Stuttgart Midfielder Endo Wataru Agrees Deal To Join Liverpool, To Undergo Medical Today

By Daniel Ojukwu

Stuttgart FC of Germany defensive midfielder, Wataru Endo, has agreed deal of €18m (£15.4m) to join English Premier League giants, Liverpool FC.

A medical has been arranged for the 30-year-old on Thursday, as Liverpool look to tie up the transfer after being beaten to the signatures of Moisés Caicedo from Brighton and Roméo Lavia from Southampton, who both opted for moves to Chelsea, despite Liverpool agreeing transfer fees  with their clubs.

There are no such problems anticipated in this deal. Endo, who is the captain of both Japan and Stuttgart, has already agreed personal terms and views the move as the biggest opportunity of his career.

The transfer was facilitated by Liverpool’s new Sporting Director Jörg Schmadtke, who was appointed in May.

Liverpool have been looking for a defensive midfielder after selling Fabinho to Al-Ittihad   and their former captain Jordan Henderson to Al-Ettifaq.

Jürgen Klopp’s midfield has also been reinforced this summer with the arrival of the more attack-minded options of Hungary’s Dominik Szoboszlai, 22, from RB Leipzig and Argentina’s Alexis Mac Allister, 24, from Brighton.

Endo reportedly wants the move as it has been seen as one of the biggest opportunities in his career.

It’s been described as a surprising move with the Reds reportedly eyeing the 30-year-old.

He has made 99 appearances for the German side since signing in 2020.

Aged 30, Endo is a left-field option for the Reds, having played just three seasons in one of the established major leagues. The Japan international spent time with Shonan Bellmare and Urawa Red Diamonds in the J League, winning the AFC Champions League with the latter in 2017.

He earned his move to European football the year after with Sint-Truiden in Belgium, before joining Stuttgart on loan in 2019. He helped the German giants return to the Bundesliga, getting a permanent contract in the process.

In three seasons in the German top flight, he has scored 12 goals and registered 11 assists, including a strike in last season’s relegation play-off. Traditionally a deeper-lying midfielder, Endo is also capable of being deployed as a centre-back.

In his first season in the Bundesliga, he was the league leader in challenges – putting in a remarkable 476. Endo was quickly made the club’s captain, a position he still holds to this day. He has a year left on his remaining contract, but is – unsurprisingly – open to making the move to Anfield and the Premier League.

“As a player and as a person, he’s simply incredibly valuable,” Stuttgart’s former director Sven Mislintat said in 2021. “He’s one of these anchors, a focal point in our system. Whether he plays as a centre-back or as a defensive midfielder, it’s good that he’s there and performs.”

The manager who gave him the armband, Pellegrino Matarazzo added: “It’s important for me that our captain can take everyone with him, that he embodies the values we stand for and is an example to follow. I have chosen Wataru Endo because he’s also someone who leaves room for other players to take responsibility.”

Source: The Guardian Uk