Richard Hughes has a difficult decision to make regarding the future of Wataru Endo . The Japan captain joined Liverpool last summer yet could already be heading for the exit door.
Marseille has made a bid of $15.2m (£11.8m/€14m) which the Reds have rejected . Journalist David Lynch has reported that “a higher offer could tempt the Reds to sell,” though, so this saga is far from over.
Most onlookers would suggest Liverpool needs to increase its stock of defensive midfielders, not lessen it. While that may be true, the club may have already purchased Endo’s long-term heir, with new head coach Arne Slot having other valid options for the position too.
READ MORE: 4 transfer options to replace Wataru Endo as Liverpool could be 'tempted' by higher offer
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The leading candidate is Stefan Bajcetic . He was signed from Celta Vigo in December 2020 for a fee of around $287k (£224k/€266k). That looked a bargain almost as soon as he stepped onto the pitch for the first team.
The 19-year-old made 19 appearances in 2022/23 but was only able to add a further three to his career tally last season due to injury problems. Slot acknowledged this when speaking about Bajcetic after Friday's 1-0 win over Real Betis .
“I think you have to take into account with Stefan that he was out for a year, one-and-a-half years almost. So if a young player is out for that long, you have to give him some time,” he said .
“But I saw today already a few good moments from him and also a few moments where he got caught because he acted a bit too slow. But I think that’s normal if you’ve been out for such a long time [and] then you need rhythm, you need game time to grow even further,” Slot continued. “But I think he showed some good moments during the half-hour that he played.”
Another youngster who had a chance to shine against Betis was Tyler Morton . Unlike Bajcetic, he joined the Liverpool academy at the age of seven. He also played far more football in 2023/24, enjoying a successful loan spell in the Championship with Hull City.
Morton proved his ball playing ability there too. He was placed among the top 100 midfielders globally for maintaining possession in high-pressure situations by CIES Football Observatory, a fact certain to impress Slot. The Liverpool boss might not need an immediate replacement if Endo departs after all. Whether he would opt for Bajcetic or Morton as his primary defensive midfielder remains to be seen though.
Liverpool.com says: As talented as the young midfielders are, it would be a mistake to tackle a season as important as Slot's first without experienced players for such a key position. Equally, perhaps Endo's exit would prove the making of the youngsters. There will be clamor from supporters for further recruitment should the Japanese international leave though.
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