Berbatov Disappointed by Fulham's Sale of Dembele

Bulgarian striker Berbatov after his transfer from Manchester United to Fulham. Photo by fulhamfc.com

Fulham manager Martin Jol has revealed Dimitar Berbatov was looking forward to playing with Mousa Dembele, only to be told the Belgium star was leaving for Tottenham.

Fulham's new Bulgarian striker Berbatov made his debut as a substitute in Fulham's 3-0 defeat by West Ham on Saturday and would have benefited from having someone of Dembele's quality alongside him.

Now that Dembele and Clint Dempsey have gone, the Bulgarian will be the focal point of Jol's side.

"You build teams around good players – and Berbatov is excellent quality," Jol said, as cited by The Daily Mail on Monday.

"He showed exactly that when I was at Spurs. It's about finding the right balance. If players come back it will be OK and maybe we have to change the system. With Dembele it was different.

"He [Berbatov] really looked forward to playing with Dembele. The first thing he said to me was, "Where's Dembele going?" and I had to say he's going to Spurs. He was disappointed.

"He was told that before his medical, but luckily we managed to keep him in the building.

"We've made money but the problem is that we've not had enough time to spend it."

The Mail commented that Berbatov looked a bit rusty when he came on and lost possession easily on occasion but there were a few sublime touches and he set up chances for Damien Duff and Hugo Rodallega late in the game.

With the midfield lacking the creativity and drive of Dembele and the attack shorn of Dempsey's poaching ability, Berbatov's guile will be crucial to Fulham. He should relish his leading role.

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