Darren Bent today revealed why he turned down Crystal Palace in August.
Bent looked set for a loan move to Selhurst Park before deciding to join Fulham at the last minute after Martin Jol made a late swoop for the Aston Villa forward.
Ian Holloway believed he had agreed a deal for Bent and was angry at missing out on one of his top transfer targets at the 11th hour.
The 29-year-old, who is likely to start for Fulham against Palace when the teams meet on Monday, has explained his decision.
He said: “I spoke to Ian Holloway but I always knew Fulham was the place for me.
“No disrespect to Crystal Palace or Ian Holloway, they are a fantastic club and he is a fantastic manager but I could only ever see myself coming to Fulham.”
Fulham are still considering offering Mahamadou Diarra a contract but the midfielder, 32, has suffered a setback in his recovery from a serious knee injury.
Diarra, who was released in the summer and has been training with the club in a bid to prove his fitness, has seen a specialist in Spain and will be reassessed next month.
Jol said: “He had a setback, first with his ankle and then with his knee. If he is fit, he is still a very good player.”
Fulham duo Scott Parker and Maarten Stekelenburg have both returned from injury and are likely to start at Palace. Dimitar Berbatov has fully recovered from the hamstring strain he sustained against Stoke.
