Ghana defender John Pantsil close to Fulham exit, reunion with Roy Hodgson at West Brom likely
John Pantsil, the 29-year-old Ghana defender, revealed he did not think he had a future at Fulham. Pantsil has not made an appearance for Fulham since February in the clash against Aston Villa when he scored an own-goal. That was his second own-goal of the season, the previous one coming against Liverpool earlier in the season.
While he is not preferred at his club, he featured a full 90 minutes for Ghana at Wembley in the friendly against England last month. He will be out of contract with Fulham at the end of this season and it seems highly unlikely that he will be interested in renewing his contract. The defender has already outstayed his welcome at the club and will most likely be facing a Craven Cottage exit in the summer.
Pantsil said while speaking to reporters, “I haven't spoken about it before, but there is no future for me at Fulham. I know my agent is working hard to resolve the situation. It has been a difficult season for me. I have made mistakes and I will be the first to admit, but to go from a first-team member to having to watch the game from the stands has been difficult to take.”
Pantsil arrived at Fulham in 2008 along with England international, Bobby Zamora, for a combined fee of £6.3 million from English Premier League side West Ham United. He managed to secure a first team place in his first season and helped Fulham to seventh place in the Premier League table, their highest ever in recent seasons.
His second season at the club was as successful as the first as he maintained his place in the squad and became a fan favorite. However, he scored two own-goals in the span of two months after which manager Mark Hughes refused to hold talks over a contract extension. This has convinced the player he has to look elsewhere if he wishes to play regular football.
Pantsil has been linked with a reunion with former Fulham boss Roy Hodgson at West Bromwich Albion. It was Hodgson who brought the player to Fulham in the first place because of his lack of playing opportunities at West Ham and is now willing to give him a fresh start with West Brom. The former http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 manager is known to be fond of the defender and is eager to reunite with him at the Hawthorns.
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