Clint Dempsey has apparently rejected a contract extension at Fulham and could be heading to Everton in the summer transfer window.
Dempsey signed a two-year contract extension in the middle of our ultimately successful fight against the drop in 2007-08 which takes him up to June 2010. The Sun reports that Fulham have been unable to agree terms with the American midfielder on a new deal and that makes Everton’s rumoured £4m offer very tempting.
For the player’s part, Everton would be offering him significantly more money in wages – making the move very appealing. Whilst it is easy to dismiss this as paper talk (and you do have to wonder how the Sun has managed to get such detail on Everton’s contract offer), I think there might be something in this. Dempsey has made no secret of the fact that here’s ambitious and the line that he wanted to ‘be at a big club and winning things’ was particularly galling late in last season when the Whites were completing their most successful league campaign.
If the contract situation is as the paper states, then Fulham would have to be careful in turning their nose up at an offer such as this. Dempsey’s not irreplaceable, even if losing him after he starred for the States would be incredibly disappointing.
Dempsey plays the same sort of role as Tim Cahill – I would be happy with a straight swap!
What I don’t understand about this story is that he goes completely against the grain of Clint’s thoughts last weekend before the Confederations Cup final. Then he was saying how happy he was at Fulham and that he had a lot to thank Roy, Ray (Lewington) and Mike (Kelly) for because they’d made him into a much better footballer.
One might want to consider the source of this story, I can’t take it too seriously at this point.
i love clint! i really don’t want him to leave. but if we get a player like him but better from the deal then ok. But he will be really missed!
I don’t necessarily think it’s true either, mainly for the reasons Smithy and Nick have outlined above. Also, he’s probably on holiday now and I doubt we’d be entering into contract negotiations in the middle of the summer.
I wouldn’t want to lose Clint either but if he does go I’d back Roy to bring in a good/better replacement.