Liverpool's EFL Cup Victory Highlights Frimpong and Endo's Struggles
Liverpool marched into the fourth round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night, but the 2-0 win over Tottenham at Anfield told a harsher story about two members of Andoni Iraola’s squad than it did about the scoreline.
This was supposed to be a night for the understudies. It became an audition some simply failed to take.
Frimpong Exposed on a Big Chance
Iraola ripped up his weekend XI that drew with Fulham, making 10 changes and throwing the spotlight on the fringe players he needs to trust over a long season. Trey Nyoni, James McConnell and Lewis Koumas were handed rare starts. So was Jeremie Frimpong.
On paper, the Dutchman fits Iraola’s blueprint. The Basque coach loves full-backs who fly forward, stretch the pitch, and pin opponents back. In reality, Frimpong never got close to that brief.
Stationed at right-back, the summer 2025 signing from Bayer Leverkusen struggled to leave a mark going forward and looked increasingly uncomfortable without the ball. Tottenham quickly sensed a weakness. They went after his flank, over and over again.
Mathys Tel drifted into the space behind him. Mohammed Kudus and Omar Marmoush pulled him wide, dragged him inside, tested his positioning and his timing. For most of his 90 minutes, Frimpong looked like a man trying to plug too many leaks at once.
This is not a one-off concern. Since arriving for £30m, he has yet to convince in a red shirt. The crowd’s patience has worn thin at times, and criticism has followed him through last season and into this one.
The contrast on the team sheet is brutal. Ronald Araujo has pulled clear as Iraola’s first-choice right-back. Conor Bradley is on his way back from injury and expected to rejoin the fight soon. Frimpong, by comparison, is clinging to his place in the conversation.
Right now, inside the club and in the stands, he is widely seen as one of Liverpool’s weakest links. For a side still searching for someone who can come close to matching what Trent Alexander-Arnold once offered before his move to Real Madrid, that is a damning verdict.
If Liverpool want their right flank to be a weapon again rather than a target, the evidence of nights like this points in one direction: either Frimpong finds another level quickly, or the recruitment team will be forced back into the market for a new first-choice right-back.
Endo Frozen Out
If Frimpong at least had the chance to convince, Wataru Endo barely had a chance to warm up.
The 33-year-old midfielder, signed for £16m, watched on as Anfield turned into a showcase for the next generation. He had every reason to believe this tie might finally offer him a route back onto the pitch. Instead, he stayed rooted to the bench.
The warning signs came before kick-off. Endo had already been left out of Liverpool’s 25-man Champions League squad last week, alongside Federico Chiesa. McConnell and Nyoni, teenagers by comparison, made the cut ahead of him.
When Iraola then made 10 changes for the Cup and still did not turn to Endo, the message grew louder. The manager picked 22-year-old McConnell and 19-year-old Nyoni in midfield from the start, even with Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai held back on the bench.
This was the kind of game that usually belongs to squad men. A rotated XI, a home tie, lower jeopardy, minutes to spread around. If Endo could not get on here, when exactly is he going to play?
Iraola has been open about the pecking order in recent days.
“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 are polite. The selections are ruthless.
Endo impressed as an emergency centre-back against Como in pre-season, showing his versatility and experience. He has not been used there since. He has been an unused substitute in all four of Liverpool’s Premier League matches so far this term. Now, even in a heavily rotated Cup tie, he cannot get on the pitch.
His contract runs out at the end of the season. With so many players clearly ahead of him in Iraola’s plans, Liverpool are staring at a simple business decision: cash in during January, or let him leave for nothing in the summer.
On this evidence, the conclusion feels inevitable. Iraola does not trust him enough to use him. Endo needs minutes and a role. Liverpool need a squad spot and a fee.
For one right-back and one midfielder, this comfortable win over Tottenham did not feel like progress. It felt like the night their Liverpool futures moved a step closer to the exit door.
