Source: Team_Talk
Hughes gets his hands on Halliche
Fulham have confirmed the signing of Algeria defender Rafik Halliche on a three-year contract from Portuguese side Benfica.[LNB] The 23-year-old could go straight into the squad for tomorrow's Carling Cup tie against Port Vale at Craven Cottage.[LNB]Fulham manager Mark Hughes also has Moussa Dembele available after the Belgian striker received international clearance following his £5million switch from AZ Alkmaar.[LNB]Halliche joins a club in buoyant mood following an impressive performance in Saturday's draw with Manchester United.[LNB]"I'm so happy that my transfer to Fulham has been finalised," he said.[LNB]"For me, the Premier League is the best league in the world and to be able to play alongside some wonderful players and to be given an opportunity to compete against some fantastic teams for a team like Fulham is something that I've always dreamed of doing."[LNB]Halliche has won 20 caps for Algeria and he played every minute of their World Cup campaign in South Africa, including the goalless draw with England in Cape Town.[LNB]Hughes has made an immediate impact at Fulham since replacing Roy Hodgson, with the players enjoying the style of football the former Blackburn and Manchester City boss has brought to the club.[LNB]"I'm confident that Mark Hughes can lead us in the right direction," said defender Brede Hangeland.[LNB]"It seems that we get at teams a bit more, we did that against United a bit more than we had done in the past.[LNB]"We tried to get at them high up the pitch and prevent them from playing.[LNB]"We know that on our day we can play well against most teams and we showed that again.[LNB]"We should have respect for those good teams but we shouldn't have any fear."[LNB]Dickson Etuhu, who forced a brilliant double save from Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar at the weekend, is revelling in his new role under Hughes.[LNB]And he warned Fulham to take the same professional attitude into the Port Vale game that they showed against Manchester United.[LNB]"I used to be more of a box-to-box player before I came to Fulham, but Roy wanted me to sit in front of the defence more," Etuhu told the club's official website.[LNB]"This manager, though, is encouraging me to drive forward a bit more and it's working really well.[LNB]"Hopefully now you'll start seeing me score a few goals.[LNB]"The Port Vale game is an opportunity for us to do well - it will be a tough game like it always is in the cup, but we'll approach it professionally."[LNB]
