Friday 14 December 2018 16:25, UK
Roy Hodgson has revealed that contrary to recent reports, Crystal Palace have not made any moves for either Yaya Toure or Jermain Defoe, although he is open to bringing in new players in January.
The Palace manager rejected talk that his side have been looking at the duo, along with Victor Moses, ahead of potential moves in the January transfer window.
Hodgson, however, has not ruled out the possibility of making additions to his squad next month, but insists any potential new signings must offer something the squad currently does not have.
"I don't hear those names [Toure, Moses, Defoe] because no one at the club mentions them to me," Hodgson told Sky Sports in his press conference ahead of his side's clash with Leicester.
"To hear them, I'd probably have to read what you're writing and what information you're getting from the players' agents no doubt in order to persuade you to write it. They're not names we've discussed."
When pressed if he was in fact not interested in the players mentioned, Hodgson admitted it would be a different situation if the club made them targets.
"I'm not saying that (I'm not interested)," he said. "If the day comes where the club decides to put names in front of me, I'll discuss them. But at the moment you're asking as a fact if we're discussing these players and I'm telling you as a fact we aren't.
"Reinforcements and new faces can maybe give you another arrow for your bow. You're happy to get those players but the fact is in the January transfer window they are hard to find.
"And it's important that anyone you're bringing in is actually going to make a serious contribution, because we don't need extra bodies.
"We train every day with between 20 and 22 outfield players. It's not bodies we're lacking, anyone who came in would have to be a considerable improvement on what we've got in terms of offering us something which we don't already have."
