Hodgson hopes to hang on to Hangeland

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson has reiterated his desire to keep hold of central defender Brede Hangeland in the January transfer window.

The 27-year-old Norway captain has been the rock at the heart of the Cottagers’ strong defence this season and his impressive performances have reportedly attracted interest from Arsenal and several other Premier League clubs.

Last week Hodgson admitted it might be naive to think Hangeland would turn down a lucrative move elsewhere, but he has reaffirmed his intentions.

“We’ve got a good club here and the makings of a good team and it’s not in our interest to let players go so we’ll be trying desperately to hang on to the good players we’ve got,” Hodgson told Fulham’s website.

“Brede is fully aware of what I, the coaching staff, and his team-mates think of him. ”He knows he’s a very respected and well-liked player in our club and team. We’d do everything in our power to keep him.“

Hodgson has put his faith in his squad, r

evealing that he will not be disappointed if no-one else joins the club next month.

“We haven’t had any serious discussions on that subject at the moment so what our exact situation will be in January I couldn’t comment on,” he added.

“Certainly, I would be prepared to say that if we could keep this group of players together, and it wasn’t possible to do any business in the transfer market, I wouldn’t be too disheartened because I think the players I’ve got and the squad I’ve got is good enough to achieve our goals.”