Sidwell, who appeared destined for West Ham before Christmas, has passed a medical at Craven Cottage. Hughes said: "Things can happen but at some point this afternoon Steve should sign for us. He ticks all the boxes for us and has been in my mind for some time. "He is well admired as a box-to-box player who can get you a goal and he wants to be part of what we are doing here. He wants to get his career back on track. I hope he will have a long career here." Wolves had been in discussions with the 28-year-old having already agreed a fee with Villa, but are resigned to losing out to Fulham. Club chief executive Jez Moxey told the club website: "Fulham have come in for him, and, rather than take over his contract which runs to the end of the season, they have offered him a long-term deal. "We move on, we've always said how difficult it is to get players in, especially at this time of the year. "We never believe a player is ours until he actually signs, so there was no great surprise - although there was disappointment - here because we always knew there were other clubs interested. "Even after a few days into the window's opening, it's already proving just as difficult as in previous years. "However we continue to actively pursue at least two or three potential new signings."
