Premier League side, Liverpool have announced the signing of Japan midfielder Wataru Endo from Stuttgart.
The 30-year-old Japan international has signed a four-year contract which will keep him at Anfield until 2027, in a deal worth £16.2m.
“It feels amazing and this is my dream. It’s always [been] a 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 play as a No 6 and I’m like a bit more [of a] defensive player. I think I can help this club defensively and I will have good organisation in the middle. I think that’s my job.”
Endo follows Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai into Anfield as part of the club’s midfield refresh following the exit of captain Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabia.
Having captained both Stuttgart and Japan, Endo’s well-established leadership skills further bolster Liverpool’s crop of national team captains which includes Andrew Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Szoboszlai.
“I’m really happy. Wataru is a really good player,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. “I know in this world of football how it goes and stuff like this, but have a look, have a look, because he’s a really good player.
“Experienced player, captain of Stuttgart, captain of Japan, speaks good English, nice fella, family man, machine on the pitch, good footballer on top of that, sensational attitude. So, I’m really happy. He’s a good footballer, very experienced and loves to work extremely hard.”
