Liverpool moved to acquire Wataru Endu, a Japan international, from Stuttgart after failing to get their other targets. Adam Bate examines what led Jurgen Klopp to choose the midfielder, using perspective from Endo’s former training buddy at Stuttgart.
Some Liverpool fans might be alarmed by the circumstances surrounding the over £16 million acquisition of Wataru Endo. Jurgen Klopp is out of choices in midfield after his pursuits of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia fell through, so resorting to the 30-year-old Endo may be viewed as a desperate move.
The captain of Stuttgart is not a rising star in the same vein as those other players. However, in light of the exits of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, and James Milner, this purchase may have been one of Liverpool’s wiser moves.
He is a consistent player who is driven to take advantage of this chance. He is a master in the holding role and can add to both the offensive and defensive phases of the game. Ask people who know him; there are no doubts about his character.
He is an excellent player,
As he sat down with a group of foreign media at the Allianz Arena on Saturday night, Mario Gomez, a legendary member of the Bundesliga, was asked one final question. Daisuke Ishii, a Japanese reporter, inquired about Endo, the former striker’s former teammate at Stuttgart.
Gomez had already talked about everything from Germany’s issues to his own Spanish ancestry, but when Endo was brought up, his eyes lit up. To be honest, “I love Wataru.” When both of them discovered they were not on the team, he was the one who campaigned for the player’s inclusion.
Wataru struggled greatly when sitting next to me in the changing room since the coach did not employ him early on. Gomez was a mentor to the team and in his final season of play in 2020. He had also adapted to his own situation. I enjoyed playing this character.
In his peak, Endo was more irritated. “I kept telling him to stay calm and keep doing what he was doing because he did so well in training,” I said. In fact, it was so spectacular that Gomez and Endo pairing up became a recurring element of the sessions.
“After the game, we had the four against four,” Gomez says. “When I first entered the locker room, I kept pleading with the coach to place me on the same squad as Wataru so that we would never lose. This was how it began. Simply said, I was pushing him a lot.
“The coach employed him at one time. And then, since the player played so superbly, the issue is not with me. He is playing for that reason rather than because I informed the coach he is fantastic. He is an extremely good player, which explains why. He is now the team’s captain.
Due to his attitude of “always giving everything for the group,” Gomez sees Endo as a “example of how team sport should look.” He is in awe of your calmness in dealing with your small kids. “I have three and am having trouble. He simply never feels worried.
However, as his performances in those four-versus-four training games suggested, this is about more than simply his good character or even just his versatility, which may allow him to play both midfield and defense for Liverpool. Endo also possesses the ability to succeed.
