putting his prized asset in an AEW ring any time soon.

“I was just sitting with Mitrovic and we were just talking a few weeks ago and I said to him, ‘Everywhere I go, people ask me about Mitro wrestling.’ There really must be something going on.

“But the last thing you want is for Mitro to get in the ring. It is a very physical sport, wrestling and [to] pick up a knock… So maybe after the football days I’d like to get Mitro in the ring.’

Khan started All Elite Wrestling in January 2019 and the company has grown impressively

AEW Full Gear is going out this Saturday, but there’s no chance of Mitrovic getting into an AEW ring!

Mitrovic led the side’s attack, scoring nine goals in 12 league appearances, but has also been well supported by the rest of the squad and Khan is excited about the club’s development.

“It’s great to see that the results are strong this season and we want to keep fighting. We have a lot of goals that we hope to achieve at the end of the season, and it’s a very strong start,” he continued.

“We’ve learned a lot but we’ve had some success over the years and I think it’s a challenge to find a way to translate that into the Premier League and also manage to maintain stability in keeping the team while adding new faces at the same time. to strike that balance, but I really believe we struck a good balance.

“I think so many new players have come in and really helped the side find their way in the Premier League. It has also been a huge effort from some players who have been with the squad for years. And it’s very cool to see the evolution of the selection under Marco.’

AEW Full Gear takes place on Saturday, November 19 in New Jersey, USA. It will be available on FITE for fans outside the US.