Endo can be a success at Liverpool – and a better buy than Caicedo

Midfielder was impressive in Bundesliga and captains Japan but Asian players rarely get the credit they deserve.

STEADY START: Wataru Endo during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth at Anfield. 

Some have suggested it was a panic buy. Sky Sports said that you had to feel for Liverpool’s fans and one UK newspaper talked of “an initial sense of shock mixed with hints of ridicule and even despair”. 

It reflects a fairly underwhelming response to Wataru Endo arriving at Anfield. After missing out on Moisés Caicedo the move may have lacked a certain glamour and excitement especially when it involved a 30-year-old player but it also does not help that he is Asian and from a part of the football world still underrated. If Endo had been Argentinian, German or French it is likely there would have been far more fanfare.