Three in, three key men stayed, and some fringe players gone.

All in all it was a good January transfer window for Fulham.

And owner Shahid Khan has explained how the club went about business in January - believing the side are far stronger than they were at the start of the window.

Matt Targett, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Cyrus Christie were all added to the squad, while the Cottagers managed to keep hold of key players in Ryan Sessegnon, Tom Cairney and Ryan Fredericks.

Players like Yohan Mollo, Jordan Graham and Ragnar Sigurdsson were all offloaded to streamline the side as they chase promotion back to the Premier League, and Mr Khan took yesterday's game with Aston Villa as an opportunity to explain to supporters the philosophy behind Fulham's business.

He said in Fulham's official matchday programme: “We felt it was very important not to disrupt the dynamics of our current squad - that is, keeping coveted players like Tom Cairney and Ryan Sessegnon, among others, here at Fulham - while also not getting caught up in what turned out to be out-of-control spending by clubs at every level of football throughout the month.

"We were clear during the window that a big payday wasn’t our priority and, as you see today, we were sincere.

"We also wanted to thin out our squad by moving or loaning players who weren’t essential at this time during training or on matchdays to our goal of promotion, resulting in greater energy and better chemistry throughout the club.

"A reality of football is not every player you develop or sign will turn out to be the right fit for your club. Recognising when it’s time to take action can be difficult, but I commend our Vice Chair and Director of Football Operations, Tony Khan, and his staff for doing the right thing with our current group before exploring players that could be sensibly brought in to give us a real boost in our promotion push.

Family: Shahid Khan and Tony Khan

"I hope you are as happy as I am that we closed the window by welcoming three outstanding players to Fulham in Matt Targett, Aleksandar Mitrovic on loan through to the end of the season, as well as Cyrus Christie on a permanent deal.

"And the fundamental question of whether we’re better after the transfer window than before, can be answered with one word - yes.

"I appreciate the superb collaboration between Tony and Head Coach Slavisa Jokanovic and, as always, CEO Alistair Mackintosh expertly guided the process."

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