I had very faint hopes of Ashkan Dejagah lining up against Ipswich Town on the opening day of this season and tearing their new left back to pieces.

They were hopes borne out of the belief that, if we could retain the Iranian, we would be a far more potent and tricky side in the Championship.

But, it seems, those dreams are dashed, as he is off to Qatar, where Al-Arabi are happy to pay upwards of £4million pounds for his services, as well as another £5m in wages.

It all makes sense in that respect – the money, quite simply, is not to be sniffed at. And that works both ways, because Fulham will have made a healthy profit on a player with only a year left on his contract, while Dejagah himself will be on a princely salary in the ‘Land of Wealth’.

It doesn’t make it any easier to swallow, mind, because of all of the talent that has left from last season – or is about to leave – the 28-year old is perhaps the most invaluable to our team.

You may think it a simplistic, quite straightforward argument, but what Dejagah brought to our team was goals. And always at the right time.

He has a blistering turn of pace, one which caused Premier League full backs endless problems. Imagine what he could do with that speed at a level lower.

And then you add that to his abundant flair, his control of the ball and his routinely gracious final product. You have, in many ways, a complete winger.

Naturally, he is not flawless – he wouldn’t be at Fulham if he were – but you get the feeling that, as part of a midfield that Felix Magath is surely still to strengthen, Dejagah would stick out in the Championship like a parrot among pigeons.

It is not to be, however, and we can only sit and wonder just what impact he might have had. Instead, he must be replaced and sensibly so.

Chihi should still be given a chance to impress as he possesses many of his team mate’s qualities, but Dejagah was one of the true greats from the brief, monstrous Martin Jol era, and will be difficult to replicate.