To the surprise of many a Liverpool fan, no doubt, the Reds are set to veer rather starkly from what many presumed to be their intended trajectory this summer.
James Pearce of The Athletic reported on Monday morning that the Merseysiders will NOT be moving for a specialist No.6 in the current window, with a more multi-functional operator the preference as things currently stand.
“As things stand, Liverpool don’t intend to recruit another specialist No 6 this summer – another sign of how highly Klopp regards Endo. He’s been bought to start matches,” the journalist wrote. “With Stefan Bajcetic returning to the matchday squad on Saturday after five months out injured, the teenager is viewed as a suitable alternative in that role.”
On that basis, this could rule out a handful of options recently discussed in the rumour mill; the likes of Sofyan Amrabat, Cheick Doucoure, Joao Palhinha, to name a few, would appear to have been brushed off the table.
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Where does this leave us? Effectively, we’ve come almost full circle, with links to players like Manu Kone and Khephren Thuram sure to be reignited in light of their own positional versatility.
Given that much of the £110m kitty remains available for use too, there should hardly be any serious stumbling blocks when it comes to options that won’t attract as earth-shattering an asking price as Moises Caicedo.
We’d have preferred to see a specialist No.6 waltz in through the doors of the AXA training centre but another midfielder in that Jurgen Klopp can mould and a left-side centre-half would do us just fine, Reds.
#Ep85 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Jan Åge Fjørtoft on Wataru Endo🎙️