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Record-setting season puts Dempsey in demand

Dempsey (Getty Images)

There isn't going to be a bigger story involving an American soccer player this summer than the one surrounding Clint Dempsey and his club future.

After tallying his 22nd goal in all competitions to rescue yet another point for Fulham against Chelsea on Monday, Dempsey's stock continues to grow in value as he heads toward the final year of his Fulham contract. His contract status means the Cottagers could be forced to sell him in order to avoid the risk of losing him to a free transfer in a year.

Fresh reports out of the UK suggest that Arsenal have kept a watchful eye on Dempsey and are set to make a Â£10 million move to try and acquire the in-form American from London rival Fulham.

Here is my Fox Soccer column on Dempsey and why his banner year will mean a likely exit from Craven Cottage.

Give the column a read and let us know where you think Dempsey will wind up. Like the idea of Arsenal buying Dempsey, or are you hoping he lands somewhere else in the Premier League? Would you like him to stay at Fulham?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I am convinced Schalke would be a perfect fit for Dempsey, virtually guaranteed a Champion’s league slot next season. Dutch Coach Huub Stevens has done a great job already in a short time with Schalke. He is tough but likable guy who I think Dempsey would like. Schalke is fairly international for a Bundesliga team, so Dempsy not speaking German is not a problem (Raul spoke no German when he moved to Schalke.) Actually, lot of Spanish speakers on the team Dempsey could speak Spanish with.

    Schalke has one of the best stadiums in Europe, Veltins-Arena (opened in 2001, 61,000 capacity, almost always sold out), with a roof that can be closed for bad weather and one of the few in the world with a pitch that can slide outside the stadium during the week for full sunshine to keep it high quality.

    Most importantly, the team has lot of talent with the potential to go deep into the Champion’s League next season, but would not swallow up Dempsey and he could expect to be a key player/starter for the next few years.

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  2. They aren’t really. I believe that was just one game and it was a bit of a desperation, bunker down move against Man City if I remember correctly.

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  3. (I posted this below before realizing you guys were talking about Newcastle here)

    I hope Newcastle gets into the Champions League and buys Dempsey. Why? Newcastle has a strong tradition, a great coach and is striving upward, not trying to hang onto a place in the top tier of the EPL. (Here’s the Guardian on their manager Alan Pardew: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/apr/10/alan-pardew-newcastle-united )

    Not to mention, I was in Newcastle once as a kid, and as a grownup I love Newcastle Brown Ale.

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  4. I disagree with the twice the player remark. Hard to measure some of that but Dempsey has been fantastic on a plucky but mediocre (as much as a I love Fulham) team. In short, he’s done a lot with a little.

    Torres, if memory serves, was showing signs of struggling in the lead-up to being sold and even at the time it was deemed a crazy transfer fee. Further, ESPN stats show that the season before he was sold, he scored one more goal in all competitions than Dempsey has already in this season. His best year was his first in the prem in 07/08 when he scored 31 goals in all competitions. After that it went 22, 23, 13, and 8 for the current season.

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  5. 16 million US dollars is a hefty transfer fee for a player like Dempsey, especially to a club like Fulham that doesn’t often sell sought-after players.

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  6. Agreed, I know Ives made the point that this team is not be European material, but I assume he meant UCL. They can still qualify this year for the Europa Leage, although it’s an outside shot. And I would whole heartedly disagree.

    This team is much better and plays much more attractive football then the Fulham team that lost to Atletico Madrid in the Europa League FINALS. They beat Hamburg, in Hamburg in the semis, and took down Donetsk the holders, Juventus, Wolfsburg, Roma, etc. along the way.

    Give this team a summer to gel under Jol and with the young talent, experienced core of Hangeland/Hughes/Schwarzer/Dempsey/Murphy, skill players like Dembele and Ruiz, good target forwards like Pogrebnyak, it’s certainly possible to get into the top 6. This team is better than Newcastle and, very likely, Liverpool next year if they can keep everyone and have them buy in.

    Especially if they improve their road form but that’s for another post.

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  7. Yes he’s had to prove himself in the past, but that was at clubs where competition isn’t as fierce as at a CL level club…

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  8. Pretty sure those knee surgeries had a lot to do with the lack of playing time. Maybe AC Milan wouldn’t have worked out regardless, but to say that it was a bad move that de-stabilized his career, without even mentioning the knee injuries, is just insane.

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  9. First off, Torres, when not injured, was still a great player and at least twice as good as Dempsey ever will be when he was sold to Chelsea. It’s changed since then, but his transfer fee was obviously not based on his form at Chelsea, since that’s not possible. And second, Dempsey would be worth about 30 million pounds if he was English…

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  10. Yeah dude, are you saying Dempsey would start ahead of Van Der Vaart? More likely he’d be Van Der Vaart’s sub, since he rarely plays the full 90…

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  11. No way Fulham sell him for 10 million. The arses are so cheap. They’ll never get him, but some other smarter club might

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  12. I’m sure his ability to walk on air doesn’t hurt his value either.

    I’d like to see him go to a bigger club, but not Arsenal. I’d prefer he left England altogether. I’d love to see him get a crack in Italy or Spain.

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  13. I think Wilshere and Ramsey are more like true Midfielders, while Song is somewhat more of a DM that likes to join the attack often. In Wenger’s 4-3-3/4-5-1 this puts the three of them at the holding role, and not competing with Duece for minutes. Theo prob has the right side locked up unless Oxlade-Chamberlain can match him for pace and become more consistent (unlikely). So, assuming RVP has locked down the striker role–Duece would be fighting Gervinho and O-C for a spot on the left, and Arteta and Rosicky for the AM role. Podolski would be pretty good competition though I’m not sure how he fits.

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  14. 10 million.. what a bloody steal… you would think Dempsey would be offended, but no he is a worker. that gets.sh*t.done

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  15. I’d require a lengthy set of months of playing and being healthy from Holden (an “O’Brien Period”) before I transfer him in. He has been shut down for the year, appeared in one game this season, before that it was like March 2011, the deJong injury before that….

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  16. “Right now, I’m thinking about Europe and playing in Champions League, and at least experiencing that in my career, being in Champions League,” Dempsey told FOX Soccer a year ago. “That’s a goal. That’s every player’s goal. Every player wants to win trophies and play at the highest level possible.”

    Well, almost every soccer player…

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  17. based on the rumors going around, i think Schalke, Arsenal and Valencia should be the only teams in consideration. Malaga, Sevilla, and Roma i would pass on.

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  18. Can’t see Adebayor on the club next year due to his wages, and think they’ll go for a striker over an attacking midfielder like Deuce.
    Would rather see him land anyplace other than arsenal.

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  19. I think the Newcastle idea is intriguing. I know there’s no evidence substantiating it but he’d be a great addition to them should they crack the top 4 come season’s end.

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  20. Gooch was a player on the rise whose early career moves were applauded right up until he started grabbing further upward for Newcastle and ACM and his career’s not been the same since, though it’s stabilized in Portugal.

    I also see the Ba-Cisse transition at Newcastle as illustrative, you don’t even have to be playing badly to be replaced. He has repeatedly risen back to the top at Fulham but I’m not sure it’s so easy if you move upwards and, say, start fighting Rooney or van Persie or the like for time.

    As a Fulham fan I’m probably biased but with an improving team around him I’d argue this is his sweet spot in terms of playing time and ability to produce, from which the USA is benefitting.

    I also think the argument that he needs out to get Europe is historically false, how quickly people forget…

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  21. Spot on. Exactly. Takes about a month for the new managers to understand how important he is to the team. Only one who ever had confidence in Deuce from the start was Cookie..the guy who brought him to the Cottage.

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  22. I just want to start by saying, Clint Dempsey is the man. To me, he emodies everything I want American soccer to be.

    Also, I agree with MemphisRogues, Deuce will have to battle hard to get PT at Arsenal. But that will be the case at any club that is playing UCL football next season.

    But battling hard is nothing new for Deuce. He’s had to prove himself to every new manager that has come through Fulham’s revolving door. And I don’t think any of us doubt that, regardless of where he plays next season, Dempsey will find his way onto the pitch.

    For anyone who’s interested, this past Monday I wrote a piece on Dempsey’s possible destinations entitled, “Clint Dempsey, An American Badass Who’s Handling Life Up On His Own.” If you click the link under my name and scroll down the page a bit, you can check it out. Thanks.

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  23. Yawn. I thought the article was weak, Ives. Just being honest. Nothing new that hasn’t been written before either here or elsewhere. I was hoping for some new insight, an exclusive interview, something. Anyway, he’ll definitely jet. I don’t think Chelsea is a reach. Deuce has met every challenge he ever faced. He’s earned his spot in college, at the MLS combine, with the Revs and with ever single coach at Fulham. No reason to think he’s be a bench player at a top 4 team. I think that’s naive. He makes himself indispensable.

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  24. I agree with you, if he moves it will break my heart as a Fulham fan and UMNT supporter, and it would be worse to have to root against him because he lands w/ another EPL team.

    I’m wondering too what Fulham would do, obviously you can’t replace 22 goals, but they do have young talent.

    If they have true Europa or Champions League ambitions they’ll be wise to hang on to him. They’re expanding the Cottage by 5,000 seats and adding suites which means extra revenue to pay higher wage bills. We’ll see.

    Also if he goes, Fulham has always had an American play a major role, would they bring in a Holden if Bolton drops? Or maybe a young American looking to jump over like Shea?

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  25. I agree that moving comes with risk of losing playing time. But Dempsey has been through several regime changes at Fulham that saw him relegated to the bench, and he always forced his way back into the line up. So long as he doesn’t over-step his potential (i.e. moving to Chelsea) I think a move to a stronger team could be very beneficial to him.

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  26. When Jack Wilshere comes back from injury for Arsenal, the Gunners will have a packed midfield. Rosicky is back in form. Arteta and Song have played outstanding this season. On the wings Oxford-Chamberlain has proved his worth and Walcott has become more consistent. And then there’s Ramsey, Gervinho, plus the possibility of Podolski. Dempsey will be in a dogfight for playing time. I think he can get minutes, but he will have to fight for them like never before.

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  27. agreed, he certainly hasn’t showed any signs of age, in fact quite the opposite. he has been sharper and more crisp each year, and he is obviously at his peak. i think he will remain at this level for another 3-4 years barring any injuries, which he has avoided quite well

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  28. I wouldn’t like to see him at Hotspur because their midfield is incredibly deep. You want him to compete with Rafael Van Der Vaart for the starting AM position? Not likely that he’d play as often as we’d want. I want him to go to a club where he’ll make an immediate impact.

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  29. My favorite tidbit from the article isn’t on Dempsey but Tim Ream. I love hearing that Bolton are playing him as a defensive midfielder, I think that is his true position, maximizing his talent at both defending and distribution, and minimizing his occasional blunders in the backline.

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  30. Dude has got “mad hops” in that photo. Next time you interview him Ives ask him what his vertical is.

    I don’t care where he ends up as long as he becomes the most expensive US player ever and the most highly compensated by a good margin.

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  31. ——-Adebayor ——–

    ——–Dempsey——-
    Bale ————-Lennon
    —–Modric—Parker—-

    BAE-Kaboul-Gallas-Walker

    ——–Friedel———-

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  32. Dempsey’s game is not really suited as much for the Italian game – not that I think he couldn’t succeed, just that i don’t think it’s the best course of action.

    Additionally, if Dempsey is going to leave he’ll do so for Champions League football, so why would he go to Roma, who are 6th in a league that gets 3 CL spots?

    I think Arsenal would be a fantastic place for him. I think he could start on the wing opposite Walcott right now, and even if/when Podolski comes over the summer, I think Dempsey is faster, tougher, and better with the ball at his feet. Competition will only make him better.

    There’s only one team in London, and Duece looks good in red!

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  33. I will be surprised if Dempsey ends up moving to Arsenal. I would really love to see him as a feature player for a CL squad in Germany or Italy.

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  34. As a Gunners and USMNT fan, it would be a dream to see Dempsey at Arsenal. That said, will Wenger really spend that kind of money on a 29 year old?

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  35. I would put Arsenal at the head of the pack for his services, although I wouldn’t count out Newcastle if they’re able to make it to the Champions League. Or he could stay put at Fulham…why make a change to something that’s working so well?

    It’s nice to see American strikers scoring goals. It has been awhile since fans have had the opportunity to see this. Deuce and Herculez Gomez give me hope that the US will have the quality to play an attacking style going into World Cup qualifying.

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  36. the confidence fulham managers have shown in him? he has fought for a starting spot virtually every year, not including this year.

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  37. As a Fulham fan I want him to stay w/ the club, get a nice contract, and see Fulham get a bit more ambitious to make a run for a spot in the UCL.

    As a USMNT fan (and overall Dempsey obsessor) I think it could be a good move for him as well as interest in the sport on the US. I don’t think he’d be a certain bench warmer either (or if he is, not very long). He doesn’t look like a player who should be “getting on up there” in years.

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  38. As a Fulham supporter, I can’t stand the idea of him playing for another EPL side; and, I think there is risk for him moving to a bigger, deep EPL club where his place is not guaranteed. All it takes is a dip in form and he may not have the vote of confidence Fulham managers have shown in the past three years–he could end up on the bench.

    I’m biased, but I’d rather he stay at Fulham or move to another league’s “big club”, like a Roma perhaps. I think he could do very well in Italy.

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