Daichi Kamada admits he is not happy with his lack of game time at Lazio just days after the Japan international’s agent admitted that Premier League giants Liverpool were keen in the summer window.
Now, Wataru Endo – Daichi Kamada’s team-mate for the Japanese national team – knows first-hand just how fierce the competition is for a starting berth in Jurgen Klopp’s midfield.
Endo has played only 118 minutes of Premier League football for Liverpool since his £16 million move from Stuttgart. Kamada’s role at Lazio is not quite so bit-part. But a player who could have joined Endo at Anfield is certainly not relishing his current status under Biancocelesti boss Maurizio Sarri, coming off the bench more often than he’s featured in the starting XI during his debut campaign in Serie A.
Liverpool looked at Lazio’s Daichi Kamada
“I honestly didn’t think I’d play so little for Lazio,” Kamada tells Japanese publication Sports Hochi, stuck behind Luis Alberto, Mathias Vecino and Matteo Guendouzi in Sarri’s pecking order (Tuttomercatoweb).
“Luis is a legend, and I understand that it’s important to help him by bringing in a more physical player like Vecino and Guendouzi.I like the environment at Lazio. I have a good relationship with both my team-mates and the fans, who always make their warm support felt.
“But it’s not enough. A professional needs to play with more continuity.”
Kamada has only started four league games so far since joining Lazio on a free from Eintracht Frankfurt. According to Tuttomercatoweb, Kamada only has an initial one-year deal at the Stadio Olimpico, and there is a chance that the extension clause will not be triggered if he continues to warm the bench.
Whether Liverpool would consider returning for the 27-year-old in the New Year remains to be seen. Kamada, at least, is unlikely to be short of offers should he find himself looking for another club again in 2024.
Only four Serie A starts so far
“The player was (available) on a free transfer, and many clubs had gone for him,” Gianluca Di Carlo, Kamada’s agent, tells Sport Italia.
“Milan, Liverpool, Benfica, Real Sociedad (were all interested).”
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