Wataru Endo &#8211; CaughtOffside

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Wataru Endo wants Takefusa Kubo at Liverpool amid links

Another player they have been strongly linked with in recent days is Japanese international Takefusa Kubo.

There have been contradicting claims regarding a move being in advanced stages with some reports stating that Liverpool are close to agreeing a deal for the player but some sources have refuted these claims.

Amid the rumours, Kubo’s Japanese counterpart may have accidentally confirmed Liverpool’s intentions of replacing Mo Salah.

Liverpool to sell Salah?

Endo appears to accidentally reveal Liverpool’s plan to replace Salah

Speaking on ABEMA Sports Time, the LFC midfielder has seemed to talk up the possibility of his Japan teammate joining him at Anfield, in the process lifting the veil on one part of the club’s transfer strategy.

When asked if he could sign one international colleague for the Reds, Endo replied (as shared by AnythingLFC_):

“Maybe Kubo. They’re looking for a replacement for Mo Salah, so that’s probably going to be a real area for Liverpool to strengthen in the future, and if they think about who can replace him, I think it’ll be Kubo.”

Has Wataru Endo just revealed #LFC transfer plans?

Q- If you could transfer one Japanese player to Liverpool, who would it be?

Wataru Endo: "Maybe Kubo. They're looking for a replacement for Mo Salah, so that's probably going to be a real area for Liverpool to strengthen in… pic.twitter.com/DAUBO8oTqx

— Anything Liverpool (@AnythingLFC_) July 22, 2024

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New Liverpool sporting director wants key area strengthened and is targeting early summer signing

Darren Looney — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 15:30:50 +0000

Liverpool want to add a top-class midfielder to their squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign despite a total revamp at the heart of their team last summer.

The Reds saw players such as Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita and James Milner leave Anfield having had crucial roles for years on Merseyside during the Jurgen Klopp era.

They were replaced by Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch.

Despite these four new stars being recent arrivals, Football Insider are reporting that Liverpool want to strengthen their midfield again ahead of the new season.

Michael Edwards has returned to the Premier League club as CEO of Football of Fenway Sports Group, while Richard Hughes will become Liverpool’s new sporting director. The duo are said to already have targets in mind and will want to bring them to Anfield as soon as possible, with sources telling Football Insider an “early-window signing is highly likely”.

Alexis Mac Allister has been an incredible signing for Liverpool

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Liverpool need a defensive midfielder for the 2024/25 campaign

The two central midfield positions in Liverpool’s team have a lot of quality especially since Mac Allister has been pushed forward into the role. The Argentina star has been sensational for the Reds this season and has provided Klopp with the creativity he has been missing for years.

The area of concern at Anfield is the six role as there is not enough quality cover in that position. Endo has been brilliant in the role throughout the second half of the campaign but when the Japanese star is missing Liverpool have no cover as Ryan Gravenberch has proven to not be good enough.

A top-quality defensive midfielder would be a great addition to the Liverpool squad for next season, especially with Endo available to cover when the potential new signing is out of action.

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Transfer news: Liverpool happy with midfield bargain, Kimmich links, Haaland on his future & more

Fabrizio Romano — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 18:40:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive transfer news via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service here: thedailybriefing.io

Liverpool ‘super happy’ with transfer business in midfield

It’s a big week ahead for Liverpool as they host Manchester City at Anfield this weekend with a real chance to make a statement and gain an advantage over City in this season’s title race, and it’s been quite an achievement for Jurgen Klopp in what we now know will be his final season in charge.

Remember – Klopp had to completely rebuild his midfield this season as five players – Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner – all left the club.

Four new transfers came in, with Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch all joining and looking now like fine business by Liverpool.

My understanding is that Liverpool are super happy with how they handled this important phase of recruitment. Not just now, but already in September Liverpool felt they did an excellent job. Mac Allister in particular is considered an incredible signing, a bargain considering conditions of the deal.

And it’s the same with all the other midfielders who joined, especially Endo, who was not the biggest name but who has surprised a few people here in England, and they’re also convinced that Gravenberch’s future will be at the very top level as he bounces back from a difficult spell at Bayern Munich.

Erling Haaland plays down transfer talk

Erling Haaland has shut down transfer speculation

Erling Haaland spoke about his future in yesterday’s press conference for Manchester City. He started by saying how happy he is at the club, with the manager, the directors, the board – he’s very happy with the people he’s surrounded by at Manchester City.

But then he added one sentence – saying to the reporters that they can write about what he’s said, but to be aware that he’s already said it before. He’s very happy at Manchester City and I think that line is quite clear – he’s being honest, and what he’s saying is the reality.

Speaking to sources, it’s clear he can’t come to a press conference and guarantee that he’s going to play for Manchester City for the rest of his career, but at the moment Haaland is very happy at the club. He has always enjoyed the atmosphere with his teammates, with Pep Guardiola – in the future, we never know, but at the moment there is nothing going on in terms of discussions or negotiations with any other clubs.

PSG are not telling Luis Enrique to sub Kylian Mbappe

We know Kylian Mbappe will be part of the transfer market in the next days and months, but many of you have been asking me about Luis Enrique deciding to sub his star player and if it’s because of this Real Madrid story.

From what I’m told, however, no one at PSG has told Enrique that he has to sub Mbappe or that they don’t want him to pay – this is not a message coming from higher up at the club. No one is telling Enrique not to play Mbappe because he’s going to Real Madrid, this is simply not the situation.

But, Enrique himself wants to try things, especially in Ligue 1, where they can feel confident about winning the title. The manager wants to test things ahead of next season and see how they cope without Mbappe – because of course everyone knows that the France international will be leaving and that he’s in very advanced talks with Real Madrid.

Casemiro out, Joao Neves in at Manchester United?

There is still interest from Saudi in Manchester United midfielder Casemiro. It’s nothing advanced, but the interest is still there after they also showed an interest last summer. Then in October/November, there were some calls to intermediaries to understand the situation, but never directly to Manchester United.

Let’s see what Man United will decide with Casemiro in the next months. At the moment the player is still fully committed and focused on United, but the interest is still there, so let’s see if Saudi clubs will return, and maybe make a proposal for Casemiro.

So far, there was never any official contact or offer, but Casemiro’s situation looks like it could be one to watch in the summer because the interest from Saudi is still there.

In terms of possible midfield signings coming in for United, the race remains open for Benfica wonderkid Joao Neves, who has been scouted by the Red Devils, and also by Manchester City.

Benfica will insist on the release clause of €120m being triggered, so it’s not an easy deal, but the interest from Premier League clubs is there in terms of scouting. So far, no club has approached Benfica to start a negotiation yet, so it remains absolutely open.

Latest on transfer ins and outs at Bayern, plus Xabi Alonso speculation

There continues to be speculation about Joshua Kimmich’s future at Bayern, with Manchester City one of the names being mentioned as suitors for him, but what I’m told is that Bayern, with new director Max Eberl, will try to extend his contract and discuss the future project with Kimmich. The new manager choice for Bayern will also be crucial to understand what he wants to do.

We know Xabi Alonso is one of the names appreciated by Bayern, but how is all the speculation about the manager affecting his current club Bayer Leverkusen? Of course they are not happy with speculation, but it’s also part of the game. I can guarantee that Bayer and Xabi himself are 100% focused on this season, to make something historical, and at the moment we can see it’s not having a damaging effect on their form, which remains outstanding. And remember, nothing is done yet with Alonso and any other club precisely because Leverkusen are focused on winning titles, and it’s the same for Alonso.

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One final point on Bayern – Alphonso Davies remains a target for Real Madrid as long as the price is right. But what about potential replacements for Bayern at left-back?

Bayern have been monitoring Theo Hernandez for years, but at the moment they haven’t made contact with AC Milan or with his agents. So nothing is really concrete yet and we should respect Milan on this one; Hernandez is a crucial player for them, and a transfer would cost really big big money, probably a record fee for a left-back in case they want to try for him. This is not something that would be ‘easy’ at all.

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Exclusive: Liverpool feel they’ve done “excellent job” with this area of transfer recruitment, says expert

Mark Brus — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 08:32:56 +0000

Liverpool feel they have done an excellent job with their midfield recruitment in last summer’s transfer window as they rebuilt with four new signings in that area of their squad.

That’s according to transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano, with the journalist explaining that the Reds feel they got a bargain with Alexis Mac Allister in particular, while they also rate Ryan Gravenberch as a top young talent who can reach the highest level in the future.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Romano explained that he was really impressed with how Liverpool dealt with this difficult time when it was vital for them to get their recruitment right.

Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all left LFC last summer and it was never likely to be easy completely rebuilding that area of Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

Alexis Mac Allister has proven a superb signing for Liverpool

Still, Mac Allister has been brilliant for Liverpool, while the likes of Gravenberch, Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai also look like smart additions, all joining without the club needing to spend a fortune.

Liverpool transfer business praised by Romano

“Klopp had to completely rebuild his midfield this season as five players – Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner – all left the club,” Romano said.

“Four new signings came in, with Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch all joining and looking now like fine business by Liverpool.

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“My understanding is that Liverpool are super happy with how they handled this important phase of recruitment. Not just now, but already in September Liverpool felt they did an excellent job. Mac Allister in particular is considered an incredible signing, a bargain considering conditions of the deal.

“And it’s the same with all the other midfielders who joined the club, especially Endo, who was not the biggest name but who has surprised a few people here in England, and they’re also convinced that Gravenberch’s future will be at the very top level as he bounces back from a difficult spell at Bayern Munich.”

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‘I’m pretty sure…’: Klopp expects 31-year-old to sign long-term Liverpool deal

Saikat Chatterjee — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 09:26:25 +0000

Liverpool managed to win the Carabao Cup against Chelsea yesterday and Japanese international midfielder Wataru Endo put on a splendid performance.

The Reds were plagued with injuries and they had to rely on multiple academy players. With several key players missing, the onus was on experienced players like Endo to guide his teammates and help them dominate the midfield contest.

The Japanese international was relentless throughout the game and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has now heaped praise on the 31-year-old. The German manager revealed that although the midfielder is 31, he is pretty sure that the player will sign a long-term contract with Liverpool.

He said: “I’m pretty sure that Wataru Endo will sign another long term contract at Liverpool. He might be 31 on the passport but he’s a machine!”.

??? Jurgen Klopp: "I'm pretty sure that Wataru Endo will sign another long term contract at Liverpool".

"He might be 31 on the passport but… he's a machine!". pic.twitter.com/L9JsksTOQC

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 26, 2024

Endo has certainly established himself as an important first-team player for Liverpool since joining the club at the start of the season. The former Bundesliga midfielder has been ever present for Liverpool and he will hope to build on his impressive start to life in the Premier League and guide them to more trophies in the coming months.

Liverpool are still on course for the quadruple and it remains to be seen whether they can finish the season strongly.

Klopp has already confirmed that this is his final season with Liverpool and the German will look to bow out in style. He will certainly hope that players like Endo can continue to perform at a high-level and help the team win the Premier League title, the Europa league and the FA Cup.

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Liverpool star spotted on crutches as injury concerns grow

Sean Walker — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 20:52:12 +0000

Wataru Endo was spotted on crutches after Liverpool’s Carabao Cup win against Chelsea on Sunday evening.

Jurgen Klopp’s side won their first piece of silverware so far this season as Virgil van Dijk headed home the winner in the 118th minute.

The Liverpool captain had an earlier headed goal ruled out for a controversial offside call but Liverpool’s young squad were not deterred as they went head-to-head with Chelsea.

The win will feel a bit more special to the German manager considering that he was missing several senior stars with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez out injured.

Liverpool fans will have their fingers crossed that another name isn’t added to that list after midfielder Endo was spotted on crutches as he left the stadium after the game.

Wataru Endo on crutches with his left foot in a protective boot. #LFC pic.twitter.com/jLxBYnvfrs

— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) February 25, 2024

The Japanese international produced an immense performance as Klopp hailed the 31-year-old during the celebrations.

“Wataru Endo, oh my god.” He told Sky Sports.

“He walked through the ceremony with the stiffest legs I ever saw.”

Fans will hope it’s just a precaution with a Premier League clash against Manchester City waiting just around the corner next month.

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Liverpool predicted line up for Carabao Cup final: Klopp to take on Chelsea with under-strength XI

Mark Brus — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 10:55:03 +0000

Liverpool can get their hands on what could be the first of a number of pieces of silverware this season today as they take on Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final.

The Reds are currently top of the Premier League table in what is looking like an extremely close title race, with Manchester City just a point behind in second place, and Arsenal then just another point behind them.

Winning an early trophy could be an important boost for Jurgen Klopp in his final season in charge of Liverpool, but it won’t be easy without so many key players who are set to miss the game due to injury, while there are one or two other doubts for today’s trip to Wembley.

Liverpool’s injury-hit XI to take on Chelsea

We already know that LFC are without Alisson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, while it’s also unclear if Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai will be fit to play today, so at a guess we’ve gone for this line up below…

Is this how Liverpool will line up against Chelsea?

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Liverpool may still be the slight favourites for this game, but the club’s injury problems will certainly make things interesting against a Chelsea side who have shown some recent signs of improvement.

The Merseyside giants will need to be at their very best and hope that the likes of Caoimhin Kelleher and Conor Bradley can step up on this big occasion.

Of course, we know Kelleher shouldn’t be too phased by this big game as he starred in that Carabao Cup final victory two years ago, when he scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out after a 0-0 draw.

Liverpool also won the FA Cup final on penalties against Chelsea later that season, so history is clearly on their side, with Chelsea not winning this trophy since all the way back in 2015.

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Klopp issues fresh injury concerns as Liverpool’s depth set to be tested

Jake Staniland — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 23:34:39 +0000

Jurgen Klopp is hopeful about Dominik Szoboszlai’s fitness after the midfielder sustained an injury against Newcastle.

Despite the setback, Liverpool secured a 4-2 victory at Anfield, with Mohamed Salah scoring twice, and Cody Gakpo and Curtis Jones also finding the net, extending their lead at the top of the table to three points.

Even though Liverpool had an impressive performance, there’s a concern for Klopp as Hungarian playmaker Szoboszlai was substituted after just over an hour, raising questions about his fitness. Klopp, though pleased with the team’s display, is now faced with uncertainties regarding his midfielder’s condition after the substitution.

Klopp stated in his post-match reaction: “It will change the world from a freshness point of view. Dominik Szoboszlai with a hamstring, we hope not too serious. Other players felt it as well. It’s super intense. But there’s no alternative if you want to win football games.”

The Liverpool manager will hope for a swift recovery for Szoboszlai, considering the upcoming strain on Liverpool’s squad. With midfielders like Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara also in the recovery phase from injuries, maintaining squad depth becomes crucial for the team.

Liverpool’s options are poised to decrease further in the coming weeks, with Wataru Endo set to leave for the Asia Cup. Additionally, the matchwinner against Newcastle, Salah, is expected to travel for the upcoming African Cup of Nations with Egypt, adding to the ever-growing challenges for Klopp and the squad.

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Jurgen Klopp: “Bit of a shame” – Liverpool manager’s admission to midfielder with 62 accurate passes vs Burnley

Jake Staniland — Tue, 26 Dec 2023 22:18:15 +0000

Jurgen Klopp praised Wataru Endo for his impressive performance in Liverpool’s 2-0 Premier League win against Burnley.

Despite a slow start to his Liverpool career after joining from Stuttgart in the summer, Endo has become a crucial presence in defensive midfield, especially with Alexis Mac Allister sidelined due to a knee problem. Klopp acknowledged Endo’s contributions as he continues to play a key role for the team.

“I loved his game, I have to say. It’s a bit of a shame he’s found his feet and now he goes to the Asia Cup. That’s how it is. It’s fine. What a boy. What a player. Very important, but in January we have to play more or less without him,” the German coach stated in his post-game reaction on Amazon Prime Video.

Wataru Endo is set to leave Liverpool after the upcoming home game against Newcastle United to represent Japan in the Asia Cup. The Asia Cup final is scheduled for February 10, and Endo’s departure will see him temporarily part ways with Liverpool as he joins the national team for the tournament.

It was a position which was put in the media’s spotlight when Liverpool let every natural holding midfielder leave in the summer, but Klopp brought in Endo to play that role. After a few average performances, by his standards, the Japanese international has found his normal playing levels at Liverpool.

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Exclusive: Liverpool summer signing “a level or two below” Chelsea star, admits LFC expert

Mark Brus — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 10:09:24 +0000

Liverpool FC writer Neil Jones has admitted that summer signing Wataru Endo is a level or two below Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo in that area of the pitch.

Jones, speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing column, took a look back at Caicedo ultimately snubbing Liverpool to join Chelsea in the summer, even though at one point it looked like he could be making the move from Brighton to Anfield.

The Ecuador international looked superb at Brighton and is starting to settle at Stamford Bridge now as well, so one imagines many Liverpool fans would gladly have taken him over someone like Endo in the summer.

While Jones is impressed with how Endo has done, in what has generally been a strong rebuild in midfield for Liverpool, he suspects there’ll be some tinge of regret from Jurgen Klopp that the Caicedo deal ended up falling through.

Moises Caicedo joined Chelsea over Liverpool in the summer

Jones also suggested that, given how things have gone for Liverpool and Chelsea this season, Caicedo himself may also question if he made the right decision.

“Caicedo, though, would have added so much to this Liverpool side, and I’d be amazed if Klopp didn’t feel at least a tinge of regret about the Ecuadorian’s decision to move to Stamford Bridge instead of Anfield. Wataru Endo might be doing OK, but he’s a level or two below Caicedo, and a fair bit older as well,” Jones said.

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