Should I stay or should I go?
Not only is that an awesome Clash song, it’s also a major question facing American soccer star Clint Dempsey.
It’s a question he appears to have answered but should rethink.
At 29 years old — entering the last year of his contract — Dempsey feels this is his last chance to play for a world-class club. He made it clear early in the summer he wanted to leave his English Premier League side, Fulham, for an opportunity to play Champion’s League football — something Fulham just can’t offer him.
In the 20-team league, only four sides qualify for Champion’s League play. Fulham finished ninth last year, 17 points away from the coveted fourth place. Over the past five years, the club managed to finish as high as seventh, but also managed to finish as low as 17th.
Unfortunately for Fulham, who has built a respectable team capable of defeating anyone on a good day, money drives the EPL even more than it drives baseball in America.
“Moneyball” and the Oakland Athletics made for a great story. Know how it ended?
The A’s made the playoffs five out of seven years, but never advanced to a World Series. Then they receded back into mediocrity after the rest of the league caught up with general manager Billy Beane’s tactics.
In the same way you know the New York Yankees are always going to make the playoffs, it would be inconceivable to bet on anyone other than Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City or Arsenal to win this year.
It’s possible another team could sneak into fourth place.
But as a player, if Champion’s League is your goal, playing for one of the aforementioned sides is crucial.
And that’s precisely why Dempsey’s desire to leave Fulham doesn’t make sense. The teams seriously going after him don’t measure up. Dempsey should not transfer this year.
But let’s get one thing clear: I don’t think it’s because he’s not good enough.
Dempsey has long been one of my favorite players. He’s got a swagger about him that is sorely lacking among other U.S. players.
In a 2009 Confederations Cup match against Brazil, the U.S. looked lost. Brazil dominated our national team in every facet of the game.
Late in the second half, Brazil went up 3-0 and began to joga bonito — which means to play beautifully in Portuguese.
In English, it means to show off.
Brazil’s players juggled the ball, attempted multiple step-over maneuvers, flip-flaps, elasticos and many other flashy tricks with weird names.
Deflated, embarrassed and defeated, most U.S. players stopped trying at this point. But not Dempsey.
Dempsey demanded the ball, and, when he got it, refused to pass. He did some moves of his own, putting the ball through one Brazilian’s legs, attempted a Rabona and drew a free kick by dribbling right at and around a defender.
On a night when most Americans were thoroughly outclassed and humiliated, Dempsey’s game made a statement: I can play with anyone.
It was a statement he backed up with last season’s Premier League campaign. The Football Writers’ Association voted Dempsey the league’s fourth best player after he tallied 23 goals across all competitions.
His 17 league goals put him in fourth place on the goal-scoring charts behind names like Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie.
What makes Dempsey’s achievement even more impressive is the fact that he scored those goals on a mid-table team, played midfield — not striker — and doesn’t take penalty kicks.
On the other hand, Rooney and Van Persie led Manchester United and Arsenal’s front lines while also serving as their team’s respective main penalty kick taker.
Dempsey has earned every bit of the arrogance he plays with, but in this case the swagger is misplaced.
That’s because the only team chasing Dempsey’s services is Liverpool, a club with a
mammoth amount of history and prestige — but also a team going through a rebuilding process.
Another team, Sunderland, has recently joined the sweepstakes, but that move would represent a lateral step at best.
Dempsey’s heart seems to lie with Liverpool. But the Reds haven’t reached the Champion’s League since 2008-09 and finished only one spot above Fulham last year. Since then, the club has hired a new manager and started the season with one loss and one draw.
No matter what happens with Dempsey, Liverpool will finish higher in the table than Fulham. But there’s no way in hell it will qualify for the Champion’s League.
Liverpool might be a aecognizable name, but Dempsey can do better. In fact, he can do better by staying right where he is.
Yes, after this season he’ll be a year older, but he’ll also be out of his contract. That means any top team could secure his talents without paying the $12.5 million Fulham is demanding for him. With the price tag ripped off, Dempsey could easily find himself suiting up for Arsenal or Manchester United on the biggest stage.
Unless something crazy happens before the transfer window closes Friday, Dempsey should reconcile his differences with Fulham — he hasn’t played in the team’s first two games — and go joga bonito.