TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Fragile Fernando Torres still vital to Liverpool's revival plan Rafael Benítez believes Fernando Torres can survive the busy Christmas period without further injury troubles telegraph.co.uk |
Fulham weigh up loan move for Roma's Okaka • Italy U-20 striker impressed in Europa League• Brede Hangeland could return at the weekendFulham are exploring the possibility of signing Roma striker Stefano Okaka on loan.Okaka, 20, started both of this season's Europa League matches between the clubs and scored the winner at the Stadio Olimpico in early November.Fulham manager Roy Hodgson was sufficiently impressed to look into taking the Italian under-20 international to Craven Cottage but faces competition from Portsmouth. Roma are willing to allow Okaka to depart after completing the loan signing of Luca Toni from Bayern Munich this afternoon."Okaka is a possibility for us. We're looking into it and have shown an interest," said Hodgson. "How far we go down that road will depend on other things like whether he wants to come on loan to England. The finances of the situation will also be important."Okaka has got quality and the fact it's a loan is also advantageous because he's a young player and largely untried."We're happy with our striking options but we would like to have some cover and someone who can put pressure on the guys we have."Okaka seems to be that type of player but a lot of water must pass under the bridge before he pulls on a Fulham shirt."Hodgson has ruled out signing a replacement for the injured John Pantsil, who could be out for the rest of the season.The Ghana right-back suffered knee ligament damage in the 2-1 defeat by Chelsea on Monday and will definitely miss the African Nations Cup.Whether he requires surgery will determine if he plays again this term, with the most dire prognosis threatening his participation at the World Cup."We won't know how long John will be out for until Saturday when our specialist returns," said Hodgson. "We want him to have a look at John before we make any decisions. The scan shows there is damage to the posterior cruciate ligament. We're talking about a period of rehabilitation of eight to 12 weeks, whatever happens."It could be that the damage is sufficiently bad that he might require an operation. If that's the case he'll be out for another four to six weeks. It's really bad news for us and for John as well because he was voted Ghana player of year and has been playing very well. Now he's looking ahead to a long period of rehabilitation."Brede Hangeland has an outside chance of appearing in Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie against Swindon at Craven Cottage.Hangeland missed the defeat at Stamford Bridge with a knee injury but has made encouraging progress."Brede is coming along well. He'll be touch and go for Saturday and we won't make a decision until the morning of the game," said Hodgson. "He's worked well with our medical staff and will probably join in with the team tomorrow at some level."Transfer windowFulhamRomaguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
APNewsBreak: Fox to Launch 2nd Soccer Network NEW YORK (AP) -- Fox will announce Tuesday that it is launching its second all-soccer network in the United States on March 1. feeds.nytimes.com |
Preki, Dooley elected to National Soccer Hall of Fame Two-time Major League Soccer MVP Preki and former U.S. Soccer athlete of the year Thomas Dooley were elected Thursday to the ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Spurs Tighten Grip on 4th in England Tottenham Hotspur strengthened its grip on fourth place in the English Premier League as it ended a recent run of poor results by beating Fulham while Liverpool drew at Wolverhampton. feeds.nytimes.com |