Frimpong and Endo Struggle in Liverpool's EFL Cup Win
Liverpool marched into the fourth round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night, but the 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield told a harsher story about two players on the fringes of Andoni Iraola’s plans.
This was supposed to be a showcase for the squad players. Instead, it underlined just how far some of them have slipped.
Frimpong Exposed on a Night for Auditions
Iraola rang the changes – 10 in total from the side that drew with Fulham at the weekend – and leaned heavily on youth. Trey Nyoni, James McConnell and Lewis Koumas all earned rare starts, the kind of opportunity young players dream about under the lights at Anfield.
Jeremie Frimpong got one too. He may have wished he hadn’t.
The Dutchman, signed from Bayer Leverkusen for £30m in the summer of 2025, slotted in at right-back, the role Iraola demands so much from. The Spaniard wants his full-backs to fly forward, stretch the game, pin opponents back. Frimpong never really got there.
Going the other way, it was worse. Spurs quickly sensed a weakness and went after him. Time and again, attacks flowed down his flank. Mathys Tel, Mohammed Kudus and Omar Marmoush all took turns isolating him, and across his 90 minutes he struggled to keep them quiet.
The pattern became obvious. When Tottenham wanted joy, they went to his side.
Frimpong has yet to convince in a red shirt, and the frustration has been building in the stands. Criticism from supporters has followed him through this season and the last, and nights like this do nothing to change the narrative.
Right now, Ronald Araujo is clearly Iraola’s first-choice right-back. Conor Bradley is also on the comeback trail after injury and is expected to return to the mix soon. That leaves Frimpong fighting not for the starting berth, but to prove he belongs in the conversation at all.
For a £30m signing, that is a brutal reality. Inside the club, he is widely viewed as one of the weaker options in the squad. With Trent Alexander-Arnold long gone to Real Madrid and still not truly replaced, the sense grows that Liverpool will have to dip back into the market for a new first-choice right-back.
Frimpong has time, but not much. Performances like this only tighten the clock.
Endo Frozen Out as Kids Leapfrog Him
If Frimpong at least had the chance to play, Wataru Endo barely had a glimpse of the stage.
On a night of heavy rotation, with 10 changes and teenagers trusted in central areas, the 33-year-old midfielder never left the bench. For a senior international who cost £16m, that feels damning.
The warning signs were already there. Last week, Liverpool left Endo out of their 25-man Champions League squad, alongside Federico Chiesa. McConnell and Nyoni both made the cut ahead of him. That decision raised eyebrows. This one underlined it.
With Liverpool’s Premier League campaign four games old, Endo has been an unused substitute in every match. The EFL Cup tie against Spurs, at home, in a heavily rotated side, looked like the perfect moment to give him minutes – in midfield or even in defence.
He had impressed at centre-back against Como in pre-season, showing versatility that might have helped his cause. It hasn’t. He has not been used there since.
Instead, Iraola handed starts to 22-year-old McConnell and 19-year-old Nyoni in the middle of the park, even though Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai were kept in reserve on the bench. Youth and energy were trusted. Experience was ignored.
Iraola did not hide the pecking order when he spoke recently.
“The problem is, in front of him in his position, I have a lot of players,” he said. “He’s competing against a lot of players because we are also giving minutes to Trey (Nyoni), Ryan (Gravenberch), Alexis (Mac Allister), Dom (Szoboszlai), players that I am selecting right now.
“But Wata is definitely a player that I like and for sure he will have his moments.”
The words were kind. The team sheet was ruthless.
If a senior pro cannot get on the pitch in a game like this – with sweeping rotation, with teenagers trusted, with the tie under control – then when, exactly, will those “moments” arrive?
Endo’s contract expires at the end of the season. With so many players ahead of him and his role shrinking by the week, Liverpool face a simple calculation. January is their last realistic chance to recoup a fee.
All the signs point in one direction. Iraola clearly does not see him as part of the club’s long-term picture. For Liverpool, for Endo, for a squad still being reshaped, the cleanest solution may be a winter exit.
Two careers, one night at Anfield. Frimpong still has a thin lifeline to grasp. Endo’s looks almost gone.
