To be announced tomorrow morning. http://mlsrumors.blogspot.com/2008/01/outgoing-eddie-johnson-to-fulham-done.html
The stories should leak out overnight. The announced price will be $5mil but that includes performance incentives and other things.
Hmmm.... well its done, and I guess we will see EJ play for Fulham. Let's hope that Deuce, McBride, and others can push EJ to his full potential, and make him a work horse, because he is going to have to be at his best 24/7 over in England. I just this guy does want this, and is hungry to prove himself, all the while improving his soccer game. Would he be able if fit to play against Arsenal on Saturday, but I doubt it.
I think Dempsey should help on that. He's been a bright spot for them all yeah. Plus, they're already in a relegation battle, so there won't be any time to relax, he'll need to hit the ground running.
While I agree that MLS Rumors isnt the most reliable source its fair to say that this is VERY likely a done deal. Why, you ask? Well, it has been reported in much more reliable sources that he has left US training to go over and discuss contractual details. One: Eddie Johnson WANTS to be in Europe. Two: Fulham WANTS Eddie Three: All of the contractual details wont be a problem because he qualifies for his VISA. Four: Why not? I've heard the same thing though that his contract reaches $5mil with incentives. My guess: 99% sure that we see Eddie in the Cottage tomorrow.
http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_y...w7YF?slug=ap-fulham-johnson&prov=ap&type=lgns He has left the national team training ground, presumably to head to Fulham to finalize the deal.
Why is Fulham so crazy about Americans? Do we buy many fulham jerseys? Are they trying to recruit American owners? What's the deal there? I hope they pull it together and retain their place in the Premiership for next season. I may just have to make them my new favorite team if they ever actually play McBride, EJ, Dempsey and Bocanegra all at once.
When I lived in London, I found that a lot of American students and business people lived in West London. I however lived in Bethnal Green and West Ham (which are East). Is that the reason? Probably not. They probably just found American players a good fit for their system of football and a value for the money and continued to follow the trend. Kinda like DC United with South Americans.
Probably because we've got good, serviceable players who are available at a good price. And Mohammed al-Fayed and the board at Fulham all know this very, very well. Good luck to EJ. Hopefully, this will be a great fit for him -- and having plenty of his countrymen around the joint cannot hurt at all, not the least of which is for him having to acclimitize himself to the surroundings.
Will Fast Eddie be the first American at Fulham to Fu©hk it all up for the Americans Abroad movement? What does Eddie have along with his speed and goal scoring prowess? How about a whinny attitude, a history of coaches having to "motivate" him, a history of lame injuries "toe turf" anyone? And how far will his bling carry him in England where he's likely to be labled a tosser for carrying all that attitude around?
great news I really think this could do a world of good for EJ, his physical tools are as good as anyones with learning to put in 100 percent day in and day out he could be an exceptional player, plus Deuce and him are great friends and this should benefit both of them quite a bit.
To me this sounds like about as good a situation as EJ could have hoped for in heading over to Europe. No language barrier, several US teammates, and a club where the only real expectation (hope?) is to stay up this season. It also sounds like more money that Derby was offering. I will be rooting for him.
Depends on his results on the field. If he becomes a scoring machine for Fulham and helps to lead them into the top six in the Premiership within the next two season, he'd become a popstar back in England for his persona. If he gets the results he's been getting on the USMNT however, well that'd mean trouble for him. What I don't understand is why if Fulham has so many American players, there seems to be little effort by them to market their team in the United States. Why wouldn't they try to land tv deals for the team, try to sell Fulham jerseys, or try to get the team to go on tour in the States?
Didn't Dempsey also have "attitude problems", as well as Adu? Maybe when these guys leave MLS and really have to play for their positions they shape up. Clearly you've never heard of this guy.. [youtube]lAkSJjYA_94[/youtube]
How many games is EJ gonna play in Fake Grass?? 0 Have you noticed all the players in MLS having surgery. I think it has a lot to do with EJ's injury history. Fulham is my 3rd EPL team, I hope they get out of RELEGATION soon.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2008/01/while_were_waiting.html Not confirmation, but he already mentioned it was very likely. Don't forget Keller.