Defoe and Dempsey to preserve Fulham’s top flight status
Published:
The next stop on the train that is Jermain Defoe’s career changes daily depending on which papers you read, with a host of club’s being credited with an interest in the England forward.
Defoe’s exit from White Hart Lane looks to be edging ever closer, with manager Andre Villas-Boas keen to bring in new talent. And, while MLS outfit Toronto FC appear to be first in the line of suitors, Craven Cottage could yet prove the 31-year-old’s final destination.
Fulham’s 13-year stay in the top flight looks likely to end this term on current form, with the Cottagers now 10/11 for relegation.
However, Rene Meulensteen, in charge after the sacking of Martin Jol, will attempt to preserve the west Londoners’ Premier League status with a double swoop for Defoe and former fans’ favourite Clint Dempsey.
With 2014 being a World Cup year Defoe is desperate for first team football and with Dimitar Berbatov said to be courting a move to Turkey this winter, the diminutive forward could play his way into Roy Hodgson’s squad without having to relocate to Canada.
Defoe is a proven goalscorer, and while he may not have reached the heights of Berbatov – who top scored in the 2010-11 season – he has more to prove and would bring a new energy to the Fulham frontline.
Berbatov is currently priced at 150/1 to repeat his feat of three years ago and Meulensteen is likely to put his faith in someone with more at stake and Defoe fits the bill.
Dempsey would also provide some much-needed creativity in the middle of the park and is available on loan from Seattle Sounders during the MLS offseason.
The US star would need no time to settle in at the Cottage, having spent six years in west London previously, and could provide just the sort of influence the team needs if survival is to be realised.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
Fancy a flutter? Sign up today to claim three £10 free bets when you bet £10.
