From Jols report of the Arsenal game. A standout performer against the Gunners was on-loan midfielder Eyong Enoh who put in a series of blocks to halt Arsenal’s attacks before they had really gathered momentum. His link-up play was good going forwards, too, but Jol kept his cards close to his chest when questioned on the Cameroon international’s future. “We’ve got an option to buy him but it’s still quite a few bob so maybe I have to be creative and come up with other solutions,” Jol explained. “The option is there but I’ve got one or two other options as well so it’s a decision for the end of the season.” We must sign Riether, best right back since Steve Finnan. Enoh impressed me again with his distribution and tackling. So far out of the loans he and Riether have been the best pick. So I wonder what they will cost. Koln paid 2.8 Euros for Riether, and Ajax got Enoh from a South African club called Ajax CT. Urby Emanulson has the skill but like Ruiz is a bit light weight and gets tackled to easy. Not sure we'll keep him. Manolev has been erratic, but could be good back up if Riether decides not to join us. Frimpong has showed signs of good play, but also can't see us keeping him. Who do you think we should try and keep ?
Keeping Manolev as a back up only makes sense if none of the youngsters are ready for that role. From the comments made by our regular youth-watchers, I get the impression that right back is a position that might be well covered by Grimmer or one or two others (confirmation or correction please, roscafre, cottager and anyone else with more basis for making a judgement than me). As for midfielders, I haven't seen any of the loanees (that'll change against Reading - we've got our tickets and it's going to be my youngest's first Fulham game. He's very excited).
Sascha Riether - What else is there to say on Sascha? He been great defensively for us all season and his attacking play (particularly coming outside left footed players like Duff) has been fantastic. The game that will stick in my mind was the first Blackpool game when I watched Riether play both RB and RW and completely dominate an entire side of the pitch. How he keeps up his energy all game is beyond me, and I would love to have him signed up permanently. For me, he is the player of the season as I don't know that anyone expected much from him (as against Mr Berbatov). Urby Emanuelson - Has certainly grown over the last two games, after a nightmare performance against QPR. We don't have an option on him and I don't think we'd be looking to sign him permanently anyway as he likely would cost in the region of £5m+. He isn't worth that considering that he seems to bring the same amount to the table as Kaca does. Maybe we talk about a year long loan next year, if Milan have moved on from him. Emanuel Frimpong - Hard to really comment as he hasn't really had the games. He brings a physicality that is absent from Kara/Baird/Sidwell (oddly, since Sidwell likes his stupid tackles...) and that was evident against QPR. Mbia ran all over our midfield for 80 minutes, but was pretty much neutralised by Frimpong. Against teams like Stoke and Sunderland, that kind of player could certainly be valuable. I wouldn't mind adding Frimpong permanently if Arsenal let him go for free. Otherwise, I don't see Arsenal selling let alone us buying. Stanislav Manolev - Again hard to really comment on Manolev. He is getting some game time now and seems to be improving with every game. I was worried when he started on Saturday, but as the game went on he seemed to slip right into the Riether mould. But ultimately is he worth signing if we sign Riether? Like the Captain said, I'd rather see someone like Grimmer given the chance to deputise. Eyong Enoh - Enoh brings a Karagounis-like energy to our midfield. He is like a terrier, harrying the opposition midfield and adding some much needed pressure. However he is small and perhaps too aggressive, he also doesn't have the attacking ability that Karagounis does. He certainly adds something to our CM that seems a little bit lacking at the moment and could be very good if paired with a more attack-minded CM who is confident on the ball. Whether we sign him permanently depends largely on the agreed fee; I would not want to see us go above £2-3m for him. So in conclusion, only Riether is a must-buy. The others depend on costs and availability, as I am not sure I see them as first team players but more as good squad players.
Basically agree with everything said, think Urby would cost a lot more than £5m, as he is a current Dutch international, Manolev I would only sign if we were for some reason unable to sign Riether, who really is a must buy. His link up play with Dejagah has been superb this season and must be kept. Would love for us to sign Enoh over Frimpong (whose contract expires at the end of the season) but if he costs too much I'm sure there would be other and cheaper options available. I can see Jol bringing back Kasami next season due to our shortage at CM.
To clarify, I think Emanuelson won't be available for less than £5m rather than for that amount. However, it might not be too much more as I believe he only has one year left on his Milan deal. Although with one year left to run, I think we can rule out a year long loan!
Urby has always said he wants to prove himself at Milan, and I don't think they want to sell him, so as good as he has been the past couple of games I think he's out of the question. Manolev has been alright, but like others have said if we sign Reither (which we really should) the need for him will be lessened, unless it's for cover on the wing too, in which case (again, as others have said) I'd sooner promote from the youth team. Enoh I think would be a good signing, he's getting better every game. Interesting point about Kasami, Bandit, but he didn't get game time when we were decimated in CM earlier in the season, and I don't think much will have changed. I'd love him to sort it out and stay but I think his time's up.
Jol has apparently ruled out any chance of signing Urby Emanuelson - "Fulham boss Martin Jol has dismissed any chances of a permanent approach for on-loan midfielder Urby Emanuelson. The AC Milan playmaker has become a popular fixture at Craven Cottage since moving in January and put in an impressive performance against in Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal. However, despite his good form, Jol insists there is no chance of being able to tie him to the club on a full-time basis. "You could see [on Saturday] that Urby is a nice, technical crowd-pleaser." Source: http://www.soccerway.com/news/2013/April/22/jol-rules-out-permanent-move-for-emanuelson/ Would we want both Enoh and Frimpong ? We'll probably find out over the next four games whether Jol would play them together or whether he sees them as cover for each other/Sidwell. However if it's a toss up between the two, I'd go for Enoh - more composed, better reader of the game. While I most certainly think Jack Grimmer could cover for Riether (who as everyone has said, we MUST sign) I'd rather see him groomed as a CB. I also think Jol appreciates the extra height Manolev gives. Just on value for money though, I'd give Manolev a contract. Not a loanee, but in a similar "do we, don't we" situation is Kara. I would heartily support giving him a contract.
It depends what Kara is expecting. If he is happy to be part of a rotation in CM I would like to keep him. His personality and experience should be great for some of the kids to be around. The thing with Manolev is that he nominally could help cover the RM position. If Grimmer is given more exposure than doesn't preclude signing Manolev either, as Grimmer wouldn't be in the 25. I wouldn't be surprised if we signed Manolev for a cheap deal too, considering his old club don't seem to want him. Enoh and Frimpong, I agree it's likely to be one or the other. However, right now I'd like to sign both of them and ship out Sidwell. It'll take me a while to get over the latest red, seeing as how he won't play again this season!
Here is a neat little bio of Enoh - please log in to view this image Despite not winning a game in which he has started, Fulham's on-loan defensive midfielder Eyong Enoh has enjoyed a satisfactory start at Craven Cottage since arriving from Ajax in January. The Cameroonian, 27, came in because of Mahmadou Diarra's injury. He presents a more mobile option than the Malian, something Fulham fans have noted in recent games, and they will be keen for him to make the deal permanent at the end of the season. Enoh appears to be the favoured choice, having started Fulham's last four matches after a month when he could not get in the side. It is the first time Enoh has appeared in England after a circuitous career which has seen him play in Cameroon, Northern Cyprus, South Africa and Holland, but he links up with his former manager Martin Jol and Urby Emanuelson, his former Ajax midfield colleague. Emanuelson, on loan from AC Milan himself, has improved alongside Enoh and Jol may try to make the two permanent signings. Enoh is a ball-winner and his robust style won him cult status among Ajax fans, but it comes at a price - he received more yellow cards than any other player at the club. Enoh's aggression may be best suited to the more physical style of English football, though he will need to establish himself in a central midfield that has chopped and changed, with Giorgos Karagounis sometimes used, or Steve Sidwell when he is not suspended. Diarra will recover from injury, too, while fans still have a nostalgia for the departed Danny Murphy. Enoh is not Murphy, but he is effectively auditioning for the part under Jol, which is the story of his career. The intelligent son of a law graduate who became a customs officer and a teacher, he is used to stepping into the unknown and facing an immediate challenge following a nomadic career. By age 21 he was playing in his fourth country. He moved from west Africa to Northern Cyprus because a teammate came from there, but playing in a football outpost was not the best move for career advancement and a trial was arranged for him at Ajax Cape Town in 2007 - the sister club to the Amsterdam giants which had provided them with Benni McCarthy and Stephen Pienaar. Enoh's energetic and tenacious display saw him signed up after two days - a pattern which would be repeated. He was named South African player of the Year for 2008, after which Ajax took first choice on the midfielder and flew him to Holland for a trial. "The trial went well," he said, modestly. So well that the four-times European Cup winners produced a contract after two days. A debut goal against rivals Feyenoord saw the deeply religious Enoh quickly cement his first team place, being compared with Claude Makelele. Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez may have grabbed the headlines and was linked with the biggest teams, but Enoh was the Amsterdam club's best player in 2009/10, the season he won the first of his 27 Cameroon caps. His first came after was told to report to the training camp of his national team in Brussels. He initially thought the request was a joke, someone taking advantage of the turmoil in the national team at the time. Persuaded that it was genuine, he drove from Amsterdam, where he plays his club football with Ajax, to the Belgian capital. His suspicions were partly confirmed when he arrived - the coach who called him had just walked out on the team, leaving Enoh to explain that he had genuinely been called up to bewildered officials. This, for a country ranked 11th in the world at the time. Source: http://www.thenational.ae/sport/football/midfielder-eyong-enoh-makes-a-big-impression-at-fulham#ixzz2RZB6VtRn
