Liverpool star reveals Moises Caicedo transfer surprise after Chelsea hijack Jurgen Klopp deal
Wataru Endo has revealed his initial reaction to Chelsea hijacking Liverpool's bid to sign Moises Caicedo. The 21-year-old midfielder was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool this summer, but his heart was set on a move to Stamford Bridge.
football.london understands that the Reds had agreed a £110million deal with Brighton for Caicedo. But, the Ecuador international told Jurgen Klopp that he wanted to work under Mauricio Pochettino instead, so a switch to Anfield failed to materialise and the Blues agreed a British-record fee with the Seagulls.
After missing out on Caicedo, and then Romeo Lavia too, Liverpool were forced to expand their search for a new defensive midfielder. So, the Reds quickly wrapped up a deal for Endo, who made his debut against Bournemouth just a couple days after touching down in Merseyside.
The Japan international, who has signed a four-year contract at Anfield, replaced Cody Gakpo a quarter of an hour into second-half as Klopp looked to defend a two-goal lead. After the game, Endo broke his silence on what has been a busy start to the new season.
«I thought maybe they needed experienced midfielders or something like that, because [Jordan] Henderson had moved, and also Fabinho had moved to another club, so I thought there may be a chance,» Endo told the Liverpool Echo.
«To be honest I followed Liverpool’s news that they wanted midfielders and they wanted a No.6. But yeah — I thought (Moises) Caicedo had gone to Liverpool! So when he went to Chelsea I just thought 'maybe, maybe'.»
Endo, who is nine-years older than Caicedo, addressed the concerns over his age and insisted that he didn't think twice about accepting Liverpool's offer. The 30-year-old added: «I understand top clubs want young
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