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Football London
Football London
Sport
Robert Warlow

Former Fulham striker pinpoints two players who could be key to bouncing back next season

Ryan Babel and Andre Schurrle could be important to Fulham's chances of bouncing back to the Premier League at the first attempt next season.

That's the view of former Fulham striker Bobby Zamora, who has been reflecting on his old club's relegation from the Premier League and what they must do now to try and gain promotion back to the top flight.

And he says he feels that who Fulham can keep hold of and who they bring in will be key to their chances of getting back to the top tier at the first attempt.

"Fulham have the ability to bounce back but that comes down to their recruitment over the summer," Zamora said, speaking exclusively to 888sport.

The six key Fulham players likely to leave the club following relegation

"Hopefully Scottie [Parker] is given a chance next year and then the club can move forward. They need to keep hold of a lot of their players too but that will be a financial decision. Ideally if they can retain [Ryan] Babel and [Andre] Schurrle, those two could be important and make a massive difference but that comes down to their mind-set."

Andre Schurrle. Photo: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images (Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

There are doubts over whether both players will be at Fulham next season though, with Babel out of contract this summer, while Schurrle is on a two-year loan deal from Borussia Dortmund.

Andre Schurrle hits back at claims he would leave Fulham in the summer if they got relegated 

Meanwhile, Zamora says he feels that Fulham's failure to overcome their defensive frailties is what has cost them dearly during the course of the season in the top flight.

"For me Fulham have missed two good centre-halves. They genuinely needed two proper centre-halves and that has let them down this season," he said.

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"They were crying out for them in January but didn’t get them and now they’re paying the price."

Read the full 888sport interview with Bobby Zamora, including his thoughts on why Fabio Cannavaro was his toughest ever opponent.

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