Fulham manager Jean Tigana is seeking to strengthen his squad as he targets a top half finish this season.
The French manager, who guided the Whites to the FA Cup semi-finals and Premiership safety a year after their incredible promotion, wants four new faces to help turn his side into a top flight force to be recknoned with. He said:
“Many of my players hadn’t played at this level last year. Now, I’ll try and buy three or four more players so we can compete with the big teams. I’m sure we’ll play very well this season and finish about sixth or eighth.”
Tigana revealed that he had tried to sign Junichi Inamoto eighteen months ago but lost out to Arsenal.
“I met the manager of Inamoto’s club in Japan a year and a half ago. ‘I tried to take him on loan last year – but it’s difficult to fight Arsene Wenger. Junichi didn’t know I wanted him – but he’s not a new discovery to me now. It will be easier for him to play for us than Arsenal, as they have a very big squad and high targets. He can play many, many games for us.”
The Fulham boss was also enthused about the arrival of loanee Martin Djetou, whom he managed at Monaco.
“He’s a good player who Parma paid a lot of money for a year ago. I managed him for three years and it’s possible for him to play very well. English football is for him.”
Tigana was more guarded when it came to the question of whether he will extend his Fulham contract, which expires at the end of the season – saying he will wait until after meetings with chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed to comment further.
“At the end of the season I come to the end of my contract. It’s a difficult job to predict what will happen. I don’t know if the chairman wants to keep me … it is a long way away. I need a meeting with my chairman about that.”
