So, Dembele' not off to Manchester United then?

[Admin]

Just seen on Sky Sports that they've just completed the signing of a 23 year old attacking midfielder Kagawa from Dortmund, with the fee raising to 18 million. Looks very good in my opinion so no need for Dembele'?

[sipwell]

I think that Dembele himself is having second thoughts about moving to a big club this year. Chelsea bought quite a number of Belgians (Hazard, De Bruyne, Courtois, Lukaku) and it remains to be seen how many of them will play the next season (you have to take into account that these Belgian players are fairly close to one another and hence speak to one another quite often)  Lukaku has had an awful year at Chelsea, being demoted to Reserves football despite the fact that he was a regular in Anderlecht's national and European games. Dembele is a player who wants to play. He is not a kingmaker like Hazard - whom I don't like to be honest - was at Lille. He would be second or even third choice and would rot away on the bench. Why not take the most interesting offer and renew his contract with Fulham and become/remain the star there for some more years? He can always move to a "bigger club" when the time is right...

[Blingo]

He's not going anywhere. I told him not to dare move from us when I was there for the arse game.

[sunburywhite]

I agree that Dembele may not move. It has added an extra dynamic to the situation that he has said he is happy at Fulham and that Fulham are meant to be offering him a big contract.

60/40 he stays in my opinion

[Admin]

I said from the begining that if we were to lose any of the 2, it'd more thyan likely be Dempsey. I also have a sneaky feeling that we might even keep both.. Let's see

[White Noise]

Yes its difficult to see Man Utd feeling they need to spend another £10m plus fee on their midfield this summer. The Dark Side have Hazard but are not averse to spending on players they don't need - think its unlikely now. Arsenal don't really need him and Man City would be looking higher up the food chain - if they were not so blessed with midfield riches. That just leaves Spurs & Liverpool in this country and you have to ask whether they would be the sort of 'step up' that Dembele wants from his next move?

So would he move outside of England this summer? Seems unlikely from the comments he's made.

The odds definitely seem to be swinging back Fulham's way.

[Mr_Moon]

They've (Man Utd) had quite a bad injury problem this year so I'd imagine that they won't be signing more midfielders. Unless of course they sell someone. Kagawa is a fantastic player who they've snapped up at a decent price too.

[sipwell]

I said from the begining that if we were to lose any of the 2, it'd more thyan likely be Dempsey. I also have a sneaky feeling that we might even keep both.. Let's see

Do your past sneaky feelings tend to be 'spot on'?

[The Doctor]

Utd were linked with Kagawa last summer weren't they?  Seem to remember reading something about it when I was holed up in a library about this time last year

[Admin]

I said from the begining that if we were to lose any of the 2, it'd more thyan likely be Dempsey. I also have a sneaky feeling that we might even keep both.. Let's see

Do your past sneaky feelings tend to be 'spot on'?

I'm the worlds biggest moaner when it comes to Fulham, anyone who knows me knows that but I'm usually sensible when it comes to anything football. I think Dempsey will go IF the right move comes along but only IF it is the right move for him, his career and is his young familly so in my eye's, we still have 99.9% of keeping him, IF that moves doesn't come along because he's not the type of person to force it.

[Bassey the warrior]

What position does Kagawa play? I think if Dembele is to move the odds are that it will be to Spurs. Hopefully they keep Modric and sign another central midfielder. I still expect him to leave though.

[SKSW6]

What position does Kagawa play? I think if Dembele is to move the odds are that it will be to Spurs. Hopefully they keep Modric and sign another central midfielder. I still expect him to leave though.

Kagawa plays in the middle of the 3 in a 4-2-3-1. I wonder if these teams interested in Dembele are looking at him as an attacking mid or as a CM/DM.

[Bassey the warrior]

What position does Kagawa play? I think if Dembele is to move the odds are that it will be to Spurs. Hopefully they keep Modric and sign another central midfielder. I still expect him to leave though.

Kagawa plays in the middle of the 3 in a 4-2-3-1. I wonder if these teams interested in Dembele are looking at him as an attacking mid or as a CM/DM.

I would think he'd be attracting attention for playing in the position he has done under MJ. He has played best in that deeper role. So in that regard the signing doesn't really make it less likely that he will play.

[RidgeRider]

I think that Dembele himself is having second thoughts about moving to a big club this year. Chelsea bought quite a number of Belgians (Hazard, De Bruyne, Courtois, Lukaku) and it remains to be seen how many of them will play the next season (you have to take into account that these Belgian players are fairly close to one another and hence speak to one another quite often)  Lukaku has had an awful year at Chelsea, being demoted to Reserves football despite the fact that he was a regular in Anderlecht's national and European games. Dembele is a player who wants to play. He is not a kingmaker like Hazard - whom I don't like to be honest - was at Lille. He would be second or even third choice and would rot away on the bench. Why not take the most interesting offer and renew his contract with Fulham and become/remain the star there for some more years? He can always move to a "bigger club" when the time is right...

Agreed! Finally something that makes sense.  :dft012:

[RidgeRider]

I said from the begining that if we were to lose any of the 2, it'd more thyan likely be Dempsey. I also have a sneaky feeling that we might even keep both.. Let's see

Do your past sneaky feelings tend to be 'spot on'?

I'm the worlds biggest moaner when it comes to Fulham, anyone who knows me knows that but I'm usually sensible when it comes to anything football. I think Dempsey will go IF the right move comes along but only IF it is the right move for him, his career and is his young familly so in my eye's, we still have 99.9% of keeping him, IF that moves doesn't come along because he's not the type of person to force it.

I agree with EVERYTHING you wrote  :dft012: I think the bit about Dempsey is spot on. He won't move unless it makes sense. Leaving London would be tough for him so it has to be the right move.

[SouthfieldWhite]

I said from the begining that if we were to lose any of the 2, it'd more thyan likely be Dempsey. I also have a sneaky feeling that we might even keep both.. Let's see

Do your past sneaky feelings tend to be 'spot on'?

I'm the worlds biggest moaner when it comes to Fulham, anyone who knows me knows that but I'm usually sensible when it comes to anything football. I think Dempsey will go IF the right move comes along but only IF it is the right move for him, his career and is his young familly so in my eye's, we still have 99.9% of keeping him, IF that moves doesn't come along because he's not the type of person to force it.

I agree with Admin

it was only a few days ago where we had quite a few fans saying hes going lets take the money after one of the news papers said Dembele will go

Now Sky have said he might stay , its a different story

It still amazes me how people believe everything they read and hear

Theres loads of lazy journalists out there, that to keep themselves in a job, they have to second guess what a player is doing

I hate it when the transfere window is open, as you always get " my mate has it on good authourity blah blah blah"

Fulham are very secretive about the way they do business  and many inside the club wont know about a signing until it happens

We are an attractive club to alot of players and only the real greedy ones will prefere to move on

[SmithyFFC]

I would of thought that Spurs would of been Dembele's most possible destination. But that is probably dependant on Modric moving on, and with United signing Kagawa, I doubt he'll be going there.

I'm slowly starting to believe we may actually keep Dembele this summer, who knows....

[rhyspabsolom]

Theres loads of lazy journalists out there

Anglo-Spanish uberjournalist Sid Lowe made the lovely point that he's met plenty of bad journalists but never a lazy journalist.

I understand that we use 'lazy journalism' as a buzzword for poorly researched / padding pieces but it's a fair point.

[NogoodBoyo]

Is there an ignore button for the term "lazy journalism"?
Nogood "lazy postman, isit" Boyo

[b+w geezer]

Theres loads of lazy journalists out there

Anglo-Spanish uberjournalist Sid Lowe made the lovely point that he's met plenty of bad journalists but never a lazy journalist.

I understand that we use 'lazy journalism' as a buzzword for poorly researched / padding pieces but it's a fair point.

Cutting-and-pasting others with minimal adaptation and no original input certainly characterises `stories' posted on some websites, so it's fair to call that lazy, but (I agree) unfair to call the practitioners `journalists.' You'd certainly not expect them to last long at a newspaper/magazine for which readers were expected to pay.