Jozy's on a vacation far away...Hull City?

According to the always unreliable Goal.com a handful of Premier League clubs, most notable Hull but also Fulham and Everton are rumored to be courting American striker Jozy Altidore. I'm a big believer in his ability and do feel the Premier League is perfect for Altidore during the run up to next years World Cup. Personally I'd like to see Altidore go to a club that he'll get a good amount of playing time but not one that will be perpetually on the edge of relegation like Hull. As far as the three contenders mentioned I really like the possiblity of Fulham. Clearly they have a strong record of courting American players, such as Clint Dempsey, Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra, Kasey Keller, etc. With the struggles of Bobby Zamora, Altidore could get a real opportunity for playing time along with Andy Johnson. More importantly it would also tandem Altidore with Clint Dempsey giving two potential key cogs in the American attack the ability to play together for a solid season. Fulham will also be part of the Europa cup, which along with the Premier League, Carling Cup and FA Cup will give them fixture congestion and would likely give Altidore some solid playing time.

As far as the other two clubs I have mixed feelings. Hull would clearly afford Altidore the ability to play immediately and often, but the club will be fighting for their life and is one of the major bets for relegation this year. Everton will also deal with fixture congestion and could afford some quality playing time as a third striker, but is much more set at forward than Fulham and Hull. With the presence and Louis Saha and Jo and the fact that they like to feature a 4-5-1, Altidore may find it a struggle, like in Spain, to get into the squad.

Beyond all of this is the question of whether these clubs would spend 11 million on Altidore. It's a big sum for three clubs who get by on youth development and wise decisions in the transfer market. Spending such an amount on Altidore would definitely increase his profile and probably put a decent amount of pressure on him to perform. It would be nice to see him land on the right team--- with Fulham being a fantastic option. As an Aston Villa fan he's a player I'd like to see them consider, with Carew rumored to be leaving and Agbonlahor often inconsistent. He'd be a good fit.

All of this begs the question on why Villareal is seemingly giving up on him so quick? They bought him for 10 million and are selling him to turn a quick million dollar profit based on the conjectured number. You have to wonder if he failed to impress in training to the point that they were willing to quickly turn such a physically talented and youthful player. As a US fan I'm not complaining. He has the ability to be the best US talent ever and the Premier League is the ultimate stage. He'd look awful nice at Craven Cottage or Villa Park.

August5th Update: According to The Hull Daily Mail the Tigers are are talking to Villareal and Altidore on a one year loan deal. This makes sense for both clubs. With Hull devoid of any striking talent they could use the services of Altidore, who in turn could really benefit from some playing time in the Premier League in the run up to the World Cup.