Roy Hodgson has confirmed that on-loan midfielders Giles Barnes and Olivier Dacourt will be leaving Fulham after Sunday’s game with Everton.
The departure of the duo is a shame as both could have been very useful for the Whites next season in very different ways. Barnes, as a promising youngster, might have fulfiled his undoubted potential and given the side more options going forward. Sadly, he’s been unable to stay fit for long enough to persuade Hodgson that it was worth shelling out money to keep him on a permanent basis.
Unfortunately he’s been injured and we’ve not had the chance to assess him the way we would have liked during his time here. We’re not prepared to pay the amount of money we’d be required to at the end of his loan period to secure his services.
Dacourt could have provided invaluable depth to the squad, especially if we were heading into Europe. We don’t have too many direct replacements for Dickson Etuhu and it would be a shame if Olivier hung up.
Olivier came here making it perfectly clear he would be here until the end of the season and I think he’s contemplating retirement now.
I would hope that’s not the case, I think he’s got a lot more to offer and would be a prize asset for many clubs but it wouldn’t be here in England because of his family situation.
Discussions with his family and where the family are going to live will have a major bearing on where he plays or whether he will continue to play.
