Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp seemed to subtly criticize Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia following the club’s announcement of Wataru Endo’s arrival.
The Reds revealed on Friday that they had acquired Endo from Stuttgart for an approximate fee of £16.2 million, pending a work permit and international clearance.
Liverpool successfully secured the services of the 30-year-old Japanese international on a four-year contract. This came after failing to secure deals for both Ecuadorian international Caicedo and Belgian midfielder Lavia, who ended up signing with Chelsea.
Caicedo had appeared set to join Liverpool after the club reached an agreement with Brighton on a transfer fee. However, the defensive midfielder chose to reject Liverpool’s offer and instead moved to Chelsea for a Premier League record of £115 million.
Adding further disappointment, long-standing target Lavia also turned down Klopp’s team in favor of Chelsea. The Blues confirmed his transfer from Southampton to Stamford Bridge for £58 million.
Klopp emphasized his contentment with Endo’s eagerness to join Anfield. Meanwhile, he naturally downplayed the fact that both Lavia and Caicedo had rejected Liverpool’s advances.
Jurgen Klopp on whether he feels let down by Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia 🤔 #LFC
“Transfer business is like that, you talk to people, the player, the agent, the club and sometimes it works out and sometimes not.” pic.twitter.com/ecERxLgtXY
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) August 18, 2023
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of the clash against Bournemouth, Klopp said: “The transfer business is like that. Sometimes it works out, sometimes not.
“Last week was a tricky one. You can either stick with the problem or find a solution.”
As seen in the above video, Klopp added, perhaps as a dig at how the Caicedo deal collapsed: “I’m really happy we can announce an agreement [for Endo] with the club and the player, which is really cool.”
Endo, who is Japan captain and was skipper at Stuttgart, said on the move: “It feels amazing. It’s always been a dream to play in the Premier League and with one of the biggest clubs in the world. It’s a dream come true for me.
“I think I can help this club defensively and I will have good organisation in the middle.”
The 30-year-old arrival follows the exits of ex-Reds midfielders Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer.