Wataru Endo has joined Liverpool from Stuttgart on a four-year deal for £16 million, and the Japan international midfielder will be raring to hit the ground running in the Premier League.
The Reds went for the 30-year-old after missing out on Ecuador international Moises Caicedo and Belgian midfielder Romeo Lavia to Chelsea, and he will be keen to prove his detractors wrong.
The former Stuttgart captain can also play at centre-back and is the third player to join Liverpool following the earlier arrivals of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, and manager Jurgen Klopp now has three new midfielders in his ranks.
Ajax director of football Sven Mislintat knows Endo from their time together at VfB Stuttgart, where he was the sporting director between 2019 until 2022, and the former Arsenal chief scout and Gunners star Takehiro Tomiyasu have taken to Instagram to react after the midfielder announced his move to Liverpool.
While most of the Reds fans are not impressed with the signing given his age and price tag, the midfielder could prove to be a solid addition to the club given his wealth of experience and huge quality.
The Japan captain played 133 games for Stuttgart over the course of five seasons having joined them from Belgian Pro League side Sint-Truiden in 2019.
Endo kept the Bundesliga side up for four seasons after helping them to promotion at the end of his debut campaign.
The former Urawa Red Diamonds star stands at 5ft 10in but is solid in winning aerial duels and never hesitates to attempt long shots in the attacking third.
Endo has played 50 times for his country and was included in the Japan Pro-Footballers Association awards Best XI in 2022.
He is a constant threat at indirect set-pieces, loves to play long balls and never hesitates to put in tough tackles.
Liverpool only recorded 35% ball possession in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea in their Premier League opener on Sunday, struggling in the middle of the park, and bolstering their midfield with Endo could prove to be a smart move.
