Wataru Endo has admitted that one factor in his decision to join Liverpool was the chance to work with Jurgen Klopp, who he grew up watching when the German was manager of Borussia Dortmund.
The 30-year-old defensive midfielder became Liverpool’s third signing of the summer on Friday, in a deal 90min understands to be worth £16m.
Endo’s move to Anfield caught many by surprise, with the deal completed pretty quickly after first breaking, but is rich reward for the fine form he’s shown for Stuttgart over the past three years – where he also played as a centre-back as well as in midfield.
Speaking to the club’s official website about his new home, Endo revealed that his experiences watching Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund team, who won two Bundesliga titles between 2010 and 2012, helped him make the decision to sign for Liverpool.
I’m very happy to work with him because when I became a football player I often watched Dortmund games when he was there and Shinji [Kagawa] was also there,” the 50-cap Japan international said. “I think my ex-teammate must be happy. And, of course, I’m very happy to work with him.”
Endo also admitted that he idolised former Liverpool captain and legendary midfielder Steven Gerrard when growing up, saying: “When I was a kid, I often watched Premier League games with my father. I liked [Steven] Gerrard and I often watched how he played. I often watched Liverpool games.”
Liverpool were in dire need of a new midfield signing after a summer of overhaul in the middle of the park. While they had spent big on Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, the decision to allow five midfielders in Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner all leave ultimately left the Reds painfully short of midfield options.
In the club’s opening game of the Premier League season, a 1-1 draw with Chelsea, Klopp was even forced to play Cody Gakpo in an extremely attacking midfield three – a gamble that paid off in the end as Liverpool took a point away from Stamford Bridge.
But it’s unlikely that such an aggressive midfield will be deployed each week, with Endo’s arrival masking the disappointments of missing out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, who both opted to join Chelsea ahead of a move to the Reds.
