Why Clint Dempsey Would Be a Great Premier League Loan

With January approaching, transfer rumors are in full swing, and many of the latest reports have Clint Dempsey on his way back to the English Premier League.

According to the Metro's Danny Griffiths and the Mirror's Matt Law, Dempsey has been linked with Newcastle, Aston Villa, West Ham, Southampton, Everton, Fulham and, most recently, Stoke City.

Here are three reasons he’d be a great pickup for many EPL teams.

He’s a Proven Goalscorer in England

While there are many who would write Dempsey off simply because he’s an American, the fact is that he has proved himself repeatedly in England. Over his career with Fulham and Tottenham, Dempsey scored 72 goals in all competitions, and in the 2011-12 EPL campaign, he was the fourth-leading scorer behind Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero.

Last year, Dempsey “only” scored 12 goals in all competitions, but two of those goals were against Manchester United and another was against Manchester City.

He’s Versatile

With so many clubs running variations of the 4-5-1, Clint Dempsey’s versatility has never been more valuable. For years with Fulham and the United States men’s national team, Dempsey specialized in playing on the wing, cutting inside when possible and scoring many goals by ghosting into the box late.

In 2011-12, Dempsey played much of the season for Fulham as a striker, a position he has also played effectively with the USMNT.

Most recently, for both Tottenham and the USMNT, Dempsey has played as the withdrawn striker/attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1.

That versatility alone makes him a valuable pickup.

Plenty of Clubs Could Use Him

Considering the teams that have been linked with Dempsey thus far, a short-term move back to England seems to be a distinct possibility. Everton and Newcastle’s recent form may cool their interest, but many teams could certainly use the firepower and the potential points Dempsey could generate.

Aston Villa, West Ham, Stoke City and Fulham are currently 11th, 15th, 16th and 18th in the Premier League table, respectively, and none are averaging above 1.00 goals per game.

Bringing in a player like Dempsey, while a short-term solution for any club, could help provide many teams the bump they need in the New Year. 

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