Sascha Riether: Martin Jol will keep Fulham on top

P109 Sascha Riether

1 May 2013

Sascha Riether admits Fulham may struggle to keep hold of their best players again this summer but is confident they will continue to progress under Martin Jol.

Fulham lost influential pair Mousa Dembele and Clint Dempsey to Tottenham in August and Jol has already said he faces another rebuilding job at Craven Cottage.

Dimitar Berbatov is sure to attract attention following an impressive season with 13 goals so far, while Giorgos Karagounis and Mark Schwarzer are both out of contract.

Riether warns it could be difficult to prevent key players leaving if offers come in but has backed Jol to strengthen the squad for next season.

The 30-year-old, who is himself on loan from Cologne but is hoping to make the deal permanent, said: “At Fulham it is always possible that you might lose great players, big players, to other clubs so it is not easy.

“It is normal that if you play well other clubs want to buy you.

“If some players do leave, other good players will come and I think Fulham will have a great team next year.”

Considering the bitter blow of losing Dembele and Dempsey, Fulham have had a decent season.

They were on course for their second top-10 finish under Jol but one point from their last five games leaves them 11th going into the final month.

“It was not easy for us after losing very good players like Dembele and Dempsey, who scored a lot of goals last season,” said Riether. “Our goal was to be in the top 10, hopefully we can reach that and then it is important to build on that for next season.

“There will be a lot of changes in the team this summer. Some new players will join, some players will leave but we will be prepared for next season.

“The Premier League is not easy but we can build step by step. Our recent form is not very good but we have played teams like Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton. Two of our three remaining games are at home so I think we can finish strongly.”

Riether is enjoying a stellar first season in England after joining from Cologne and was recently voted Fulham’s Player of the Year by his team-mates. The German, who has two international caps, instantly made the right-back position his own at Craven Cottage and has gone on to make 36 appearances.

Riether is also in line to win the end-of-season award voted for by supporters and admits he has surprised himself with his seamless transition to English football.

He added: “You never know what will happen in a new League, it was not easy coming to another country with a different style of football but it has gone well for me.

“German football and English football are different, so I had to adapt to a new style of play and new team-mates. Little by little it has got better and I hope that continues.

“Football in Germany is always physical and people like to see that in England. The fans like me and my style because I always give 100 per cent.”

Fulham have an option to buy Riether for around £1.3million when his loan deal expires this summer and Jol has indicated his desire to keep him.Riether, who is set to return from an ankle injury against Reading on Saturday, is in talks with the club and is confident an agreement will be reached.

Tickets are on general sale for Fulham’s match against Reading on Saturday. The fixture is Fulham’s Official Charity Match for the 2012-13 season and Shooting Star CHASE is the club’s official charity partner. Shooting Star CHASE children’s hospice aims to make every day count for children and teenagers with life-limiting conditions, and their families. You can donate by texting FFCF05 and £1, £2, £3, £5 or £10 to 70070. For further information visit: fulhamfc.com

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