One of the players Liverpool signed in the summer transfer window was Wataru Endo.
It was not a very high-profile signing, and not many even expected Liverpool to secure the services of Wataru Endo in the summer of 2023.
Liverpool paid Germany club VfB Stuttgart £16.2 million in transfer fees (Sky Sports) to sign the 30-year-old defensive midfielder.
We have yet to see the best of Endo.
The Japan international defensive midfielder has failed to establish himself in the Liverpool starting lineup.
When Endo has played, he has not always been impressive.
The Liverpool no. 3 has made one start and three substitute appearances in the Premier League so far this season.
The 30-year-old has also played once in the UEFA Europa League for the Reds.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has now given his take on Endo.
Klopp has suggested that the Japan international is too nice and that the defensive midfielder needs to be more assertive to make his way into the starting lineup.
Jurgen Klopp on Liverpool defensive midfielder Wataru Endo
Klopp told Liverpool’s official website: “He needs to get used to the things here.
“Wataru is a super guy, very calm and very polite and that cost him the first two weeks, maybe. That’s now getting there.
“He is not 30 or whatever and wants to get some people out of the way to get into the team, but he is improving every day.
“You saw that today, he is there, he will help us a lot, he will play games, he will start games and all these kinds of things.
“It’s all good, he had already three or four games now for us in a very short period.
“That is what counts, it is not a short-term project. Wataru is a super-important part of the squad and I am really happy to have him.”
Wataru Endo could come good for Liverpool eventually
In our view, Liverpool defensive midfielder Wataru Endo could be an important player for the team in the coming weeks and months.
That Endo was playing for Stuttgart at 30 suggests that he is not really rated among the best in his position.
If the Japan international were that good, then major European powerhouses such as Bayern or Real Madrid would have signed him.
However, Liverpool need(ed) bodies in midfield.
After all, the former Premier League and UEFA Champions League winners lost Fabinho and Jordan Henderson in the summer transfer window and needed to get someone in.
While we do not expect Endo to become a regular in the Liverpool starting lineup, he is a good option to have in the squad and could be important in certain games.
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