Martin Jol Plays Down Rumors of Clint Dempsey Heading Back to Fulham

Fulham manager Martin Jol has played down rumors that Clint Dempsey could be returning to Craven Cottage on loan.

Last week, USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann said he wanted Dempsey and some of his US colleagues to play in Europe during the MLS off-season to stay match-fit in the lead-up to the World Cup next summer.

When Jol was asked about Dempsey possibly coming to Fulham, all he said was:

“It’s unbelievable speculation [regarding Dempsey], which is nice. I never talk about players, especially when they are not here.

“If you look at the left side we have Adel Taarabt, (Pajtim) Kasami and even Damien Duff can play there.

“We’ve got Ashkan Dejagah and Duff on the other side too. There’s too many players here to throw them in, so I would love to find something for them.

“I’ve got six or seven youngsters who could play in the lower leagues and do a very good job, but you need clubs to take them.

“There’s still not a lot of interest because all of these lower league clubs are looking for older, experienced players. They want to keep these teams up and may feel these youngsters can’t do a job for them.”

US international Denpsey scored his first goal for Seattle Sounders last night in a 1-1 draw against Los Angeles Galaxy. Dempsey and the Sounders are scheduled to play Colorado Rapids in mid-week in a Knockout Round game.