Liverpool confirmed the signing of Wataru Endo ahead of their Premier League fixture with Bournemouth
Michael Owen has cast doubt over Liverpool’s long-term planning in the transfer market after completing a deal for Wataru Endo.
The Japanese midfielder arrived at Anfield on Friday for a fee of £86m, leaving behind Stuttgart whom he had represented for the previous four seasons.
A move for the 30-year-old came about after Liverpool saw deals for both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia collapse, with the pair instead heading for Chelsea. At 21 and 19 years of age respectively, the Reds would have been signing individuals to power their midfield department for the next decade but have instead opted for a player approaching the latter stages of his career.
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Jurgen Klopp revealed Enzo was a player that has featured high on his wish-list for quite some time and could represent a James Milner-like figure at the club, leading by example and making his experience count.
Offering his view on this piece of transfer business, Owen has praised Liverpool’s ability to respond quickly to missing out on targets but has questioned how much use Klopp will get out of Endo.
“Quite clearly he wasn’t their first choice, let’s get it right,” the former Reds striker told Premier League Productions of this deal. “But I like the way Liverpool have given a bit of clarity, they’ve gone and done it. The longer that went on without having that No.6, the more the prices get ramped up and all kinds. There’s a lot of nervousness amongst the fans and the players
Target one, that didn’t happen, target two, that didn’t happen. The next day virtually, we heard there was a medical taking place and a fee being agreed. So I think Liverpool should be commended by that. They’ve taken a lot of criticism in the last week or two for not getting a couple of signings over the line.”
“It remains to be seen whether he’s a good buy,” continued Owen. “I mean, he’s experienced, he’s 30 years of age. It’s not long-term thinking. They were going to spend over £100m on Caicedo, let’s say, that would have been for a decade or so to nail down that position. Whereas this one it’s almost like a stop-gap for maybe two or three years, until they find another one.
