Why Liverpool signed Endo and other midfield deals to keep an eye on
Wataru Endo’s arrival at Liverpool from Stuttgart was certainly a surprise. But Liverpool’s recruitment team tends to work discreetly.
Signing Endo for £16m might seem underwhelming to some fans, especially when the week before Liverpool were trying for Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, losing out on both to Chelsea. But Endo isn’t some consolation prize. From what I am told Jurgen Klopp played a big part in the deal, and he had to because Liverpool don’t usually pay fees for players in their late 20s or above.
Endo might not excite the fanbase in the same way as Caicedo or Lavia would have, but the Japan international proved reliable during a difficult debut against Bournemouth, coming off the bench to help ten-man Liverpool hold on to three points. He looked assured on the ball.
Liverpool do still want another midfielder, but not necessarily a No.6 unless the right opportunity presents itself. That’s partly because Stefan Bajcetic is back in the squad.
Keep an eye on long-standing target Ryan Gravenberch, though, who is a more versatile midfielder. Bayern’s position all summer has been that they don’t want to sell, but the player is open to Liverpool having endured a tough first season in Germany. Let’s see if Bayern’s position changes in the final few days of the window.
Liverpool have also been linked with Kalvin Phillips. I have been told all summer Phillips wants to stay at Manchester City and fight for his place. Nonetheless, this one could still be one to keep an eye on, because Liverpool did look at Phillips when he was still at Leeds.
Tottenham remain calm in race to replace Kane
Tottenham aren’t panicking about replacing Harry Kane. Ange Postecoglou has brought a real sense of calmness to the club. The new Spurs boss has impressed to date with his level-headed attitude.
Spurs are going to be busy between now and when the window shuts because they have some outgoings to resolve to ensure the squad side is manageable.
As far as replacing Kane is concerned, Jonathan David was a concrete target under Fabio Paratici, but so much has changed since then. It won’t be easy doing business with Lille either with so little time left in the window. David’s asking price is now as high as €65m, and this has put off many interested clubs.
Gent’s Gift Orban has also been considered, although Spurs are yet to table a formal bid. Orban has a lot of qualities to like but is ultimately unproven at Premier League level.
Spurs would love Lautaro Martinez, but Inter have been telling suitors all summer he’s not for sale. And I don’t think Spurs will move for Dusan Vlahovic either despite some summer links.
What is clear is Postecoglou doesn’t want to panic buy, and the type of profile he is looking for is different to the type of players Paratici was looking for when Antonio Conte was still at the club. That’s why directly replacing Kane (if that’s even possible!) may take some time.
I can still see Spurs adding a striker in the final days of the window but the question is whether they save some of that Kane fee in order to take their time for a flagship signing in the windows that follow, or spend big now.