https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/08/17/liverpools-18m-signing-wataru-endo-jury-out-jorg-schmadtke/
Manager mounts passionate defence of new recruit, saying Kop will “love” Japanese midfielder despite reservations about transfer
Jurgen Klopp has revealed how he convinced Liverpool’s owners to break with their transfer policy to sign Wataru Endo as he backed the £18 million midfielder to banish any doubts about his Premier League pedigree.
Endo is the 42nd senior Liverpool signing of Klopp’s reign but the German coach has never sounded more passionate about the merits of a deal as he claimed the Kop will “love” the all-action No 6.
The manager’s enthusiasm was in part a recognition that the profile of the 30-year-old is in marked contrast to the initial plans to buy 21-year-old Moises Caicedo for a British-record £111 million last week. Klopp explained how he persuaded his hierarchy to press ahead with the left-field transfer of Endo as they would rather target younger players.
“Yeah. You know it is not traditionally like that,” said Klopp.
“The last player in the age group was James Milner. Maybe Joel Matip was 26? It is always a discussion that we have. The owners really want 200 games at 20 years old. That is pretty difficult. I did not need any kind of convincing. I know that the best time for a football player is from 27 to 33 in a normal career. It depends on injuries, of course. That is why I did not need to change anything and he was on my list from the beginning. Now he is here.
“I really like him. It is not a transfer in the public eye where everyone will say, ‘Oh my God’. No one will be texting a song. But he really has something Liverpool supporters will love when he puts the shirt on and puts everything on the pitch.”
Since making the surprise move for the ex-Stuttgart captain, those who have studied Endo’s Bundesliga career have been unanimous in their support for Klopp’s decision.
Indeed, there were strong indications from the Liverpool manager that he feels more excited spending £18 million on a relatively unknown quantity – certainly in England – than splashing a king’s ransom on a single player, and will take particular pleasure if the Japan skipper succeeds given recent astronomical, high-profile deals. ‘He doesn’t look old enough to drive but he is a monster’
“I watch a lot of Bundesliga and I know him since he was at Stuttgart,” said Klopp.
“I liked him from the start when he was there. He is a late bloomer, if you like, and usually for us and the way our owners see it, he was already too old when he joined Stuttgart.
“The last week was a tricky one, no doubt about that, but when you have a problem, you can stick to the problem or find a solution. He is a really good footballer, 5ft 10in but jumps through a ceiling, that is good. He is really good in general defensive challenges, tactically really smart, closing down the right players, good footballer on top of that, good heart, desire, a really good package.
“When you see him running around now there is no chance anyone would give him 30 years, he doesn’t look old enough to drive a car, on the pitch he looks like a monster.”
After Caicedo and Romeo Lavia rejected huge offers from Liverpool, Klopp joked he was relieved to secure a deal “with a club and the player” in signing Endo. He also acknowledged the transfer market is evolving in such a way as to make it trickier to put all the elements in place to conclude big-money deals.
“I am not sure if that is something to do with Liverpool. Everything is more difficult and there are reasons. You all know them,” he said.
“There are a lot of things that are different. Some clubs have a different way to do it and no one understands 100 per cent how it works. As a normal club it is really difficult to catch up with them. I don’t blame anyone. Saudi Arabia on top makes it not easier.
“If I had called one million players they would have come here immediately. Our timing is different, we cannot just spend. I am really happy with our transfer window at this moment. I know how fans are and they would rather bring in a player who is £100 million and that is nice, but in the end the pitch is the same size and the player will not grow with the money he cost. We will not use money or anything else as an excuse. We do it our way
Also a leader.
If this "replaces"the kind of energetic and reliable utility we had in Milner and Hendo then it makes total sense