Friday Fulham Stuff (13/07/12)...

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Premier League: Fulham focus on reinforcing up front


Andy Carroll's Liverpool future is increasingly uncertain

Fulham have signed Mladen Petric and Hugo Rodallega on free transfers, with speculation rife that they want Andy Carroll too...

For a club who are usually the embodiment of stability, Fulham's forward line has endured more upheaval in 2012 than over the preceding few years combined.

The overhaul started with the sale of Bobby Zamora to QPR in January. Andy Johnson has since followed him there, loan star Pavel Pogrebnyak decided that he saw his future at Reading rather than at Craven Cottage and Orlando Sa was released.

With those departures leaving only players who are as much attacking midfielders as strikers, such as Bryan Ruiz, Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele, Martin Jol arguably required at least three new additions, and two of those have already been secured.

Mladen Petric, who flourished under the Dutch manager at Hamburg in 2008/09, arrived after being released by the Bundesliga club and is to be joined by out-of-contract former Wigan attacker Hugo Rodallega, subject to a work permit.

The lack of funds required to bring those two in should mean that they can afford to invest fairly heavily on a potential partner, and reports over the last few days suggest that Andy Carroll is the man that they have in mind.

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers rather surprisingly revealed at the start of the week that he would seriously consider the possibility of sending the England international out on loan, in reaction to rumours that AC Milan were keen on such an arrangement.

It is alleged that Fulham have taken that as confirmation that there is no place in Rodgers' plans for the striker that his predecessors splurged £35 million on, and will attempt to prise him away with an offer of £9 million plus supposed Reds target Dempsey.

The sense that this will be a busier summer for the Cottagers than usual isn't just gained from their tinkering up front, as they also need to replace Danny Murphy in midfield after their captain - who started 33 Premier League games in 2011/12 - joined Blackburn.

Fulham have finished in the top half in three of the last four campaigns and are 3.05 to take up residence in the top ten once again next season.



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