Undervalued Spur – Clint Dempsey

I was ecstatic when Spurs acquired Clint Dempsey late in the summer transfer window. Dempsey is essentially the name and face of US Soccer and it was great to see another American alongside Brad Friedel on Spurs. I have always felt that Clint Dempsey was a quality player who was undervalued, under-appreciated, and overlooked because he was both American and because he had never played at a top tier club. I get the impression, based on Twitter comments as well as conversations, that Spurs faithful think he has underperformed and also don’t think he should be in AVB’s future plans. I personally feel that Dempsey has been a quality addition this season and I hope he finishes his career with Spurs.
 

Dempsey has 12 goals for Spurs in all competitions. This puts him behind only Gareth Bale (25) and Jermain Defoe (15). In addition to his 12 goals, he also has 8 assists. Of his 12 goals, many of these goals have come in very important matches. We all know about his dramatic goals against United. He netted the opener against Man City at WHL. He scored a brace at Basel to push into overtime in the Europa quarterfinals. The Stoke match on Sunday was another example of Dempsey’s contribution. In the first half, he scored the equalizer. In the 2^nd half, he served up the game winning assist to Adebayor. This was a crucial match and Dempsey came through in a big way. Although he has not matched his goal scoring totals at Fulham, he has scored his fair share of goals.

In addition to production, he has provided valuable versatility for AVB this season. He has played lone striker, supporting striker, attacking midfield, left midfield, right midfield, and even left wing in AVB’s 4-3-3 formation. This versatility has been incredibly important this season when Spurs were battling injuries and while Adebayor was playing in AFCON.   

For 7.5 million Euros, Clint Dempsey was a bargain in my opinion. Below is a chart that compares various players in the BPL that transferred for similar cost during the summer transfer window.   

Player	Club	Fee	BPL Apps	Goals	Goals / App	Goals / Fee (Mil Euro)
Podolski	Arsenal	12	32	11	0.34	0.92
Jelavic	Everton	6.6	36	7	0.19	1.06
Sigurdsson	Tottenham	10	32	3	0.09	0.30
Fletcher	Sunderland	15.2	28	11	0.39	0.72
Benteke	Aston Villa	8.8	34	19	0.56	2.16
Dempsey	Tottenham	7.5	28	7	0.25	0.93
Mirallas	Everton	7.6	26	6	0.23	0.79
Berbatov	Fulham	5	32	14	0.44	2.80
Cisse	Newcastle	12	35	8	0.23	0.67
Ramirez	Southampton	15	26	5	0.19	0.33

As you see, Dempsey stacks up fairly well against the players on the list. Only Jelavic, Benteke, and Berbatov have out-performed Demspey when comparing Goals / Fee and they are true strikers where Dempsey has played multiple positions.
 

Clint Dempsey is a versatile and productive player. He has been helpful in keeping Tottenham in the top 4 race. He is a team player that has stepped up every time AVB asked him to fill a needed void. His versatility has also been instrumental in allowing Bale to play freely and more centrally. We all agree that Spurs need to make multiple moves in the transfer window to be competitive on the European stage, but there is always roster room for a player like Dempsey. He is already a favorite of American Spurs fans, I hope the Yid Army can begin to appreciate his value and fully embrace him as a Spur. 
  

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