It’s been a busy couple of days for Premier League transfers, with Liverpool responding to sign a much-needed midfielder following Chelsea pipping them to yet another star signing, while Aston Villa have secured a major coup.
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REDS LAND ‘LATE BLOOMER’
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said on Friday he was happy to sign “late bloomer” Wataru Endo, with the Japan midfielder arriving at Anfield after Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia opted to join Chelsea instead.
No fee has been disclosed for the 30-year-old Endo’s “long-term contract” but reports valued his move from Bundesliga club Stuttgart at £19 million ($24 million, 22 million euros).
Liverpool have been on the hunt for a defensive midfielder since both captain Jordan Henderson and Fabinho made the move to Saudi Arabia during the ongoing transfer window.
The Reds’ attempts to sign Brighton’s Caicedo and Southampton’s Lavia failed, with both players heading to big-spending Chelsea.
But Klopp, speaking ahead of Saturday’s match against Bournemouth — the Reds’ first home game this season following last week’s draw at Chelsea — told a press conference he had long been an admirer of Endo.
“First of all, I’m really happy that we can have an agreement with a club and a player which is really cool,” Klopp said.
“I am from Germany, I watch a lot of Bundesliga, I’ve known him since he is at Stuttgart, I liked him pretty much from the start when he started playing there.
“He’s a little bit of a late bloomer and usually for us for the way our owners see it, he was already too old when he joined Stuttgart but I obviously have a different view on that and I always liked him.”
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On Liverpool’s transfer market issues, Klopp added: “The last week was obviously a tricky one, no doubt about that. But when you have a problem you can stick to the problem or find a solution, I’m more than happy to have the solution.
“The transfer business is like that — you talk to people, the players and clubs and sometimes it works out and sometimes not.
“There’s nothing else to say about that. All things that were said in these conversations, they stay between me and the specific other party, nothing to say about that, really.”
BLUES SIGN ANOTHER MIDFIELD SUPERSTAR
Chelsea have signed Romeo Lavia on a seven-year contract from Southampton it was announced Friday in the latest addition to their squad after the teenage midfielder rejected a move to Premier League rivals Liverpool.
No fee has been disclosed but British media reports stated the deal was £53 million rising to £58 million ($A115m).
Lavia, 19, is the eighth player to join Chelsea in the current transfer window, with the London club, now owned by a consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly, having spent more than £350 million — although they have sold several high-value footballers as well.
Belgium international Lavia has made 29 Premier League appearances and has arrived at Stamford Bridge following south coast side Southampton’s relegation from English football’s top-flight last season.
“I can’t wait to meet all my new teammates and build a chemistry together to achieve great things together,” Lavia told Chelsea’s website.
He is now set to compete for a place in Chelsea’s midfield with Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo — the two most expensive players in English football transfer history.
Caicedo arrived from Brighton earlier this month for a reported fee of up to £115 million, surpassing the £107 million the Blues paid Portuguese giants Benfica for Fernandez back in January
VILLA LAND ITALIAN GUN
Aston Villa signed Italy midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo on loan from Galatasaray on Friday.
Zaniolo, 24, is the Premier League club’s fourth signing since the end of last season.
The deal reportedly involves an option for Villa to make the move permanent. “Aston Villa is delighted to announce the loan signing of Italian international Nicolo Zaniolo,” a statement on the club’s website said.
Zaniolo spent five years with Roma and scored the winning goal in their Europa Conference League final success in 2022.
He left for Galatasaray in February and helped the club win the Turkish league title.
Zaniolo, who has 13 caps for Italy, joins Pau Torres, Youri Tielemans and Moussa Diaby as new faces in Unai Emery’s squad.
Villa were thrashed 5-1 at Newcastle in their Premier League opener last weekend and host Everton in their second game on Sunday.
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