Fulham manager Martin Jol has insisted that he "loved" forward Clint Dempsey, following the USA international's claims that he was not appreciated at Craven Cottage.
The 29-year-old left the London outfit in the summer for Tottenham Hotspur and Jol has suggested that the main driving force behind his departure was financial.
"We did everything we could do so there are no regrets," said Jol. "He wanted to be appreciated financially and he wanted a bigger club, a Champions League club, and that is what he probably got with Spurs.
"He didn't feel appreciated financially, but I am not the one deciding over the contracts. He said it time after time again that he wanted to go to a Champions League club.
"Even when I said in my last conversation with him that I loved him, it was not good enough to keep him here."
Dempsey spent five years with the Cottagers.
