It’s official. Wataru Endō to Liverpool, here we go! Fabrizio confirms and the player will be a red in the upcoming days!
The player will join Liverpool from the Bundesliga team Stuttgard for €18m fee.
Congratulations Reds!
Wataru Endō to Liverpool, here we go! Medical tests booked on Thursday for Japanese midfielder who’s joining from Stuttgard for €18m fee 🚨🔴🇯🇵 #LFC
Personal terms agreed in few hours as Endō asked as Stuttgart captain to leave & follow his dream.
Exclusive story, confirmed. pic.twitter.com/AYZ2bKuauP
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 16, 2023
Who is Wataru Endo?
Aged 30, Endo is a left-field option for the Reds, having played just three seasons in one of the established major leagues. The Japan international spent time with Shonan Bellmare and Urawa Red Diamonds in the J League, winning the AFC Champions League with the latter in 2017.
He earned his move to European football the year after with Sint-Truiden in Belgium, before joining Stuttgart on loan in 2019. He helped the German giants return to the Bundesliga, getting a permanent contract in the process.
In three seasons in the German top flight, he has scored 12 goals and registered 11 assists, including a strike in last season’s relegation play-off. Traditionally a deeper-lying midfielder, Endo is also capable of being deployed as a centre-back.
In his first season in the Bundesliga, he was the league leader in challenges – putting in a remarkable 476. Endo was quickly made the club’s captain, a position he still holds to this day. He has a year left on his remaining contract, but is – unsurprisingly – open to making the move to Anfield and the Premier League.
“As a player and as a person, he’s simply incredibly valuable,” Stuttgart’s former director Sven Mislintat said in 2021. “He’s one of these anchors, a focal point in our system. Whether he plays as a centre-back or as a defensive midfielder, it’s good that he’s there and performs.”
The manager who gave him the armband, Pellegrino Matarazzo added: “It’s important for me that our captain can take everyone with him, that he embodies the values we stand for and is an example to follow. I have chosen Wataru Endo because he’s also someone who leaves room for other players to take responsibility.”
And he has admitted that the German market is where he will focus his attention, having already landed Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig. “Of course there are always players in Germany who are attractive. Then my experience on the market is in demand,” he explained.
