Malbranque faces the axe
14 Aug 2006 - 07:33:47
Fulham boss Chris Coleman has warned wantaway midfielder Steed Malbranque that the club could cancel his contract to bring the curtain down on his Craven Cottage career.
The 26-year-old has refused to sign a new deal with the Cottagers and now requires surgery on a groin injury, meaning he is unlikely to secure a move before the transfer window shuts at the end of the month.
Coleman told The Sun: "The op that would keep him out for just a few weeks wouldn't jeopardise a move. The other would keep him out for three months, so clubs are not going to buy him.
"I wouldn't rule out cancelling his contract. As long as I am picking the team he won't be playing.
"We have offered him a lucrative long-term contract and a short-term contract, but he did not want either. We don't want him to go for free."
Malbranque joined Fulham for £5million from Lyon in the summer of 2001.
