If Manchester United go for Clint Dempsey this summer- he could be priceless off the pitch as well as on it.
Clint Dempsey’s potential transfer availability is certainly a fascinating one for the Premier League’s top teams.
A proven quantity and guaranteed source of goals, his versatility would also suit one of the top clubs, and at 29, he is the finished article.
The club likely to be more interested in him than anyone else, could be Manchester United.
Call us cynical, but a tempting reason for United to sign him will be for commercial and revenue opportunities, even if they insist otherwise.
Don’t get us wrong, first and foremost the reason United should want to make him part of their squad for 2012/13 is because of his on-pitch performances- he has netted 16 league goals already this season- but the off-pitch reasons should make them even more determined.
Why is Dempsey so appealing? Because of his nationality of course- and his high profile as one of the USA’s most recognisable ‘soccer’ players.
Manchester United have been determined to crack the American market for the past decade, embarking on a number of pre-season tours across the country, including the last two seasons.
Other clubs, most notably Real Madrid, Chelsea and rivals Manchester City have followed them to North America, but only Madrid have had the success United have.
The Red Devils are the most popular overseas ‘soccer’ team across the pond, and signing Dempsey would make national news over there, on every network from CNN to Fox News.
Football in America is growing each year, with Major League Soccer (MLS) attendances up across the board, and Fox Sports screening live Premier League games, even if hiring Piers Morgan as a pundit could be described as a retrograde step.
With the surge in interest, United signing Dempsey would make them the most marketable overseas team in the country by a mile, and the American owners the Glazer family will no doubt be adding up how much they can make from selling United shirts with his name on the back.
That does not have to be seen as a bad thing. Football and finances go hand in hand these days- it is not like United would be buying Dempsey for commercial reasons to sit on the bench week in week out, and if he were, American audiences would not take to it.
It would work because the American public see Dempsey as a star, and see Manchester United as the star team, and it would be the ‘perfect’ partnership.
The Glazers are squeezing United dry for cash, spending under £10 million net per season over the past five years, failing to invest the Ronaldo money, and extracting income through numerous tenuous sounding sponsorship deals- such as having an official telecoms partner in Bulgaria.
They may just see Dempsey as a golden ticket to more revenue- whatever the initial outlay on his signature and wages. Their pre-season plans are still under discussion, but if they head back to America this summer, imagine the buzz that will be generated from Dempsey making his debut in a United shirt.
If United miss the opportunity and allow Arsenal or Liverpool to steal in and sign the American, it would be allowing their rivals to make great in-roads in a market which they have spent a decade attempting to corner.
So if he goes to a competitor, they may rue the loss of commercial opportunities every much as they do when they see him scoring for their rivals.
image: © NathanF
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