Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has lifted the lid on his success in the transfer market.

Hodgson concedes the point that middle-ranking players who have turned slightly stale in larger squads are not always thought of as the most reliable buys.

But he told the Observer: "It's dangerous to believe that when players drop down, if we're going to use that term, they're doing it for any other reason than that they want to benefit their careers. I think a lot of our players found their place in the team they were playing for under threat and that they were less likely to be starting games. But, obviously, their desire and appetite still existed, and maybe you're talking about a good degree of pride.

"Maybe having to leave that club, where perhaps they thought they weren't being correctly treated, or their skills weren't appreciated, has been a source of motivation for them."