Clint Dempsey is holding out on Fulham until they move him. I like it. |
The Guardian-Fulham have fined the forward Clint Dempsey for refusing to play for the club, and the manager, Martin Jol, is furious with Liverpool over their pursuit of the American.
Jol revealed on Friday that Dempsey would not be in the squad for Saturday's Premier League opener against Norwich City. Dempsey, who scored 23 goals for his club last season, has taken the stance as he seeks to secure a move to Liverpool.
Jol said that he was far from happy with the conduct of Liverpool, who he believes unsettled the player earlier this summer.
"That was very disappointing," the Fulham manager said. "There was never an offer. 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 [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."
Dempsey, 29, has made it clear he wants to move, and has been training separately from his team-mates this summer, but Jol insisted the American will not be sold cheaply.
"Maybe Liverpool will come back," Jol said. "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.
Well it might be a different kind of football, but American Clint Dempsey is doing exactly what plenty of NFL football players do almost every season; he's holding out.
It's a risky move for the 29-year-old, no doubt, but I get it and I actually like it. Usually when NFL players hold out, they just look selfish and the team almost always looks right (except in the case of the Jaguars just being brutally cheap). But in this case it's different. Dempsey is in uncharted waters for American soccer players. He is not only the best player America has to offer but he is slowly becoming an elite player in the world's best league. There is no precedent for American players dealing with major clubs like Liverpool and Roma and I think Dempsey is getting iron-fisted.
Fulham think they're hot s**t because they found a diamond in a rough by taking a chance on Dempsey, but those days are over. Dempsey has beyond exceeded expectations and now has elevated his game to a level that makes his services more valuable than Fulham can afford. He was fourth in premiership goals last year. Who was ahead of him? Sergio Aguero, Wayne Rooney, and Robin Van Persie who play for Manchester City and Manchester United respectively. Is Dempsey's roster spot at Fulham appropriate? Looking at those stats, not anymore. Fulham needs to realize that he won't budge on this hold out and they should grant him his wish, send him to Liverpool or send him to AS Roma, but send him on his merry way and take the money you'll get for him. The small investment of $4 million back in '06 will at least double with a new transfer and you've got to take this money before he leaves. Since you most likely won't get a player back in the deal, accept the money and make a move for a new player. Don't be the Orlando Magic. Don't let this get out of hand, no matter how hollow Dempsey and America's soccer trophy case is.No moves and no Dempsey will equate to a disaster season for Fulham and then he'll walk next year, leaving the team without any reparations. A move of $7 or $8 million will at least give you a chance to replace him.
Dempsey, on the other hand, needs to stand strong. Not only is he representing himself and his family in this situation, he's representing all future American stars in Europe. He is fighting for the respect of the American soccer player, something no one has successfully been able to do. Folding to the European giant cannot happen because it will once again slight the American soccer player moving forward. In the same breadth, it would be absolutely awesome for Dempsey to blaze a path to Liverpool, which one of the original guards of European soccer. Just because he's American doesn't mean he needs to negotiate, fold or play like one.
So while Clint traverses the murky waters of European soccer, he acts like the rest of us arrogant Americans. But in this case, it's far from a bad thing.
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