Lucas Gourna-Douath & Alan Varela In, Wataru Endō Out

Despite my affection for the Japan captain, Wataru Endō, there is no denying that his last ditch signing from last summer, has not replaced the brilliance that Fabinho once brought.

As a third-choice option, the former VfB Stuttgart man was pinpointed by the former interim Sporting Director, Jörg Schmadtke, after deals for both Moisés Caicedo and Roméo Lavia, fell away from his Ibiza based grasp.

My ongoing assumption is that the new Liverpool CEO, Michael Edwards, will take the next three transfer windows to build a squad that he truly believes in. Despite the wants and desires of the new head coach, Arne Slot, there will have been some conditions that would have been presented to the Feyenoord manager, before he signed a contract for the Merseyside giants.

Aging and regressing assets will no longer be tolerated, nor will signings that do not fit a data driven analysis. The previous purchase of the now 31-year-old Japanese warrior (only a year ago), was always going to be something that was remedied in time. Due to the departure of his legendary former manager, Jürgen Klopp, it is now likely that the departed advocate of the 62-cap international will culminate in his sale, only a season on from his arrival.

Smart Business to Sell the Defensive Midfielder?

Following the retirement of the all-time great, Thiago Alcântara, as well as comments made by the reds New Sporting Director, Richard Hughes, it seems that the signing of a midfielder was always going to be undertaken during the summer months.

If a decision has been made to attempt to recoup the £16m outlay for the Japan skipper, it indicates that the executives within the club would be looking at a further addition (to their original plan) in August. As long as two defensive minded midfielders are attained before the close of this window, such an endeavour could become a huge positive and represent an immediate upgrade upon what was present last season.

The forward-thinking team of recruiter’s will no doubt be revealing when supplying listed targets to their bosses, which may allow the vibrant new system to operate from day one.

Who Are Liverpool’s Transfer Targets?

The most common links to an elite level standard of player, are that of Alan Varela, Martín Zubimendi, Ederson and Manuel Ugarte, all listed in my order of preference. It would cost in the region of £50m to attain any one of those destroyers, with each individual offering slightly different attributes, depending on what the Liverpool coaching staff desire. In a world where the former Bournemouth Technical Director, Richard Hughes, accepts a bid for his veteran destroyer, the following secondary targets could be approached to completely reshape that number six position.

• Lucas Gourna-Douath

• Manu Koné

• Ezequiel Fernández

I believe all three secondary targets could be attained for around the £20m, which could mean signing two specialist holding midfielders for around the £70m mark.

The starting position would therefore not be overloaded, whereas a younger option could be moulded and brought into the side sporadically.

All Part of The Masterplan?

When the return announcement of the Portsmouth based executive, Michael Edwards, was presented to the fanbase, there was an excitement which made the departure of the illustrious German manager, Klopp, that bit easier to take.

In this opening season and within his new role, the club will be operating with a completely altered regime from the training pitch to the front office. Given that this would have been overseen by the new CEO, it makes the demand to achieve this season paramount. Despite my not wanting to see major changes within the current squad, it would be impossible to imagine the 44-year-old former Sporting Director, not wanting to place a significant imprint on the group.

By receiving the full backing of his employees, FSG, both Edwards and his eventual successor, 42-year-old Hughes, will understand that the short and long-term success was very much placed within their hands, which means that certain decisions may be taken to align things quicker than expected.

As a back up to an incoming and starting level defensive midfielder, there is no major issue in keeping the former Shonan Bellmare academy graduate, Wataru Endō, at Anfield for another season. I am intrigued, however, to see what could transpire if further bids from Marseille (or other interested parties) were to avail themselves.

Despite the concerns of the fanbase and the lack of action thus far in the summer window of 2024, this month of August represents an opportunity to attain undervalued assets for below market price. We are all too aware of the selling power of Edwards, therefore, I choose to trust the judgment of an elite level operator and am excited to see what comes next.