Klopp's promise to unexpected Liverpool signing after catching fans off guard
No-one was more surprised when Wataru Endo signed for Liverpool than the Japanese midfielder himself.
His £16.2 million move from Stuttgart caught plenty of Liverpool fans off guard too as they rushed to YouTube to find out more about the Bundesliga star. But Endo was no mystery to Kop boss Jurgen Klopp who always had a plan for Japan’s national captain.
And there’s plenty of clarity about his role in a changing Liverpool team. Endo arrived in the summer after failed attempts to land more expensive midfielders Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
And the 30-year-old star said: "Maybe it was a surprise for Liverpool fans for me to come here, but Jurgen Klopp knew me very well as a player. That was a very important thing to me although it was still a big surprise.
"After I first came here I had some conversations with the manager. He told me 'we are so offensive as a team, we need a number six, a defensive midfielder'. That's why I came here. But what I do here hasn't changed from what I've done with Stuttgart and the Japan national team. I just try to do my best in every game and training session. It's getting better, definitely.”
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As a German himself, Klopp appreciates the qualities of the Bundesliga and those who play in it. And Klopp saw enough of Endo playing for Stuttgart to know he could do a defensive job in a midfield that has lost Fabhino, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and Georginio Wijnaldum in recent times.
And Endo has revealed he did his own homework on Liverpool, the Premier League and how Borussia Dortmund played when Klopp was in charge. "I played in the German league for four years. Obviously, the English league is different.
Wataru Endo arrived at Liverpool in the summer (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)“But if I play like I did for Stuttgart and the Japan national team, then I can play for Liverpool. It's fast and strong here. The intensity and physicality in England are totally different to Germany.
“German teams like to sit back more when they defend, but here at Liverpool we always press high. That's a big difference. I watched his matches when he was in charge at Dortmund, because one of my ex-coaches liked to copy Klopp's style of play.
“The manager told me that he had known of me when I was at Stuttgart and we've had some conversations, yes. The first couple of games were quite difficult because a lot of the time we were down to 10 men.
“But now I think I have adapted. My wife and children finally joined me last week and my life is getting back to normal so I'm showing my best on the pitch. That is the most important thing for me. I feel a lot more comfortable when I'm playing now. Also it helps that the other players also know me better. I feel much better.”
Endo, from Yokohama near Tokyo, may feel a little more at home on Sunday coming up against Brighton winger and international team-mate Kaoru Mitoma at the Amex Stadium - a match-up that’s attracting huge interest back home.
“If I play, there will be a lot of interest” he says. “I imagine Mitoma will play and if I do, they will be excited. There aren’t so many Japanese players in the Premier League, especially the biggest clubs, so Japanese fans are interested and many will be watching.
“And for all Japanese players, it shows if you keep improving, keep dreaming, coming to the Premier League can happen. The dream can come true.”
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