Martin Jol: I consulted with Hiddink and Advocaat before signing Pogrebnyak

Fulham manager Martin Jol in an interview to Sky Sports admitted he asked the opinion of his Dutch colleagues about Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak before signing him from Stuttgart.

«Before we made the offer I talked to Guus Hiddink and Dick Advocaat [the former and the current Russian national team head coaches – Sports.ru] and they spoke highly of him. It is up to him now to prove them right,» said the Dutchman.

«He hadn’t featured much in Stuttgart’s recent matches, but, had it not been that way, we might not have been able to sign him,» Jol added.

Pogrebnyak signed a six-month contract with the Cottagers with an option to extend it for a further season.