Troubling Times for Jol if Dembele also Leaves

Fulham fans’ tough pre-season is about to get even worse, with reports Moussa Dembele is attracting overseas attention from Real Madrid.

Having already failed to tempt last season’s loan signing, Pavel Pogrebnyak, to stay at the club, the Cottagers have been fighting tooth and nail to prevent midfield ace, Clint Dempsey moving to Liverpool.

Now, news of Dembele’s proposed departure has left many Fulham fans scratching their heads in great concern about the future of the club. 

The Cottagers are currently 5/4 to finish in the top ten in the football betting tips on Betfair.

Dembele’s agent told Dutch newspaper, De Telegraaf, this week that Madrid were in contact with the player, and are not the first ‘big club’ this summer to have done so.

Such a transfer rumour – no matter how weak it may be – is likely to unnerve fans already bracing themselves for the departure of Dempsey.

Should Dembele also walk with Dempsey, manager, Martin Jol, will have seen five senior members of his attacking unit leave the club.

Their midfield looks incredibly weak already, with Danny Murphy’s transfer to Blackburn earlier this summer, and their forward line now lacks the experienced Andrew Johnson.

Dembele, who can play in attacking midfield or up front, is a central figure to Jol’s plans this season, but there is no way he can resist the lure of the Bernabeu should Jose Mourinho come calling.

Jol must start looking for a replacement now if he is to lose the Belgian star. The manager has already brought in Hugo Rodallega and Mladaen Petric, but these players were meant to boost the squad, not replace it.

Expect the search to continue deep into August, with Fulham’s start-of-season performances to be badly affected by any player loss from now on.

Love football? Keep up with the latest updates online: Betfair’s Michael Lintorn believes that Celtic will only have themselves to blame if another SPL team claims the title, next season.