Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, two players who had been entrusted with the bottom of the midfield until last season, successively requested a move to Saudi Arabia. Liverpool, in urgent need of a defensive midfielder, came close to acquiring Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
However, the players opted to move to Chelsea and refused to travel north to England. As a result, Liverpool acquired Japanese midfielder Wataru Endo, and on the last day of the transfer deadline, they welcomed Dutch U-21 midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, although not defensively.
In the process, Liverpool also explored other options. According to Fabrizio Romano, it was no more and no less, while revealing the fact that they conducted an inquiry for Moroccan midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, who joined Manchester United.
“Speaking of Amrabat, I’ve been asked about some reports of Liverpool coming very close to signing the Moroccan midfielder this summer. From what I know, there was just a call from Liverpool in the summer right after the Moises Caicedo story to ask for conditions of Amrabat deal and then nothing else.”
“It was not even a negotiation, just a request and then they moved on [to] different targets. I think there’s no need to compare as in that position they preferred Wataru Endo, so their choice was clear.”
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The 27-year-old midfielder, who became a household name after his breakthrough performance at the World Cup in Qatar, remained at Fiorentina until early 2023, when Liverpool was said to be in the market for him.
He joined the Red Devils on loan in the summer transfer window, a move he had been eagerly anticipating.
It is unclear whether he would have been able to make a difference at Anfield, as the style of play between Liverpool and the Moroccan national team is significantly different.
As a result, Alexis Mac Allister has adapted to anchoring, Endo is slowly starting to get used to it, and the squad is now well-stocked with young midfielder Stefan Bajcetic.