Source: PA
Hodgson to seek cash injection
Roy Hodgson is hoping he will find Fulham owner Mohamed Al Fayed in a generous mood when they discuss how to take the Cottagers' depleted squad forward next season.
Hodgson, 62, has transformed the fortunes of the west London club since arriving in December 2007, going from successfully fighting a relegation battle to enjoying a first ever European campaign. However, plans for another top-10 finish have been scuppered by a succession of injuries to key men which leaves Fulham down to the bare bones ahead of the visit of Burnley. That is followed by an FA Cup fifth-round tie against Notts County and the resumption of the Europa League.
South Africa international Kagisho Dikgacoi is the latest new addition to a packed treatment room, the midfielder set to be out for up to six weeks with ankle ligament damaged suffered during the goalless draw at Bolton. Paul Konchesky, Clint Dempsey and John Pantsil are all still sidelined, while striker Andrew Johnson will miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery in the United States.
Fulham agreed to sell England Under-21 defender Chris Smalling to Manchester United last month, with the £7million transfer set to go through in the summer. By then, Hodgson hopes Al Fayed will once again give the club his support.
The Fulham boss said: "The chairman has been very supportive throughout and I have no reason to think he won't be. We made decisions in this transfer window which were for the good of the club, not just the short term, but the long-term good.
"We are fully aware that if we are to do as well as we have done in the last year and a half then we will need some help in the summer. That will probably mean we will be seeking some quality additions to the squad as we've run the squad right down. We have between now and the summer to identify targets and persuade the chairman that all the support he has given in the past isn't yet finished, and he has to keep going."
