Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers was stunned at their failure to sign Clint Dempsey. The former Fulham striker eventually moved to Tottenham before Friday night's transfer deadline.

The Sunday Mirror says Rodgers cleared the decks at Anfield by offloading EIGHT players in the transfer window to keep his side of the bargain as the club looked to slash a bloated wage bill.

Yet after loaning Andy Carroll to West Ham, Rodgers revealed he did so only because he had been promised the board would provide a ­replacement.

He wanted America hitman Dempsey, but that deal collapsed as Fulham revealed they had rejected an offer of JUST £3million for him.

Even though Dempsey had expressed his desire to join the Reds, Liverpool's refusal to match other offers for the player eventually left him with no choice but to make an 11th-hour dash to Tottenham's training ground to sign for their new boss Andre Villas-Boas.