The Reds are so desperate to get rid of Andy Carroll that Fenway Sporting Group's cable TV network, NESN jumped the gun by announcing Clint Dempsey's signing on their website. Liverpool it read had, "added Clint Dempsey to a team that game (sic) within a game of winning the FA Cup."
Fulham completely denied the story saying Liverpool made no such offer and Clint Dempsey was not for sale. The post was later taken down.
Dempsey as per reports is desperate for Champions League experience. Welcome to Arsenal, a club he's been linked to before and which could check of that box. What do the Gunners get in return? Well, there is a reason why Brendan Rodgers would love to have him at Anfield.
One of the most improvisational players in the Premier League, a player whose impact last season for his club was nothing short of sensational. According to Opta Sports, he won Fulham 17 points with his goals and assists trailing only RVP's league leading 27 points. He is a game changer.
If the Dutchman were to leave Arsenal as its increasingly possible, then we should seriously consider bidding for Dempsey. As Gilles Grimandi put it, we pre-empted a potential RVP departure with the signings of Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud, but it takes a serious leap of faith expecting them to replicate their Koln and Montpellier performances in their Premiership debut. After RVP, we have a patchwork of goals coming from the defense and midfield but that will nowhere be near enough.
Dempsey is vital because he can play almost anywhere up front; false 9, out on the wings, even in central midfield. It's his movement off the ball that is so good, the way he squirts through for the last pass, and his perfectly timed lurking at the far post for that cross or botched clearance. He's not bad with his head either. And behind those heavy lidded eyes, is a player who fiercely wants to win. Which without belabouring the X's and Y's is an equally desirable quality in a team that sometimes comes up short in that department.
Arsenal could work out a deal that could send Ryo Miyaichi, who impressed Owen Coyle no end, on loan to Fulham plus some nice bit of cash. There are ways to do this. And raising Arsenal's profile in the US would not hurt one bit. Hey, remember all that commercial development stuff you're talking about, Mr Gazidis? Well, they buy jerseys here and watch TV too.
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