I really like Dempsey. I think he's been an excellent player for Fulham over the years, I love the way he drives into the box and has an instinct for goal, a way of getting a shot off from any position. I think, for the right price, he'd be a good signing.
But he does concern me a bit as well. Firstly, he'll be 30 next March, and is just coming off a career season. 20+ goals is a great return for what he did last year, but he's never got close to that mark before, and though I think he's still shown that he's improving towards his 30s, I'm not convinced he'll do it again. He's always been a good player, but this, for me, is the first season he's looked like the sort of player that belongs at a top club. Compare him to someone like Arteta, who moved to a big club late - I actually think MA has performed at a generally higher level throughout his career, but if Dempsey could be had for similar money I think he'd be a good buy. No idea what his contract situation is though, and whether or not Fulham would be prepared to let him go for as little as about £8m, but we'll see.
My second concern though is that I'm not really sure I see where he fits - an obvious position in our current setup just doesn't jump out at me. Again, he's got a reasonably good technique, but I'm not quite sure I see him in the same bracket as other players we've had on our 'wishlist' all season, in at least this very specific area, and I wonder if it might rule him out of playing the wide-forward role. Pushing through the centre isn't something we've seen Arsenal 'midfielders' do a lot of in the last season, though perhaps it's something we could do well to find room for.
He's a smart player, a good pro, and he has certain skills we lack. So long as we don't end up overpaying for him, I'd be very happy to see him join our squad.
