Wataru Endo: I thought Moises Caicedo had dashed my hopes of Liverpool transfer

Wataru Endo has revealed he thought Moises Caicedo had dashed his hopes of a dream move to the Premier League with Liverpool. 

The Japan international's switch to Anfield came about after the Reds had failed to land either of their primary holding midfield targets Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.

In the case of the former, they had even got as far as agreeing a British record £111m fee with Brighton, but missed out once it emerged that the player's preference was a move to Chelsea.

That all led to a shock swoop for Endo, who admits he thought the opportunity of a summer move to England had already passed him by.

Why did Liverpool sign Wataru Endo?

Speaking after making his debut in a 3-1 win over Bournemouth, he said: "To be honest I followed Liverpool’s news, that they wanted midfielders they wanted a number six.

"But yeah, I thought Caicedo had gone to Liverpool! (Laughs). So when he went to Chelsea I just thought, maybe, maybe. 

“I thought maybe they needed experienced midfielders or something like that, because Henderson had moved, and also Fabinho had moved to another club, so I thought there may be a chance."

Once Liverpool did decide to bring in the unheralded Endo from Stuttgart, they moved quickly to get a deal over the line.

Asked when he had first heard of the Reds' interest, he replied: “It was three or four days ago! 

"I heard that Liverpool wanted me, and it was so quick, I had to decide so quickly, but actually I couldn’t say no, because to play in the Premier League was always my dream. 

“I always [said] to my agent that I wanted to play Premier League, and play for a top, top team, so here I am! 

“My agent called me, and yes, it was a yes straight away that I wanted to come here. I decided immediately.

“A lot of my