Just when you thought Everton was Landon Donovan's most likely destination for an English Premier League move, in steps a club all too familiar to American soccer fans.
Fulham is reportedly trying to make a bid for Donovan, a development that comes amid fresh reports that Everton is interested in bringing Donovan back for another loan stint.
If true, a Fulham move would partner Donovan with U.S. national team teammate Clint Dempsey, giving the Cottagers the two best American field players in the world.
Both Fulham and Everton are struggling this season (The Cottagers are outside the relegation zone by goal difference while Everton is two points clear of the drop zone) and both could use Donovan's attacking spark. The question at this point is whether Donovan will choose one over the other or choose to take the winter off after what was easily the busiest and most tiring year of his career.
So where would you like to see him go? Cast your vote (and here my take) after the jump:
What do I think Donovan should do? As I stated in a Fox Soccer column last week, an extended loan until the summer might actually be beneficial to him and the Galaxy because it would mean he could count on some rest this summer and the Galaxy could create some salary budget space by only having him for a half season.
A short two-month loan like Donovan had last season would set him up for another taxing year that could see him play straight from January until late November, with Gold Cup and World Cup qualifying being added to a loaded Galaxy schedule and two months in England.
Which Premier League club makes more sense for Donovan? He has already played for Everton and is beloved there so that seems like the more logical destination. Fulham can certainly use Donovan though, and the allure of helping Fulham avoid relegation could drive Donovan to join the London club.
Who did you vote for? Where would you like to see Donovan go?
Share your thoughts below.
Yes, too many Eurosnobs on this blog
i’d say everton. i love the idea of him and dempsey playing together, but i think everton would be the better choice.
The substition rules are so retarded I didn’t watch that game or any college soccer game for that matter unless I’m forced to or my tv is broke/remote controller and stuck on a game.
So, no…I didn’t watch it.
LD should go to Everton and Fulham should arrange a loan for Gooch. That way everybody’s happy. Except Adu.
Fulham would be the sexy pick, but Everton the smart one.
Everton. Dempsey, Howard, Donovan. slowly but surely we will turn Everton in the USMNT. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I think Donavon will take December and January to rest. If he signs for a Euro team, he will probably not be so anxious to be ready to contribute right away. So Ives has it right, if he goes, he should stay until the end of the EPL season. That gives him some rest now and lets him play in europe up to about the Gold Cup.
Does suck for LA though, who would see him little if at all until after the Gold Cup.
It does not matter to me if he goes to Everton, Fulham or some other club that needs his services and will pretty much guarantee him playing time.
I respected your last comment somecottager but being a Fulham fan yourself, you must see the ridiculousness of Zoltan Gera. He is an aging player with little upside, other than he takes the shots from outside that fly way over the bar. Dempsey takes those shots and usually puts them on frame and makes the keeper work. There is nothing he brings that is unique to the team. Hes not especially quick, passes average, and shoots slightly above average. Forget dribbling and physical play, he was a good player. Now he is nothing more than average.
I also can’t stand the manner that he picks up and sets down his feet, its really quite annoying. That was what I was getting it saying he prances around like a little schoolboy.
Sure, he has scored a few big goals for the club. B
Again, that’s utter garbage.
They’re obviously idiots. And I think it was about 80%+ saying he should stay. He’s by far our best outfield player at the moment so it would be suicidal to allow him to leave – basically, I don’t think he wants to leave at all – his family seems to be quite settled.
Garbage.
He should get as much playing time at the highest level as possible. Join Fulham and help Clint move Fulham up to the top ten in the EPL.
The only part of your argument, and it might be the most important part, that makes sense is Moyes knows how to get the best out of LD. I’d rate him a bit better manager than Sparky and none of us knows how Sparky feels about LD.
Jones hasn’t been around long enough but Holden and Bradley are not in the argument when you talk about who are the best US outfield players at this time.
Dempsey and Donovan are the only US players who are dangerous enough so that a serious international opponent would worry (more than normally) about them.
The US is toothless when those two are missing.
They love Brian, evidenced by fan votes for player of the year and McPride’s.
But they’ve recently been talking about rumored transfer offers for Clint for 10M euros, and I’d wager 80+% of those putting in a word think he should go. Personally, those fans are idiots. It’s hard to get quality players in the Winter, and they’re in a relegation fight, and they want to sell their top scorer. Nuts. They don’t deserve him.
To defend KenC a little, there is a certain vocal minority on the Official Fulham message board that is definitely anti-Dempsey. Overall, though, I believe the reasonable Fulham supporters appreciate Dempsey.
So. Not a farce at all.
Seriously. That guy is cursed. He can be pretty good when he is healthy and not too rusty. Bloody awful when he’s rusty though. He can make the broad side of a barn seems too small to hit when he’s rusty.
This.
Great minds think alike!
Plus, it would be so much fun to watch. And as also a Fulham fan, with our injuries we desperately need him!
But, if he goes to Everton I will re-become a big fan of the blues.
For real.
Did you watch Akron in the College Cup? They barely use subs at all. And in the final I don’t think they used a sub until near the very end of the game.
ic wht udid ther.
Piennar is walking on a Bosman at years end.
Even with no transfer fee in return he was a steal at 2 million pounds.
I don’t know why, but I feel like Deuce wouldn’t be totally thrilled by this?
rest so your useful come the next world cup!
Hence the =D
Please quit comparing a Beckham loan to a Donovan loan. This argument is exhausted and was addressed ad nauseam 12 months ago.
*One proclaimed himself to be an ambassador of all things MLS, remain in the country/league retiring here and refrain from going back overseas (google the actual quotes from the above statements, if needed).
*The other is still in his 20’s, in his prime and has 3-4 years left of at an elite level and has never made remotely similiar proclamations.
There is no double standard. There is simply two different standards for two different situations.
All this coming from a rationale fan.
Chump change.
I hope this is a joke. You didn’t really just call EJ one of the best American field players, did you?
With the college format of substitions, it’s hard to call any quality of football….REAL football.
I’m just saying.
Puyol, Pique, Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro, and Busquets were all in the starting lineup for the final.
This.
… Loser?
I keed, I keed.
🙂
Although it was jut a loan last year, I kinda feel like Donovan has a fan base and a sort of obligation to go back to Everton, if it’s between those two (I know he doesn’t ACTUALLY have an obligation, but you know what I mean). He already knows the players and would likely slide back in pretty quickly, as Moyes knows exactly what he’s going to get with LD.
Oh and I forgot about Dembele too who also play the same position as Dempsey and Gera. Fulham need a real center forward, besides Zamora. Right now for out and out strikers they have AJ and EJ who can’t score and Kamara who spends 50-75% of his time offside and is about a selfish as players come. They desperately need another target forward who isn’t really a midfileder like Dempsey, Dembele and Gera.
No they are short a few billion after 12/4
Get to Europe on a permanent deal. Anything less is wasting his time and energy. Sad thing is, he’d have a long term deal there already if he hadn’t signed that goofy MLS deal.
not to mentione Rossi and Ibisevic /ducks
I think that Jermaine Jones and Stuart Holden would have something to say about the best field players argument, with Michael Bradley right behind them….
Yes, I have heard of this Zamora fellow you speak of. I understood that he would be out for 5 months at least, so that makes his return sometime in February or March, which is, as you say, “kind of a big deal.” Given their position in the table, I don’t think Fulham can wait that long to do something about their stiker situation. Even after his return, Fulham need another striking option with Zamora.
He should get out of Minor League Soccer forever…and go to Everton. Stop wasting his talent in our backwater domestic league…home to washed up euro’s and no name latino’s
i’m pretty sure luke edwards in the journal had the lando to toon story first
http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2010/12/08/newcastle-united-already-in-new-manager-talks-61634-27786457/
most of the good newcastle signings (tiote and ben arfa) are done by graham carr who is still with the team
No more loans, purchase his contract or leave him be.
He did play against the Newcastle Jets in Australia in the friendly, but I don’t think he did much more than break a sweat. Still, he was active between the end of the season and that friendly just to stay in basic game shape. So, he’s really only been off for several weeks now and he had to travel overseas for the WC announcement recently. Not exactly a true vacation yet.
llil
Indeed.
I’m pretty sure the original source is The Sun, which is basically a farce, unless you like boobs.