As I posted before I don't think that story is accurate. Unless they know something I don't I believe he's on £60k per week, similar to Pienaar when we bought him from Everton.
Which would be $15m over 3 years by the way. Also I'm not sure if this is the case but Levy likes to put one year extension options in shorter contracts, like ones 3 years and under.
I got a very original name for the thread. "The new Dempsey Thread"! Sounds great to me. Much less annoying then usual shit.
Than. As in, you're more uptight about title puns than everyone else. Anyone know if AVB has commented on our guy?
Congratulations to Clint on a nice move and a challenge... can't wait to see him play for Tottenhamerica!
So what are the names Clint will be competing with. I know nothing about totter ham. Also the iPad hates the name gotten ham. Is this the first time that friedel and Clint will play together?
ESPN Sports offers how Dempsey will fit in at Spurs: Whether Dempsey has lucked out in terms of where he landed is open to interpretation. Certainly Tottenham is closer to being a Champions League side than Liverpool at the moment, given that only Chelsea's march to the title last year prevented Spurs from qualifying. And Tottenham's London roots mean that Dempsey will not be forced to uproot his family. But playing time would appear to be tougher to come by at Spurs as opposed to Liverpool. Dempsey's biggest competitor for playing time will likely be Aaron Lennon, who currently occupies the right side of midfield in Andre Villas-Boas' 4-2-3-1. And while the American certainly has a greater nose for goal than Lennon, the incumbent's speed sets him apart. It's possible that Dempsey could be deployed centrally now that Rafael van der Vaart has left for Hamburg, but with Moussa Dembele and Gylfi Sigurdsson in the mix, the quest for first-team minutes will be far from easy, even if the American's history has been such that he always has found a way to break into the starting lineup. But at least now, Dempsey can now focus on maneuvering his way out of trouble on the field as opposed to off it. Obligatory cheesy picture:
I really can't see Dembele playing AM much when Sig/Demps are available...Dembele was fun to watch from the start at Fulham but he really only started thriving with the move to CM.
I agree with the ESPN reporter that he will most likely be competing with Aaron Lennon at outside midfield for minutes. Lennon has just signed a new contract. There was some suggestion during the summer transfer window that Lennon could be on his way out of Tottenham, with Andre Villas-Boas keen to put his own stamp on the squad he inherited from Harry Redknapp. The Portuguese tactician has, however, tied the 25-year-old winger down on a new deal. "We are delighted to announce that Aaron Lennon has signed a new contract until 2016," read a statement on the club's official website. "The winger joined us from Leeds in July 2005 and, at the age of 25, has already made 270 First Team appearances in our colours, scoring 25 goals."
Well I am stoked... I mean stoked that it's Spurs, or should I say spurred that it's not Stoke... or Villa, or Sunderland or some other team like that. Seriously this is just awesome, for a minute there it seemed as if the move wouldn't happen and then the news came through, and I'm really excited about seeing Dempsey in the Tottenham shirt. Ironically, Hotspurs are a special club for me, as it was White Hart Lane where I saw my first "European" football match... way back in 1998, and FA Cup 3rd round game against.... would you believe it, Fulham! Back then the Cottagers were in the 3rd tier or something like that but had just come into money and had Keegan in charge I think, and Spurs had Klinnsman and Ginola playing for them. On the way to the stadium, I met a friendly bloke who worked for the club and was delighted to see an American showing interest in his club, so before the match he showed me around inside the stadium, got to see the dressing room, etc.... so it's great to see an American (outfield) player now playing there. With that said, there was a part of me that did want to see him go to Liverpool. Although, that's more to do with the historical prestige of the club, rather than their current state.... also in terms of playing time, I thought Liverpool might offered more guarantees, seeing that Rogers had been talking up Dempsey's ability a long time ago. But wow did Liverpool really botch that one.. can't believe they let a 35 million pound player go on loan and then won't cough up an extra couple of quid on a player whose goals could lift you up the table and whose shirt sales back in his home country would've probably made the money back anyway. So I guess Liverpool got what they deserved! Anyhoo... can't wait to see Dempsey in action now. COYS!
I believe that the next time Friedel and Dempsey take the field on the same team will be the first time. Friedel's early retirement from national team duty came just before the rise of Dempsey. (I checked line-ups but not rosters, so it's possible Dempsey sat on the bench for a game in which Friedel played.)
He wasn't registered in time, so no. Best case scenario, he uses the international break and quallies to get back into game shape and comes back to start. Also, not to give anything away, but I hope Fulham are enjoying life without their best 2 players....
I think Clint would do great in a faster thinking/passing system. Some of his best moments are from being central, playing a quick one touch ball out wide, crashing the box and getting on the end of a cross. Often times at Fulham he was looking to play/move quicker than his teammates, they were holding him back. He doesn't usually linger on the ball in possession (any more - in the past he had some very bad turnovers) unless he is in lots of space and moving forward. I really want to see him in a free flowing, quick passing side, I think he would fit right in.
...and based on yesterday's Twitter activity, he's going to be boo'd everytime he touches the ball against Liverpool, Aston Villa, Sunderland, etc., etc. Lots of hate to go around, from jilted fans to fans with anti-American agendas. Here's hoping Dempsey continues to prove the naysayers wrong. C'mon Dempsey! C'mon Spurs!
I have to say that Clint looks both happy and relieved in this photo. He'll probably have to rotate more with other players until he proves himself, but his ability to get goals and play smart football will earn him plenty of playing time.