The inevitiable end to Clint Dempsey's Fulham career is starting to get ugly.
According to reports from England, the club has fined Dempsey an undisclosed amount for refusing to play in Saturday's season opener against Norwich City. This comes hours after Fulham manager Martin Jol claimed that he was leaving Dempsey out of his squad for the match because he had not trained with the club's first team for the last four weeks.
Jol has come to terms with the fact that Dempsey wants out of Craven Cottage, confirming that the club will sell him if the right offer comes forward and saying that Dempsey is not committed to the club anymore and wishes to go elsewhere. He refuses to let Dempsey, the club's leading scorer with 23 goals in all competitions last season, depart at a discounted rate, though. Liverpool was thought to be Dempsey's most serious suitor, but according to Jol, the Reds never made an offer.
"There was never an offer," Jol said Friday. "Clint himself told everyone he was going to Liverpool before he came back, so we really thought there was quite a firm interest in him. Even (Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers) told everyone he was interested in Clint Dempsey, but our people never had an offer on the table, so it's almost embarrassing. If you have shown interest in a player, especially in England, you have to follow it up with an offer. They didn't.
"Maybe Liverpool will come back. I can assure you that our chairman is strong enough. At first we didn't want to get rid of him, later on we had to change our position. But our view is that we won't let Clint Dempsey go on the cheap, that's for sure."
The 29-year-old Dempsey, who has been with Fulham since transferring from the New England Revolution in 2006, has been a fan favorite with the Cottagers and has improved every season he has been with the club. He has scored some of the most important goals in club history — including the goal against Liverpool in 2007 to keep Fulham in the top flight, and his game-winning chip against Juventus in the 2010 Europa League Round of 16 — but he sees this as perhaps his final opportunity to make a move to a club where he can achieve the goal of playing in the UEFA Champions League while still at the top of his game.
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What do you think of this latest development involving Dempsey and Fulham?
Share your thoughts below.
30 is kinda like a magic number for players traditional decline. A season in turmoil isn’t a great way to approach the game to try and exceed what you had done previously either. It kinda feels like now or never.
Dempsey isn’t doing himself any favors by refusing to play. It doesn’t appear a move will go through at this point. His best bet is to play like he did last season and hope for a winter transfer. If it doesn’t happen then someone will get him on a free next season. He needs to realize Fulham are the ones at risk, not him.
I kind of agree, although Liverpool played without arguably their best player in Suarez for 8 games last season (Gerrard isn’t the player he used to be). I think Liverpool could have been a few places higher with the talent they have.
*correction: “I have no sympathy…”
To use your line: I have sympathy…for a club that has been aware for a calendar year of the situation and made zero effort to resolve the matter.
This could have been avoided. This shouldn’t come as a shock to a professional club and this situation has hurt Fulham, as much as it’s hurt Dempsey.
They’re now reacting when they could have been proactive. That’s a fact.
To follow you off topic, it doesn’t even seem like Landon really like playing soccer anymore. The whole “I could retire at the end of the year” following “lacking passion” comments make me doubt that he wants to even play at LA, and hey, I don’t blame him, its a grind, but he is clearly winding down at this point.
I think you are naive to think Dempsey has much if any goodwill left with the Fulham fans. I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes if he is forced to stay at Fulham. My guess is he would prefer road games.
See, by your own admission you are believing that there are other things going on, and that is fine, but it doesn’t reflect what we know. The fact is that Fulham couldn’t fine Dempsey if they were the ones who were benching him. The fact, not the opinion, that they are fining him means that he is the one resisting the field, not them.
Off topic, but Landon is a fool to not want to play in England.
You realize Danny Murphy has about 7 years on Dempsey, right?
If you’re closing the book on comparing careers and ignoring national team duties, you’d be half as foolish as your comment.
You shouldn’t be. He asked to leave months ago and now just because the season is starting he is supposed to pretend he wants to stay?
+1
It is amazing to me how many people forget that Jol said very loudly earlier in the summer that Dempsey absolutely, positively was not for sale.
Now Jol is acting all shocked that nobody has made an offer, and people are buying his $h!* like it is the unvarnished truth.
I can’t imagine why anyone would want to play for any club that Jol is managing now or in the future. The man is a walking catastrophe.
Had no clue. Thank you for educating us.
I thought he was Brazilian.
Dempsey is well within his rights to negotiate as he sees fit, too.
While his options are limited, they’re not non-existent. Hence, his current actions that he stated well over a year ago.
Was there not just a press report that Dempsey was not allowed to join the club on their tour and forced to train with the reserves?
While I respect your lack of sympathy, I couldn’t care less. This is the way things work. This isn’t new, this isn’t going to change and this isn’t on Clint.
Fulham missed the boat to sell a:
-29 year old
-Entering the last year of his contract
-Coming off the biggest season of his career
If Fulham want to see him walk for free, rather than strike while the irons hot…that looks pretty foolish.
For those that believe Liverpool didn’t make an offer based on Jol’s comments: I have my doubts.
I believe they just didn’t get the offer they wanted and likely had unrealistic expectations on what they could fetch.
You are missing our point… that’s great if his agent is close to signing, and that’s great that he wants to move up, but in the meantime he needs to respect himself, his club, and his fans.
Uhm, pretty much every DP who came to MLS saw out their contract and then came here on a free. Just saying…
Why would Liverpool want to shell out 7-14 million for him this season when they’ve already put their name in his head and they can wait until next June and sign him for NOTHING but a salary and sign on bonus?
+1. this is bit too primadonna for my liking.
There is no way Liverpool’s cracking the top four this year. Man U and Man City, Chelsea’s big new spending, Spurs and Arsenal fighting for fourth, heck, Newcastle looks like they are slotting in for fifth. Liverpool are probably in a four way fight for that fourth spot and I don’t think they’re gonna get it.
“I do agree that forcing the team’s hand like this is uncool, Fulham has done right by him for years, pushed him onto his present trajectory, and gotten him as far as a Europa final.”
…and Clint hasn’t “done right by Fulham”??
They avoided relegation, finished mid-table often and now have a player they could turn a profit on. Explain to me again how Clint hasn’t provided the same type of “trajectory” for the club?
You guys act like it is Clint making all these decisions. This is in the hands of his agent, and the agent is telling him not to play because they are close to a deal with another club. Come on now. Think about it.
And to those who are saying that Dempsey should man up, that is just silly. He has been nothing but a professional for this club for many years. He is trying to move to a bigger club, just like every other soccer player in the history of the game…..well, except for Donovan!
Does signing a contract not mean anything? Man up, Deuce. Fulham invested in your career. They are entitled to accept a fair value for the best player on the squad.
Liverpool was 8th!!!!!!
Fulham was 9th!!!!!
I realize the conventional wisdom is the Reds are the CL-level team and Fulham the plucky underdog, but as of last season it’s a one-table-spot move that doesn’t put him much close to the CL, to a somewhat troubled team. It’s like people have forgotten the whole Carroll/ Dalglish/ etc. saga.
Even if Rodgers bumps them up the table a couple spots, you don’t get to 3-4 all you get is Europa and he had that at Fulham under Hodgson. If he is truly upward, CL-minded, I think he needs to look broader across Europe and it might not be something you could force by August 31-ish.
You guys do realize Van Persie is Dutch, right?
Totally 100% agree. Dempsey already showed, months ago, he wasn’t interested in returning to Fulham by not signing an extension. The game is played by the teams in the transfer market. This is Fulham’s best and almost last chance to get anything in the transfer market for Dempsey (they would get next to nothing in January window). They (Fulham) are playing other clubs desire to have Dempsey on their squad against the possibility of getting zero for him in a year.
Dempsey is now in the untenable position of having to play for a club he has publically stated he no longer wishes to play for. I am always amazed how quickly folks jump on ownerships side in this game.
Fulham is well within their rights to do so, no? If they think it is worth more to them to have Dempsey play out his contract and leave for free, he cannot do much about it. It would be one thing if Jol was deliberately sitting him, but the fact that they are fining him means that Dempsey is refusing to join the team, which decreases my sympathy for him.
Danny Murphy was a much better pick than Dempsey for captain, I’m sorry. He has had a fair more established career than Dempsey will ever have…
How it worked was when Man City started becoming a more distant second, Mancini backed off on his hardball approach to Tevez and Balotelli, and voila, we all know how that ended.
I do agree that forcing the team’s hand like this is uncool, Fulham has done right by him for years, pushed him onto his present trajectory, and gotten him as far as a Europa final.
Given Liverpool’s run of late, I don’t know if I’d pencil them into the CL anytime soon. I think he’d play for the reds but he needs to go higher up the food chain to truly ensure his goal — and those teams have plenty of other similar players who will want the same PT — which is why they are as good as they are.
I agree with this, and I think it is the difference between Dempsey and some of the other situations people are bandying about. Nasri and other continued to play and were not fined by their clubs. I have no problem with Dempsey demanding a transfer, but if he refuses to play, then he is getting what he deserves. Now, this might not be the entire story, but it is all we have.
Are you aware of how sports work? Since when does any player honor his contract and then leave for free? It’s extremely rare, especially a bigger name, to see out their current contract, and it’s also stupid for the club to not sell them when they can…
Can we stop putting Liverpool and Champions League in the same sentence? That ain’t gonna happen with two Manchester and three London teams much better than them. Oh yeah, New Castle too.
Ha, I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say any club would want him. If that were true, I think someone would have bought him by now. I can safely say City, United, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Tottenham were not linked with him. Why do you think he has to settle for Liverpool? I’m not bashing Dempsey, but I think you’re overestimating him…
That would result in relegation, which is where they may be headed this season without him.
“People act like this never happens.”
…exactly. Are people really this naive?
To “demand” suggests some action if the demand isn’t met. So is Clint threatening to sit out and not get paid? I hope he is simply requesting a transfer.
Why should he be captain? Because he scores? He isn’t acting like a leader. I’ve been a fan of Clint since I first saw him play in MLS as a rookie, but I’m disappointed in him right now.
Maybe you shouldn’t assume this is entirely Clint. I think it’s naive for any of us to think we know exactly what’s going on, no matter what Jol says.
I have to agree that Dempsey has to man up. He has a contract. Acting like a brat won’t help. If a move doesn’t pan out, Dempsey may find himself fighting to get off the bench,
Agree that if you are signed to a contract, you are ethically required to play. Even if no offer is made, he is a professional and needs to keep playing. He’s made it clear he wants out, but in the meantime he needs to maintain a certain respect for his current club. It’s just like any employee transferring jobs.
People act like this never happens. It’s really in both parties interest to move him before the season starts. An injured Clint would hurt both parties, a Dempsey who plays out his contract leaves Fulhan wanting. It seems Fulham has only 1 card and they probably realize this.
It’s all business
Even if a player is bought, the contract itself is never meaningless-the salary is still guaranteed (unlike in the NFL which is why I’m fine with holdouts there), and, in most cases if playing time is the issue because of a new arrival, the club lets the player walk. And if they walk, their contract is still intact (or even newer and shinier!).
You can disagree, it is your right.
It is also Dempsey’s right to call out from work, especially when Jol said he wouldn’t use Dempsey anyway. Furthermore FFC are being quite punitive in regards to Dempsey because he will not sign a long term deal.
That’s like you looking for a new job, your boss finds out and says you don’t have a future at your current job, you don’t show because of his pronouncement and all the while he slams you in the press and then fines you for not showing.
I guess you would get on your “High Horse” and go to work anyway and twiddle your thumbs.
That sir is what this whole thing is about.
+1
But I’d argue that is a functin of how the league works. Contracts are meaningless when a club can simply knock on the door and buy the player.
As much as the Yankees and Cowboys might want to buy every decent player in their sport, they either have to wait for their contracts to expire or make a swap.
Holdouts and “forced” trades (Dwight Howard) happen here too, but not at the rate that happens in the European system.
Really? We want Dempsey to be the moral equivalent to Samri Nasri? Or a guy who has 4(3?) years left on his contract but wants out?
It is 100% within Fulham’s rights to either a) hold off until January if they think a better deal would happen then or b) decide that his goals this year plus Liverpool not having those plus the signal to fans is worth more than letting him go for nothing.
If it is true that only Liverpool are making offers, maybe Clint should realize that he isn’t going to the Champions League if he’s sold because he’s too old and costs too much and to the people in the know might not be good enough, but if he plays out this season, he a) can maintain his goodwill with the Fulham fans (and become a statued-legend) AND b), more importantly, have a much larger amount of clubs pining for his services since he’s free. Arsenal might not shell out 8 mil for a guy who’s 29/30, but for free, heck yea.
“I’m just saying…I think if Dempsey were, say, English or Dutch, this would have been a done deal weeks ago.”
If Dempsey were English or Dutch, etc…no one would be saying he’s being “unprofessional”. That’s the hilarity in this.
Have you not read or heard anything Clint has said in the last year? He has been saying he wants to play Champions League football and has refused to sign an extension with Fulham.
There have been inquiries about him as the article states, by Liverpool and probably others, but Fulham had warned off other clubs that he was not for sale. Now that Fulham has come to terms that he won’t sign an extension, they are willing to sell. Clint will be playing on a new team within the next 2 weeks. Fulham will take the best offer they can get.
I had the same feeling when I read the comments. Jol definitely hung him out to dry with some of those remarks, and it seemed almost like too forcefull of an attack. However, playing the other side to be fair, if this is true, not good. He had a chance to get what he wanted AND leave Fulham as a fan favorite. Now he comes off as just another spoiled player
I don’t think it’s unprofessional for Dempsey to demand a transfer. American athletes can–and do–demand trades, and European players ask for transfers all the time. RVP basically demanded a transfer from Arsenal this summer and you didn’t see Arsene Wenger throwing a public tantrum like Martin Jol currently is.
Thing is, though…Jol and Fulham need to realize that Clint probably would only fetch a discounted rate on the transfer market simply because he’s American. Being an American soccer player in Europe is a little like being a Volkswagen in a lot full of BMWs, Audis, and Mercedes. You’re capable and reliable, but you don’t sparkle as prettily as your competitors.
I’m just saying…I think if Dempsey were, say, English or Dutch, this would have been a done deal weeks ago.