20 August 2023 , 19:41
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Michael Owen believes Wataru Endo is a "stop-gap" signing and that Liverpool still need to find a long-term solution to their No.6 problem.
The Reds started the season without a recognised defensive midfielder after agreeing to sell Fabinho to Al-Ittihad and losing out on both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Chelsea last week.
Jurgen Klopp and the Anfield hierarchy would turn their attention to Endo, a Japanese international, earlier this week and the 30-year-old made his Liverpool bow in Saturday's 3-1 win over Bournemouth. But Owen, who started his career with the Reds, is far from convinced over the signing.
Speaking to premierleague.com, Owen said: “Quite clearly he wasn’t their first choice, let’s get it right. 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, a fee being agreed et cetera. 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.”
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Owen continued: “It remains to be seen whether he’s a good buy. I mean, he’s experienced, he’s 30 years of age. It’s not long-term thinking.
Join the debate! Do you think Endo will be a good signing for Liverpool? Let us know here.
Endo made his Liverpool debut against Bournemouth on Saturday (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)“They were going to spend over £100m on Caicedo let’s say, that would have been for a decade or so, nail down that position, that’s sorted, let’s move on. Whereas this one it’s almost like a stop-gap for maybe two or three years, until they find another one.”
Despite Owen's verdict, Klopp was enthused by the arrival of Endo earlier this week and even claimed that several of his former players believe signing the veteran is a "genius" move. The German did, however, admit that the profile of Endo is different to the type of players Liverpool usually target in the transfer market.
Klopp told club media earlier this week: "I'm really happy. Wataru is a really good player. I know in this world of football how it goes and stuff like this, but have a look, have a look, because he's a really good player. Experienced player, captain of Stuttgart, captain of Japan, speaks good English, nice fella, family man, machine on the pitch, good footballer on top of that, sensational attitude.
"So, I'm really happy. He's a good footballer, very experienced and loves to work extremely hard. If he's not 30, firstly, I am not sure we get him. Second, he was always on my list, just usually we don't sign players of this age group.
"He is obviously a top fit and we will have a lot of fun with him. I'm really sure he can help us immediately, which is super-cool because the season already started. So, he will show how good he is on the pitch and I can't wait to have him around."