There is a reason that the best players in the world by and large have avoided the English Premier League: the level of play there is inferior to the level of play in Germany, Spain, Italy, Holland, France, and Brazil.
For Clint Dempsey, the English Premier League was a lifeboat away from the low level of play in Major League Soccer, and Dempsey happily and wisely jumped ship. Despite the increased skill and level of competition that the English Premier League (EPL) offers, Dempsey should be playing in a league with more talented and creative players than the EPL
Dempsey’s brand of creative, attacking play modeled after studying Diego Maradona and playing with Latin American immigrants and their children in Texas put him in a position to be ideally-suited for a league with players with better ball control than is normally found in the EPL, but Dempsey’s toughness and work ethic allowed him to nevertheless succeed in the chaos of the long ball and reckless tackling of the EPL.
Clint Dempsey has always been somewhat short-changed in terms of the skill-level of his teammates by playing in the English Premier League, and he has unfortunately been incorrectly characterized as primarily a gritty player by many people, as opposed to being recognized as a technically-advanced and creative international-caliber attacking player with a fighting spirit that contributes defensively.
If Dempsey had played in Holland, Germany, and Italy like Michael Bradley had, Dempsey would have played with more skilled players, and he would have likely achieved more fame than he has already achieved.
The best thing for Clint Dempsey would be to use Tottenham as a platform to move up to a better team in Italy, Germany, France, or Spain. Given Clint Dempsey’s work ethic and his durability from injuries, Dempsey could serve a non-English club into his mid-thirties and maybe beyond.
One cannot help thinking that someone like Dempsey really wanted to play his club soccer in a country where skill, flair, and creativity were more appreciated and encouraged than they are in England.
If any American or United States national team fan thinks that the English Premier League has the highest level of soccer in the world, why was Michael Bradley basically not used by Aston Villa during his brief time in England while succeeding in countries with better national teams and players than England and the English Premier League? American soccer fans should hope Dempsey gets to play for a very fluid and dynamic team like Bradley plays for: Roma.
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