Murphy issues Hughes warning

Murphy: Player contract concern

New additions are all very well and good, but I think we need to get the players with a year left tied down and keep as many of the squad together as possible.

Danny Murphy.
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Fulham captain Danny Murphy has urged new boss Mark Hughes to secure the long-term futures of his existing players.

The first-team squad Hughes inherited from Roy Hodgson this summer includes up to seven players who have less than a year remaining on their deals.

Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is expected to join Arsenal before the end of the transfer window, while left-back Paul Konchesky could be poised for a reunion with Hodgson at Liverpool.

And 33-year-old skipper Murphy, who has been at Craven Cottage since 2007, has called on Hughes to make player contracts a primary focus if he wants to avoid an exodus at the club.

"Strangely enough, and I don't know why the club has let it happen, but seven or eight of the squad are into the last year of their contracts," Murphy told the Daily Mirror.

Difficult

"I don't think that's particularly healthy, and not many clubs allow that to happen. I think it's important that we get it sorted as a club because it is difficult for players to be having a year left on their contracts.

"It's different for me because I'm a bit older and, when you reach my age, you start doing it year by year, but for a lot of the other lads it's an unsettling time - you have other clubs coming in for them and you worry about getting injured with only a year left on your contract.

"New additions are all very well and good, but I think we need to get the players with a year left tied down and keep as many of the squad together as possible.

"Obviously when players do well they can move on to bigger and better things - I know Arsenal are chasing Schwarzer and Liverpool are after Konchesky - and I don't know whether we will be able to keep them, it's out of my hands.

"But you can't buy experience and you don't want to be losing key members of your squad."