On our signing from tomorrow's opposition, Everton, Hodgson said: “He [McCarthy] certainly was our target from early on in the transfer window. But of course there were problems with the transfer fee, our valuation and Everton’s. I believe the transfer fee we actually paid is very different to the transfer fee that is being suggested.
“We are pleased to have him, there’s no doubt about that. A transfer target for me in this window and one Steve Parish; I believe he was a major transfer target from several years ago.
“And the same for Camarasa, there was always a chance he’d be allowed out [on loan] again so we had our eyes on him."
On bringing free agent and former England captain Gary Cahill to the club, Hodgson was full of praise for the qualities he will bring:
“Gary Cahill we had our eyes on from the start of the transfer window as well. It was a question of seeing whether we could negotiate a deal with him because we weren’t the only club interested.
"He’s hungry to play after last season of course; he was an ever-present there for seven of his eight seasons – it was only last season he didn’t, so he’s keen to play.
"He really does increase our strength – in fact last season we were strong anyway but of course we’ve had long-term injuries to Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins, and when you’ve had that you’ve got to be careful about when they can actually come back."
You can see the impact our latest additions make by grabbing one of the last remaining tickets for tomorrow's clash.