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Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
The veteran defensive midfielder helps to fill the biggest void in Jürgen Klopp’s retooled Liverpool side.
Liverpool have signed a much needed defensive midfielder and it’s a name nobody would have seen coming at the start of the week, with the club officially announcing the arrival of Japan and Stuttgart captain Wataru Endo ahead of their Saturday fixture against Bournemouth.
The 30-year-old has signed a four-year deal with the club in a reported €19M deal and is expected to be registered in time to at least make the bench on the weekend, though it’s not likely the player will be asked to slot straight into the starting eleven on his second day at the club.
“I’m very happy right now and I’m so excited to join a big club in Liverpool,” the player said of achieving his Premier League dream in the later stages of his career. “It feels amazing and this is my dream, to play in the Premier League and with one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“It’s a dream come true for me. It’s going to be the first time for me that I play at Anfield. I can’t wait to play at Anfield in front of Liverpool fans. I’m like a bit more of a defensive player. I think I can help this club defensively and I am looking forward to seeing you at Anfield!”
Endo has been considered by many one of the Bundesliga’s top midfielders over the past three seasons, a defensively dominant player in a side that also often needed him to be their creative force in midfield. It’s the defensive side of his game, though, that’s the draw for the Reds.
With veterans Fabinho and Jordan Henderson departing, there is also value in reintroducing a more veteran element to a midfield whose second-oldest player until today was 24-year-old summer signing Alexis Mac Allister, and all the signs point to Endo being an intriguing addition.
