I believe Clint Dempsey has earned his move to a 'bigger' club, no disrespect at all meant to Fulham. Please read my blog for my reasoning. Please feel free to comment and I will try to update the blog daily if you are interested in this and my other posts. http://offsidevista.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/dempsey-deserves-chance-to-move-on.html
I don't think any Fulham fans would disagree, to be honest. And if a club offered us the £15m you suggest (I highly doubt they would, I think other clubs will offer us no more than £8-10m), then I think we would all wish him well. The issue comes when Arsene "I'd rather lose out on a player than acknowledge another clubs right to get a decent return" Wenger comes in with a low ball offer. Dempsey deserves the right for a chance at a big club (certainly not a right to move on to another mid-table club), but Fulham also deserve the right to get fair recompense for a quality player.
Demps would be a great to addition to the squad of a top 4 team but would he play regularly? I don't think so. He'll go to just suck the pay cheque for the last few years of his playing career. Cynical I know. I would wish him well and look forward to welcoming him again at CC if plays against us. He's been terrific for the duration of his time at CC. If we get £15m I think the board will snap the hand off the team who offers it. In reality though, he's on the last year of his contract so it will be a game of cat and mouse on the transfer fee.
It depends Craving. If more than one big team is in for Clint then it could start a bidding war. Arsene seems to have loosened his purse strings this summer with Podolski coming in, and Chelsea are spending money like confetti. Fergie will also be under pressure to wave the cash to keep up with City. I expect him to leave for around £12m which would be good business. He guarantees you at least 10 goals from the midfield so good value for the buyer also. I wouldn't begrudge him a move, it's nice to see that he hasn't pushed it either like Grant Holt. If the move doesn't come then I expect Clint to move on and get on with his football. The selfish part of me wants to see him here next season but he really has deserved an opportunity to play in the CL.
Craving, I could not disagree more. Clint Dempsey has ambition, yes, but it is and never has been about money for him. The man has more integrity in his left (and his right) big toe than .. well I won't slag off some of the 'top four' players, I'll leave at .. most. This video clip, I believe, says it all - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiHzEBCyAvk
I don't agree Craving. If he stays in England - and it's still possible he'll move abroad - then the two clubs I can see coming in for him are Arsenal and Man Utd, both of whom could use a dynamic goalscoring midfielder. If he goes to Arsenal then I don't see Wenger signing a 29 year old and not playing him, otherwise he might as well use the money on developing another teenage sensation like he has with Oxlade-Chamberlain. Don't forget he splashed £10m on Arteta last season so I can see a similar bid for Dempsey. However, I've just got a funny feeling that he may end up at Old Trafford. Again, Fergie won't spend money on a player he's not going to use given how limited United's transfer budget is likely to be compared with Man City and Chelsea. And as for him settling for sitting on the bench and picking up the pay cheque - if that's all he's interested in then he'd be off to Russia or China.
I'd say he's earned the right to see out his dream, playing for a bigger team. Ambition brought him to us - we can't then complain if it takes us away from us. I'll be sad to see him go.
To be honest, if he's going to go I want him gone sooner rather than later. The worst thing for us would to be to wake up on Aug31st with Demps and Dembele still on our books then to go to bed at 00.00 on Sept 1st with them both having cleared off.
Absolutely Bidley. What would be nice is for us to start the first game of the new season knowing what the squad is and even better that they have spent some pre-season time together. The transfer start date is 1st July and we start pre-season training on 9th. Given the Club's history over the length of time to finalise medicals, works permits and that sort of stuff, it's unlikely that the picture will be clear by the 9th. However given that the manager is in situ for the first time in a wee while, surely the the major part can be soon after.
He's been great for us in the last year but remember under Hodgson he wasn't a starter. I'd be delighted if he stayed but I think his exit would make us a better team. At the minute he affects our structure because of the position he is most effective in. Good luck to him- I think he would be better going to the Italian league.
I think it would be more harmful for DemPele to leave at the last minute than Dempsey. If Clint goes, we can all see the likely replacements - a combination of Frei and Kacaniklic. Who do we have who can replicate what Moussa brings to the team? He's the one that we would need time to replace. Back to the original point, I agree with the concensus: Clint has served us fantastically and I can't imagine that anyone would begrudge him a move to a bigger club and a new challenge.
You know what, I didn't know that - I just assumed it was open season as soon as everybody stopped playing club football. Makes sense! Ever the fountain of knowledge C58! He was a starter in the latter part of Hodgson's reign, but I can definitely see your logic. When Ronaldo left United they became more of a 'team' (not that Demps isn't a team player).
I recognise that writing style. That's my Son's new blog. He's been threatening to do one for some time. What I didn't realise that our second highest scorer only got 6. I have said on here before that I would have no issue if he did move on - good luck to him - but we really would need someone to step up to take on the goal scoring mantle or else we could find ourselves in a little bit of bother.
The Kagawa signing by ManU from Borussia Dortmund would seem to put paid to Demps moving to Old Trafford - http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/old-trafford-evolution-begins-with-purchase-of-japanese-rising-star-kagawa-7817913.html But could it signal a move the other way ? Dortmund will be in the CL and their average wage is 40% more than ours.
Firstly, I think my only issue here is that the article should say "Dempsey deserves chance to move up", rather than move on. He deserves a chance to play in the Champions League, rather than the chance to earn a lot warming the bench of a top 4 team or filling his pockets at a rival club. That said, a move to Dortmund would make tremendous sense for Clint. He'll be a first choice player at a Champions League team and earn that last pay rise. I'd have no issue with that move and I would actually be interested in following his progress. In fact, I would even accept less money from a German team than an English team trying to force a bargain.
Yes I would much rather Clint move abroad to a Champions League team and a team challenging for the league title than see him go warm the bench at the likes of Spurs or Liverpool.
