Saturday, January 11, 2014

11 January 2007 - They Don't Call Them Fulhamerica For Nothing

On 11 January 2007, Fulham announced the signing of Clint Dempsey, who later won back-to-back Player of the Season awards for the club.

Dempsey, then 23, had spent the first three seasons of his professional career with the New England Revolution, scoring 25 goals in 71 league appearances between 2004 and 2006. He had also become an important player for the United States, earning 23 caps during that period. That attracted the interest of Fulham manager Chris Coleman, who brought Dempsey in to play alongside his US teammates Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra.

Fulham paid New England a reported £2 million to sign Dempsey, making him the Premier League's most expensive American. He paid a near-immediate dividend with a goal against Liverpool that May that kept Fulham from being relegated.

In five and half seasons at Craven Cottage, he constantly improved his goal tally and was the club's top scorer in 2010-11 and 2011-12, with 13 and 23 goals, respectively, earning him Fulham's Player of the Year award for both seasons. His total tally reached 60 goals in 225 appearances, including 50 in the Premier League, a record for an American player.

In the summer of 2012, he moved to Tottenham in a £6 million deal, but stayed there for only one season before returning to MLS with the Seattle Sounders. In December 2013, he rejoined Fulham on loan from Seattle.

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