Fulham have completed the capture of American midfielder Clint Dempsey from New England Revolution for a fee of around £2m, after he successfully received a work permit.
The Home Office granted the 23 year-old dispensation despite the fact that he had failure to feature in 75% of the USA’s fixtures in 2006. Dempsey, capped 23 times by his national side, only played in nine of thirteen American matches last year – having suffered injuries in the run up to the World Cup.
The Texan scored seven goals in his first season with the Revolution, being named MLS Rookie of the Year, and followed that with ten goals and nine assists in 2005 as the Revs reached the MLS Cup final. He scored eight goals in a injury-ravaged campaign last year as New England lost their successive MLS Cup final – this time on a penalty shoot-out.
Chris Coleman, who has been tracking Dempsey since he scored against Fulham in the 2004 MLS All Star game, was delighted to finally land his man.
“It’s great news that we have already secured our second signing this early in the transfer window. I have been watching Clint for a while now and he is an aggressive, offensively minded player with a great deal of skill and aptitude. He also has a great attitude towards the game which is very important to me when I sign a player. It may take a little time for Clint to get used to the Premiership, but when he does, I have no doubt that he will have an exciting impact for Fulham.”
Dempsey himself added:
“I’m real happy that everything has been sorted out regarding the work permit and I can’t wait to get started training with the guys. It’s been an ambition of mine to come to England and play in the Premiership, so I’m excited that I’ve been given the opportunity to do that, and look forward to helping Fulham with their future campaigns.”
