Landon Donovan continues to make news on the Old World side of the Atlantic. And David Beckham’s decision to stay with the Galaxy led to some financial fallout in Paris.

It’s rather fun to read about this stuff in English and French papers, respectively, and we have some links for you.

The news peg here: Landon’s Everton side defeated Clint Dempsey’s Fulham team tonight to reach the final 16 of the FA Cup. From the accounts we’re going to link to, it seems clear that Landon outplayed Dempsey. No surprise to those of us who always have been quite clear in our minds about the identity of the country’s best player.

Now to the links!

The final from Goodison Park in Liverpool: Everton 2, Fulham 1.

Here is the basic AP story, which makes clear how big a factor Landon was in the Everton attack.

And here is an opinion-based account of the match from the Daily Telegraph of London, which opens with the importance of Donovan to the game, ahead of the two guys who scored goals.

If you didn’t follow the link, here are the pertinent bits:

“David Moyes (the Everton coach) has regularly cursed his inability to sign coveted transfer targets.

“There is a certain irony that it is one he has signed twice that now causes the greatest frustration of all.

“The temporary capture of Landon Donovan — now halfway through an all-too-brief loan spell — has retained Everton’s interest in a season which will drift if they don’t build on the FA Cup progress they secured with victory over Fulham.

“Donovan created both goals to overturn Danny Murphy’s early penalty, enabling Denis Stracqualarsi and Marouane Fellaini to head Everton into the fifth round.

“How Moyes must wish he could lure the 29-year-old to Goodison on a permanent basis. Yet again, he has rapidly acclimatised to the demands of English football and looked a class above some of his teammates. The American winger has evidently learned plenty from the deadball expertise of LA Galaxy teammate David Beckham, as his consistent accuracy from the flanks proved the difference …

“As with his last spell on Merseyside, the American winger has rapidly established himself as one of the most astute purchases of the season.

“Pity he is here for only two months. He is a far-too-premature resident of the luxury MLS retirement home for footballers past their prime.”

Update: Guy McCarthy, a former colleague, pointed out that the Guardian newspaper of England also was fulsome in praise of Donovan.

The nub:

“Much has changed at Everton in the two years since Landon Donovan last journeyed over from LA Galaxy, and little for the better, but his ability to inspire David Moyes’ team is undiminished. The USA captain produced the finest performance of his second spell on loan as Fulham meekly exited the FA Cup.

“There had been only glimpses of Donovan’s previous form prior to the fourth-round meeting with Martin Jol’s team, although that failing stems from the weaknesses around him in the Everton team and not a fault of the 29-year-old. With despondency settling on Goodison as Everton struggle to sign the reinforcements they desperately need and Moyes’ team slipping towards trouble in the Premier League, an awkward evening lay in store when Danny Murphy put Fulham ahead from the penalty spot.

“Everton, and particularly Donovan, produced a response that has been often lacking this season. Headers from Denis Stracqualursi, his first for the club, and Marouane Fellaini capped a strong home display from Everton with both goalscorers having the American to thank for inch-perfect centres.

“‘He’s a diamond of a guy,’ said Steve Round, the Everton assistant manager. “The lads all love him and he’s a very intelligent player who also brings speed to the team and allows us to get from back to front very quickly. He has brought a lot to the club. He is a top player. Of course we’d like to have him for longer but we know what the deal is.'”

“And how Everton needed Donovan’s intelligent distribution.

Those of you who remember Landon’s loan stint with Everton two years ago recall how the club and its coach barely hid their frustration/depression when Landon finished his 10 weeks and returned to Los Angeles. History is repeating itself, even though he has yet to score a goal this time around.

Now, we pass through the chunnel over to France, where someone at the French daily Le Figaro has crunched some numbers and decided that Paris Saint-Germain must do without 1.5 million euro (just shy of $2 million) they expected to gain on the sale of Beckham/PSG jerseys.

Apparently, as we read in the story (translated into English for us), PSG ordered at least 20,000 Beckham jerseys and perhaps as many as 30,000, so sure were they that he would go the Paris.

Now, those jerseys are sitting in boxes somewhere.

(Seems like PSG ought to be able to sell them as collectors items, yes? Wouldn’t Becks fans pay $140 for the long-sleeved Becks/PSG shirt he never wore?)

Stories like these continue to keep the Galaxy name in circulation over here. If Euros came to know the Galaxy because of Beckham, they are getting reinforcement on the existence of the MLS club from Landon. Especially in England.

It’s been a good month for the Galaxy over here, and the club hasn’t even played a match.