Fulham manager Martin Jol insists Fulham's January signings have raised the level in his squad.
Urby Emanuelson, Eyong Enoh, Emmanuel Frimpong and Stanislav Malonev all made the loan move to Craven Cottage in the new year.
However, they have made just 11 starts between them, with a further 12 appearances from the bench.
But boss Jol believes the loanees have also improved the level among the rest of his Fulham squad.
He said: "It was a fantastic situation for us because it lifted us in training and created more competition for places.
"The only thing for them was everyone stayed fit, where as before we had a few problems with injuries.
"In hindsight, it worked very well for us. Frimpong was the first player on loan, I needed him but then [Steve] Sidwell played with [Giorgos] Karagounis and done well.
"It's better to have them then not to have them. They've helped raised the level."