Bryan Ruiz admits he thought he would leave Fulham in the summer, but has now vowed to see out his contract in the English capital.
The Costa Rica striker has been at Craven Cottage since the summer of 2011, when he joined following a successful spell in Holland where he helped Steve McClaren’s FC Twente win the Eredivisie title. But despite the occasional glimpse of his undoubted talent, he has failed to find his best form whilst playing his trade in London.
Ruiz spent the second half of last season on loan at PSV Eindhoven, scoring five goals in 14 league appearances whilst his parent club lost their Premier League status. And with the likes of Ajax, Olympiakos and Werder Bremen all showing an interest in signing him, it looked as though he would move on ahead of the current season.
However, when the window slammed shut at 11pm on 1 September, the 29-year-old remained part of Felix Magath’s squad. But whilst he admits this is disappointing as he was fully expecting to leave the club in the summer, the forward now insists he will stay at Fulham and leave when his contract expires next year.
“It’s been a tough month because there were some transfer options, but at the end there was no agreement between the teams and Fulham,” he told his official website. “It is a bit hard because I felt like my time there was up, and I was looking forward to a new challenge, but it didn’t happen. I still have a contract with Fulham, so I have to fulfil it.”
Fulham have made a lousy start to life in the Championship, losing four and drawing one of their opening five fixtures. Ruiz has yet to play for the team this season, but he has vowed to pitch in and help his team-mates. He added: “Now it’s my turn to help the team as much as I can. They have had a tough start after five matches they haven’t been able to win. Well, it’s a hard tournament, I’ll try to provide experience and enthusiasm.”
Should Fulham go all out to sell Ruiz in January, or can he help the team before his contract expires in the summer? Let us know your thoughts by joining in the discussion below.
