Sounders do not expect Clint Dempsey to go on Premier League loan

The Seattle Sounders have no plans to loan Clint Dempsey to an English Premier League club this winter. They expect him to stay at home and rest because they think he needs it, just like everyone else on the team.

Hanauer cites need for players to rest after long season, doesn't expect anyone going out on loan this winter.

— Don Ruiz (@donruiztnt) December 4, 2014

Dempsey went on loan to Fulham last January and spent a few months there before joining up with the Sounders just before the MLS season got underway. There were some rumors that he would do the same again this winter, which would fit into Jurgen Klinsmann's desire for players to play at the highest level and his belief that the MLS offseason is too long.

Things must be handled on a case-by-case basis, though, something Klinsmann has also acknowledged. Dempsey has been playing almost non-stop for a couple years now and is 31 years old now. He needs to rest, something he has admitted before. Now it looks like he will do it.

Dempsey will have a full month off, then he will likely join the United States for January camp in the new year. That will take him into MLS training camp and then finally, the season. It won't be the same as playing in the Premier League, with a lower level and mostly training as opposed to matches, but he will get a necessary break and a nice rest. Hopefully he can return in 2015 fresh and ready for another MLS season, as well as the Gold Cup.