The Future Of Hugo Rodallega

Hugo Rodallega, it was not that long ago that you could have been forgiven for forgetting that he played for Fulham. After signing for Fulham in 2012, he hardly set the world alight, and his goal scoring record was hardly inspiring.  However, something changed at the end of last season, he was not exactly banging the goals in, but you can see just how much he cared in a season where there was little to cheer about. Hugo, in the goals he did score gave Fulham fans hope. Whether, it was scoring the winner against Aston Villa away to keep the survival dream alive. He even provided Fulham’s last winning goal in the Premiership against Norwich. Rodallega has become important to Fulham, in a team full of youth his experience is much needed; Rodallega has led by example and hasn’t failed to deliver, scoring nine goals in the Championship so far. That being said, Rodallega's contract expires this summer, and with Kit Symons publicly acknowledging that he wants Rodallega to stay longer, it’s a bit of business that needs to be done sooner rather than later.

Hugo will attract a range offers especially if he keeps scoring the goals like he’s done throughout the season so far. Hugo was rumoured to reject an offer from his home country Columbia at the start of the season to stay at Fulham. The only issue that could possibly come between Hugo and Fulham is money. It was always said that he was on a high wage when he first joined the club, with Everton who also tried to sign him proclaiming they were priced out of signing him due to his very high wage demands. Whether he’s still on that high, a wage is unsure, as it was suspected many Fulham players had a relegation wage drop clause in their contract. However, with it looking highly likely that Fulham will experience a second season in the Championship, finances, especially regarding wages should be kept as low as possible. Hugo, as it currently stands, deserves to be one of the highest earners in the squad, but by how much is the question?

A lot about the decision on how much Fulham are willing to pay will surely revolve around who can replace him. Whether that could be Kit believing that by next year one of the  younger strikers is ready to take on the goal scoring responsibility perhaps Moussa Dembele, or maybe he believes Matt Smith will return from his loan ready to be a first team player for Fulham. If Kit doesn’t believe in the options at the club, it will be case of who can Fulham attract. Then it’s working out whether the potential cost is more justifiable than simply giving into Rodallega’s wage demands.

The point remains if Fulham act quickly before interest grows in Rodallega, they may be able to keep his wage demands within an acceptable range, and he could play a key role in firing Fulham back into the Premiership next season.