Martin Jol has called on his former players Urby Emanuelson and Eyong Enoh to help solve the problem of a troubled midfield at Craven Cottage.
In a flurry of activity before the transfer window closed last night, Jol became the loan arranger as he secured temporary deals for Emanuelson and Enoh, both of whom he worked with at Ajax, and Dimitar Berbatov’s Bulgaria international team-mate, Stanislav Manolev.
They join Emmanuel Frimpong, signed on loan from Arsenal earlier in the week and named on the bench for the midweek victory over West Ham, in ramping up competition for places in a midfield left bereft of strength and creativity by the summer departures of Mousa Dembele, Clint Dempsey, Danny Murphy and Dickson Etuhu.
Jol was forced to open his thick contact book by an acceptance that Fulham’s descent in the League was caused by a midfield that neither offered adequate support to the defence nor provided a line of service to the attack.
Since Roy Hodgson’s arrival at Craven Cottage at the end of 2007, a solid relationship between an organised midfield and an experienced back line has been a feature of Fulham’s game.
But going into tomorrow’s home game against leaders Manchester United, the fact that only five teams have shipped more goals in the League this season tells its own story.
Frimpong, 21, and Enoh, the 26-year-old Cameroon World Cup squad member acclaimed by Ajax fans for his work rate, will lend their defensive qualities to Jol’s side and both could be offered permanent contracts in the summer if they prove their worth.
Emanuelson, however, will almost certainly return to AC Milan at the end of the season. But before then, possibly starting tomorrow when a hamstring strain means Berbatov will watch from the stands, the Holland international, 26, will seek to provide strikers Hugo Rodallega and Mladen Petric with the service they desperately crave.
Jol did not need to expend much of his persuasive powers on getting Emanuelson, who is desperate for playing time after losing his place at Milan, to revive a relationship that flourished at Ajax. Emanuelson said: “He helped a lot in my progression when I was learning the game. It was an easy choice for me to come to Fulham.
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“I’m a creative player and I hope I can show the Fulham fans my qualities. I’m looking forward to joining the other creative players here. I played one time against Dimitar Berbatov for Holland against Bulgaria and he is still a fantastic player.
“And I know Bryan Ruiz from the Dutch League [the Costa Rican previously played for Eredivisie champions FC Twente].
“There, in my opinion, he was one of the best players in the division.”
Manolev, signed on loan from PSV Eindhoven, can play right midfield but, with Stephen Kelly leaving the Cottage for Reading, he has been brought in more as cover for right-back Sascha Riether, who has been Fulham’s best player this season.
Like Frimpong, Manolev will probably feature on the bench tomorrow, when Rodallega believes Fulham can create an upset despite last week’s exit from the FA Cup following a 4-1 defeat at Old Trafford.
Rodallega is at last coming into form after his summer move from Wigan, scoring his third goal of the campaign on Wednesday night, and believes the West Ham win renders last weekend’s result meaningless.
The Colombian said: “This is different because the team have more confidence. The win against West Ham makes this a different game.
“Manchester United are a big team, number one in the table, and I have respect for them. But if we play like we did against West Ham, it will be possible to get the win or a draw.”
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