MARTIN Jol insists Fulham's January signings have raised the level in his squad.

Urby Emanuelson , Eyong Enoh, Emmanuel Frimpong and Stanislav Malonev all made the loan move to Craven Cottage in the new year.

However, they have made just 11 starts between them, with a further 12 appearances from the bench.

But boss Jol believes the loanees have also improved the level among the rest of his Fulham squad.

He said: “It was a fantastic situation for us because it lifted us in training and created more competition for places.

“The only thing for them was everyone stayed fit, where as before we had a few problems with injuries.

“In hindsight, it worked very well for us. Frimpong was the first player on loan, I needed him but then [Steve] Sidwell played with [Giorgos] Karagounis and done well.

“It's better to have them then not to have them. They've helped raised the level.”

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