Chris Coleman has admitted that he may be forced to sell key players in the summer.
Fulham boss Chris Coleman has admitted that he may be forced to sell key players in the summer.The impressive young manager is acutely aware of the financial realities at Craven Cottage after the bitter departure of Louis Saha to Manchester United last January.
Gone are the days when Mohammed Al Fayed's team could splash out £11.5 million on Steve Marlet, as the London outfit have struggled with finances in recent years.
Now Coleman has conceded that if he is to invest in his squad in the summer he may have to offload players such as Luis Boa Morte or Steed Malbranque.
Portuguese winger Boa Morte was the subject of sustained interest from Newcastle in the January transfer window, whilst Malbranque has long been rumoured to make a step up.
"It's a possibility that we could lose somebody in the summer for big money again," said Coleman.
"I hope not, but that's the only way I can get real money to spend on players.
"I have learned a lot since [Saha left], now I'm more realistic, I hope people haven't got an impression of us that we've been spending millions because we haven't, we can't.
"There was a hell of a lot of money spent in the past, but I missed the boat."
Coleman himself was a beneficiary of the Al Fayed spending spree as he joined Fulham for £2.1 million from Blackburn in 1997, but now the manager must continue the admirable work he has displayed so far on a shoestring budget.
