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Transfer window slams shut on Liverpool

Well that didn’t go as planned.

Clint Dempsey? He’s moving across town to Tottenham Hotspur.

Daniel Sturridge? Staying at Chelsea.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was nursing some bruised fingers Friday night after the transfer window slammed shut on him without the squad making a move to improve.

After spending all summer doing everything short of hanging a red jersey with Dempsey’s name on it in the Anfield locker room, Liverpool watched as the American international moved to Spurs for £6 million, only £1 million more than Liverpool bid (reports vary, with Liverpool saying they bid £5 million; Fulham claims it was just £3 million).

In any event, the asking price wasn’t outrageous and, as Empire of the Kop pointed out, the club easily could have made up the difference in jersey sales in the U.S. if they had signed Dempsey. So if money was an issue … well, it really should not have been.

The club also missed out on Sturridge, who only wanted to leave Stamford Bridge if it was on a permanent deal.

Complicating matters is the fact that Liverpool moved out Andy Carroll (to West Ham), Charlie Adam (to Stoke for £4 million) and Jay Spearing (to Bolton) with the hope that replacements would be on the way. That is not the case, however, leaving the squad with just Luis Suárez and Fabio Borini as senior forwards (no Dirk Kuyt or Craig Bellamy to pitch in) and, as talented as Suárez can be (see his goal last week off a free kick against Manchester City), it is difficult to score goals when you fall down whenever a defender gets within 10 feet of you.

Rodgers can’t be a happy man today, especially after reportedly being told the club would bring someone in to replace Carroll. For now, he’s trying to make the best of the situation.

“I have to look at it in terms of how I want to play and when you have a philosophy it makes it simple,” Rodgers told The Telegraph. “If you go to a library and are looking for a sports book and go straight to that section then it’s quite straightforward. But the problem is when you go into that library and you’re not sure what you are looking for. You then spend half your time and effort wandering around and you might end up with a book you don’t want.

“For me, it’s simple. There are lots of very good players out there but I look for players who fit the profile of how they work for you.”

Things didn’t get any better on Sunday, as goals by Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla helped lead Arsenal to a 2-0 win over Liverpool. With just a single point in their first three games, Liverpool is off to its worst start since 1962-63.

Everyone knew going into the season that it was going to take time to build a team that fits Rodgers’ style. Of course, adding someone as talented as Dempsey would have helped move things along. Now, the team has to wait until the next transfer period in January to try and improve the team in a significant way.

Whether or not there will be money to spend in the new year remains to be seen. Luckily, we haven’t heard the owners say they will “spend money when the time is right.”

At least not yet.

(Photo by The Daily Mail)