Clint Dempsey going back to the MLS

[fulhamben]

Barry is correct in that line of thinking. I dont think that an american player who has played previously in the MLS can just go to any club he wishes, some team has rights to the contract, its a bit odd but thats the way it works. Hes a great player and we could use his goals. If both sides were to say "we were wrong" I think it would go a long way to fix things. The dissenters would be hard on him at first, but if he had another campaign here like the one he did before he left, I seriously have doubts that the majority of the supporters would slag him off.

what has the wrong or right of it got to do with anything. dempsey decided he didnt want to play fulham end of. he made it worse by saying he wanted champs league football which he never got.

[MasterHaynes]

The only winner in this whole saga is Clint's agent who has banked large fees for both transfers for a player whose fee earning potential for him was fast approaching a time when it would rapidly decline. I'm sure he engineered and set up the whole Liverpool scenario to generate a last fee which effectively has brought a premature end to Clints premier career.  I hope Clint reflects on that sooner rather than later and that he did not see through the siren voice of his agent.

[Ordar]

Just another case of players thinking the grass is greener elsewhere, and being proved wrong.

I hope he tried to mend the ties with Fulham before he goes. Was a big player for us. Fulham tends to look after its old players

[Jack Fulham]

Odd move, thought he wanted to finish his career in europe.

[SaltfordWhite]

Has anybody actually got any sort of confirmation that this is happening?

[ScalleysDad]

The BBC are giving the story air time now so it has probably moved on a bit. Personally I can't wait for the book. Jol has a story, the Club has a version but Clint is the only one who actually knows. I wonder if the relevant chapter will be headed 'How to completely balls up something really good'

[Azeedo]

If he does goes to Seattle, it will prove what a lot of us already knew; the guy is a mercenary with no other interest but  money and fame.     

[God The Mechanic]

If he does goes to Seattle, it will prove what a lot of us already knew; the guy is a mercenary with no other interest but  money and fame.     

Or he wants to go home and get more game time than he would have got at Spurs with a likely influx of new, younger players?

[mccscratch]

I am sure by now that you all understand that the whole thing was a big twitter joke... Clint is not going anywhere from Spurs...

If he goes to Everton, I would not be stunned but we always fall into the "oh they bought this and that so all the old players are surplus to the requirements" trap...

Everyone said Dempsey would never get a game over Siggurdson before last season but he played far more often than the Icelandic star... everyone said Holtby would replace Clint... he did for about a week... then Clint was back in the starting 11...

If Clint was serious about moving... my hopes would be that it would be back to Fulham... he would fill an immediate need and allow Ruiz to try and fit in somewhere else... he scores goals and goals are what we need.

I would like to humbly eat these words....mmmmmmm delicious...

I have lost all faith in footballers... not sure why I ever had it...

Jessie J - Price Tag ft. B.o.B.

[Bassey the warrior]

I wonder what on earth possessed him? He's still in his prime and could compete at the top level.

[Southcoastffc]

What a huge shame if he does move back to the USA.  He always worked hard for us, (remember when he was effectively our only striker?), his move away from us to a 'larger' club was IMO inevitable - pity for him it was to Spurs who seem to get through huge numbers of players.   He served us well and I'd take him back tomorrow (obv not going to happen.)   Good luck to him and thanks Clint for some superb memories and performances.

[jarv]

There is no loyalty in football today, in either direction.
So Dempsey fell out with his employer. I suspect it has happened to everyone who posts on here.

One thing is for sure, he will always be remembered for his goal against Juventus.

[Southcoastffc]

There is no loyalty in football today, in either direction.
So Dempsey fell out with his employer. I suspect it has happened to everyone who posts on here.

One thing is for sure, he will always be remembered for his goal against Juventus.

and, especially, for his goal v Liverpool under Sanchez.

[Forever Fulham]

Northwest Washington State is drop dead gorgeous.  My sister moved to La Conner recently.  Skagit Bay.  So beautiful.  Seattle is one of the most interesting cities in the world.  An easy drive to Vancouver, a world class city.  He likes to fish?  Oh, yeah.  And they are paying him a huge salary guaranteed for four years...  To play for one of the two most crazy, exciting, fan bases in the country.  It's like a religious experience in that stadium.  Those people are on a whole other level of passionate about their team.  Can't think of a better word for it, so "passionate" will have to do.  Don't cry for Clint.  If the news reports are true, he just won the golden ticket.  And for those of you who revel in him now moving to a lesser league, history is not on your side.  Canada owned hockey, invented the game, and won most of the Stanley Cup championship trophies in the early years.  Until franchises started popping up in seemingly insane places in  America.  Like San Jose, Anaheim, and Florida.  (Florida!)  Where it never freezes.  Funny, but I can't remember the last time a Canadian-based team won the championship.  The level of play in the MLS is going to continue to accelerate.  Seattle's manager is superior to Jol.  And Villas Boas?  Who knows?  He's an odd one.  If there's major disruption in that lineup, Spurs table position might drop like a rock.

[BarryP]

Has anybody actually got any sort of confirmation that this is happening?

If CNNSI is reporting it then in my book it is a done deal.

Clint Dempsey, the U.S. national team captain who has spent the past several seasons scoring regularly in England, is on his way to the Seattle Sounders. The stunning transfer immediately will become one of the most significant transactions in Major League Soccer history when it is announced on Saturday.

SI.com has confirmed the move, which first was reported by ESPN on Friday evening.

Dempsey, 30, was rumored to be on the way out at Tottenham Hotspur following a 2012-13 season in which he failed to make a consistent impact under coach André Villas-Boas. But no one expected a return to MLS, especially for an athlete in his prime who'd been so vocal about his desire to play for an elite club competing for a berth in the UEFA Champions League.

Hints began to surface on Thursday, when Fox Soccer analyst Keith Costigan revealed on Twitter that the Sounders were "interested" in Dempsey. Later that day, the player was photographed at the airport in San Francisco. Tottenham, which is preparing for the 2013-14 English Premier League season, is scheduled to play an exhibition in Monaco on Saturday.

Following ESPN's report, SI.com learned from a source with direct knowledge of the Sounders' plans that Dempsey will be in attendance at the club's MLS match against FC Dallas on Saturday night. He is expected to be formally presented to the media on Monday. The Texan had two seasons left on his contract with Tottenham, which reportedly paid around $10 million to acquire him from London rival Fulham last summer.

Friday reports out of Seattle suggested that the Sounders paid some $9 million for Dempsey's rights. NBC claimed that he will be making an additional $32 million over the course of a four-year deal, which would represent the largest annual salary in MLS history. David Beckham made $6.5 million per season during his first five years with the L.A. Galaxy. Later Friday, The Washington Post reported that Dempsey will make a base annual salary of $4 million. The reason for the discrepancy was unclear.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/20130802/clint-dempsey-transfer-mls-seattle-sounders-tottenham-hotspur/#ixzz2audIEVmG

To attract a major American star back to the MLS is a coup for Seattle and especially the MLS with TV contract negotiations coming up in 2014.

[First State]

The Spurs just tweeted an agreement has been made with the MLS. Sayonara Clint!

[kdjr100]

Sky Sports News just reported it is a done deal Dempsey to Seattle Sounders

[Forever Fulham]

To be the highest paid player in the history of the MLS.  He'll even make more, as a player, than Beckham did with his obscene deal with the L.A. Galaxy.  Of course, Beckham technically makes more on his deal other than as a player because he gets a piece of the Galaxy's revenues.  Still, the guaranteed payout over four years is stunning.  Here are some online articles:  http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2013/08/02/clint-dempsey-seattle-sounders-transfer-latest-news-rumors-tottenham-spurs-usmnt-usa/