Top Stories

Jol: Dempsey transfer talks with ‘several’ clubs continue, Sunderland interested

Dempsey (Getty Images)

Time is running short on Clint Dempsey's hopes at moving clubs before Friday's summer transfer deadline, but Fulham manager Martin Jol revealed that potential for a move is there as the club has ongoing talks with others about a transfer for the U.S. national team star.

Jol used Sunderland by name in his latest comments, marking the second club he has specifically identified as a potential landing spot along with Liverpool. Jol did, however, offer the caveat that a move to the Black Cats would be "difficult" to pull off, and it is far from the Champions League-caliber club Dempsey has had in mind.

“There is still nothing on the table but discussions are ongoing with more than one club,” Jol said on Fulham's official website. “I expect a few things to happen soon. We are talking to several clubs, but it is up to him and his desire to go to a Champions League club.

“Maybe that won’t happen, but certainly I expect a few clubs to be in the mix for him. Sunderland is one of them, but I think that will be difficult. There are different clubs with different scenarios and different ideas, but we know exactly what we want, and if other clubs come up with the right deal then we’ll do it.”

What do you think of this development? Where do you see Dempsey winding up? Would you be satisfied with a move to Sunderland?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Your comments are worthy of reading, especially the last sentences. I feel sorry for Dempsey. His situation dosen’t look good at all. Old Father Time is the worse enemy…becasue at 30 years old every week and months that go bye in inactivity and surrounded by a cloud of rummors becomes more and more detrimental to Dempsey, especially if he is looking “upward” to a winning team.

    Reply
  2. Mo’N did great at Villa, but Sunderland seems so bland still both offensively and defensively. He hasn’t built them up defensively or offensively. If Sunderland is a midetable team, it is luck. But Mo’N is respectable and I wish him the best of luck in proving me wrong. But I’d rather Demspey be great at Fulham and make himself a legend unless Arsenal come knocking with CL promise.

    Reply
  3. Apologize in advance for revealing a new source related to this.

    ESPN DEPORTES through the Show Jorge Ramos reported that Dempsey signed a deal worth 7 million dollars, its expected to be on the thetimes uk newspaper tomorrow. Hopefully its not true.

    Reply
  4. Yea Arsenal was always the ONLY reasonable option. Liverpool is where good midfielders go to DIE! Just look at their track record for incoming players in the last two years. Arsenal is the ONLY choice.

    Reply
  5. You mean English passport!lol … Usually most who carry a Spanish passports live up to the hype. English players are the ones who are overrated and are made a big deal every year with high transfer fees.

    If Dempsey has an English passport he would have been snatched up a long time ago.

    Reply
  6. +10000000

    I may have started supporting them because of their American contingent post world cup 2006, but after countless hours and dollars since then, fulham will alway have my support. Even if the starting 11 became half Mexican.

    Reply
  7. So anti-American that the club decided to name the stadium’s pub, where the fan base can gather before a game, after an American? Or is it the statue that the beloved owner erected in honor of an American outside the ground? Maybe it’s the laundry list of Americans that have been fan favorites and voted by the fans as player of the year? Ya they’re totally anti-American.

    Reply
  8. Jol just looks like a man under a huge amount of stress, and is not happy that his star player won’t play Understandable. Dempsey on the other hand knows that he’s one month of poor form away from never seeing midweek play in Europe, or signing any sort of “never work again” contract that last season earned him. Both these guys are stuck, and I’m sure neither of them wishes they were in this current situation.

    Sad thing is, I get the distinct impression that if Dempsey held a Spanish passport he would have been snatched up by Milan or Chelsea months ago for a record-breaking amount of Euros. Eurosnobbery is at the heart of the Dempsey debacle.

    Reply
  9. Are we really supposed to praise Jol for having enough competence for starting his best player?

    Really? That’s the criteria now?

    While I don’t have a head count of how many people “praised him”, I do know if you use Google, you can find his first several interviews of Jol “praising” anyone was Dembele and Dembele alone.

    You know, the guy that wasn’t starting and was not their best player. No mention of Dempsey…but that’s just splitting hairs, which you were trying to do too.

    I guess that was a forecast of things to come, right?

    Reply
  10. Liverpool is a step up from Fulham, can you even argue differently with a straight face? And in case you hadn’t noticed, Liverpool ARE in Europe this year, even if it’s not CL.

    Last year was Liverpool’s worst in 20 years… and they finished 8th. I would bet good money that would be the lowest they land again this year.

    Champs league teams from England this year don’t seem to want him, so unless he’s going abroad, Liverpool seems to be his best option for moving closer to UCL.

    Arsenal it would seem would be a good fit, but they’ve already bought one player over 25 this window (Cazorla), can’t see them buying another.

    Reply
  11. I don’t remember. It’s possible. I’m not ripping on Jol, for what it’s worth. I think he has done pretty well last season, and in trying to overhaul the roster a bit.

    I haven’t been thrilled with how the Dempsey stuff has been handled, but no one’s perfect.

    Reply
  12. As I recall, Jol was the first Fulham manager in Dempsey’s time that came in and named Clint a starter from the beginning. I may be wrong, but weren’t we all singing his praises then?

    Reply
  13. Carroll gone, makes room for a bid for Dempsey I’d imagine. Maybe even Walcott now that LFC is trying to deal Adams. Who knows though….

    Reply
  14. Jol is a liar. Clint Dempsey would not be doing this unless Fulham had mislead the press. Smoke and mirrors here, the truth will come out soon enough. Sadly Fulham did a great deal from Clint but conversely he did more for Fulham. Arsenal it is Clint….take their offer and show them what you can do. With the Arsenal passing you will be scoring 20 this season.

    Reply
  15. If he doesn’t move, he’ll be lucky if he plays for Fulham. Definitely not saying it’s his fault, he’s dealing with notoriously hard headed management, and not saying it wouldn’t happen, just saying I could see Jol benching him.

    Reply
  16. the Berbatov transfer story is crazy. He was flying around Italy and Germany all in one day meeting with Juve, Florentina etc. only to skip his meeting with Florentina to and sign with Fulham out of nowhere.

    Reply
  17. its so sad. Months ago we heard rumors of teams who were looking at Clint. Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Sunderland, Everton, several in France, Spain, Italy and Germany. Biggest transfer ever for an American. Perfect world, Dempsey goes for 9milllion to a CL club

    Reply
  18. Carroll off to West Ham (loan w/ an option to buy if they stay up). this might be the final piece to get Dempsey to Liverpool.

    Reply
  19. Probably not true, but does anyone think the Jol/Dempsey spat might be a gambit to gin up a bidding war, rather that the angry mess it’s made out to be?

    e.g., Fulham thought they’d get a couple of big-money offers by mid trade season, but overplayed their hand with the, “We don’t want bids and you’d better not give us one?” stuff. They received mild interest from a couple of clubs, but scared a bunch off.

    Then, transfer season is coming to a close and they realise they’ve made a mistake. So, they publicly state that the player and coach can’t work together and Dempsey needs out. The gambit is that Fulham loses their advantage of being able to say that they’d rather keep him than give him away cheap, but might also suddenly attract interest from a bunch of other clubs that never thought they could have been in the race in the first place (clubs like Sunderland for instance). Thus, fabricated bidding war.

    Possible?

    Reply
  20. Hopefully this whole transfer saga will end soon. He’s not getting any younger, if he plans to move to a big club now is his window of opportunity.

    Reply
  21. We shouldn’t be worried about Deuce going to somewhere like Sunderland or QPR because, while Fulham may agree to the fee, Clint won’t agree to the contract.

    You gotta figure he goes to Liverpool, Arsenal or a UCL team outside of England. If not, he’ll likely just stay at Fulham and dominate the next few months until the January transfer window opens and we start this whole process over again.

    That being said, I’ve got my fingers crossed that the sky falls and he ends up signing for Everton.

    Reply
  22. Clint’s been on record for years, since he last signed a contract extension with Fulham in 09, saying he wants more challenges in his career and to play in the CL. I’ve never said Liverpool was a step up, we all know neither team is playing in the CL or UEFA. I don’t think Liverpool has anything to offer Clint besides a new manager. I’d much rather see him play for an established top tier team who is in the CL and is looking for a top rate finisher. Prior to this week Udinese looked like a great fit for him, as awesome a Di Natale is; he just can’t carry them in every competition as was proven with their departure from the CL.
    You do understand what Clint did in Fulham right? His first goal for the club, against Liverpool BTW, was the goal that kept them from relegation that year. Until last season Clint had to battle for his starting 11 spot because the manager turnaround at Fulham was ridiculous. Despite constantly finishing the season as their top scorer, he would continue to quietly battle for and win a spot in the 11 season after season. He led them to barely qualify for UEFA through the Fair Play rules and then led them to the final of the tournament v Athletico Madrid. Under Jol, Dempsey never had to battle for a starting role and he thanked his club by scoring 23 goals which included 2 hat tricks. Last season was his coming out season, a season worthy of top tier football.
    Listen, this can go on forever. I get your point about teams shouldn’t have to give into players demands, and it’s a valid point. For the record, the Dembele move was a fantastic move for Jol. Clint isn’t just a member of the Fulham squad, he’s a Fulham legend and to treat your legends with such disrespect is the disgraceful aspect of the situation that has so many US fans upset.

    Reply

Leave a Comment