Liverpool Transfer Rumors: What Missing Out on Clint Dempsey Means for Reds

After all the drama and all the back-and-forth, Clint Dempsey reportedly isn't even going to Liverpool after all.

According to the Daily Mail, the Fulham star—who has been embroiled in transfer talks all summer with the hope of finding a way to join the Reds—is going to have to be OK with Sunderland instead.

In the process of his failed quasi-negotiations with Liverpool, Dempsey has officially sullied his relationship with Fulham, and with manager Martin Jol, to the point where even if he can't join the Reds—as he clearly intended—there's no way he can stay with the Cottagers.

And as a result, nobody wins. Except maybe Sunderland, if it ends up landing Dempsey by default.

The drama began earlier this summer, Dempsey became fixated on the idea of joining Liverpool, even though the club hadn't yet extended a formal offer to the forward. Ever since the Reds planted the smallest seed of hope in his head that he might be able to join them, and thus make the jump to the Premier League, Dempsey has seemingly lost all interest in cooperating with Fulham.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers made it worse when he spoke publicly about his desire to obtain Dempsey. Meanwhile, after refusing to play and telling Jol that he had no interest in remaining with Fulham, Jol had no choice but to leave the star out of the first two weeks of the season.

Fulham further vented its frustrations last week, when it filed a formal complaint over Liverpool's pursuit of the player, according to the BBC—and the report made it clear that some part of the "negotiations" had gone awry: The Reds seemed to be stalling on making an official offer to Dempsey, and because Dempsey refused to play for Fulham, Fulham was left with a player who didn't want to be there and nowhere to move him.

According to the Daily Mail, Jol said:

"

His head was turned. That is the problem. There are always players who want to move, but they keep quiet. This was different. It would have been better if Liverpool followed up with a formal bid, but they didn’t, so until now there is no bid.

"

Until now, apparently. Enter Sunderland.

The Daily Mail reports that Sunderland will offer £8 million for Dempsey, providing him with an escape from the team he refuses to be a part of.

Is there more to this story that hasn't quite made it to the light of day yet? Probably. The whole thing seems more than a little bit fishy—not to mention unprofessional.

Maybe the Reds were holding out as long as they could before making in offer in the hopes that Fulham would lessen its demands for the star. Or perhaps it's even as simple as this: Maybe Liverpool's interest in acquiring Dempsey was never as serious as it was made out to be. Maybe the media caught hold of the story and ran with it, forcing the Reds to backtrack.

But then why didn't Liverpool just make it clear—long ago—that it either wouldn't or couldn't afford to acquire Dempsey? Why stretch out the saga for so long that it provided a hugely unnecessary distraction for both Dempsey and his soon-to-be ex-team?

Weeks ago, it seemed like a sure thing that Dempsey would end up with the Reds. Now, after all of this, the Reds are simply stepping back and pretending none of it ever happened.

Now, not only has Liverpool lost a player who could've benefited the team—the club has also lost a lot of respect.