Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp calls for calm among supporters following Wataru Endo signing

Speaking to the club media, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has hailed the qualities of new signing Wataru Endo and asked the supporters to give him a chance before judging.

After missing out on top midfield targets Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo to Chelsea, the Reds have acted in the market by signing the Japanese international from VfB Stuttgart.

Endo has signed a four-year deal with the club that is worth around £16.2m. He is a defensive midfielder who can operate in central midfield and central defence. There have been occasions of him playing as a right-back too.

Here’s what Klopp said when asked about what kind of signing the 30-year-old is and what can the supporters expect from him (h/t Liverpool website):

“I’m really happy. Wataru is a really good player. I know in this world of football how it goes and stuff like this, but have a look, have a look, because he’s a really good player.

“Experienced player, captain of Stuttgart, captain of Japan, speaks good English, nice fella, family man, machine on the pitch, good footballer on top of that, sensational attitude. So, I’m really happy. He’s a good footballer, very experienced and loves to work extremely hard.”

It sounds like Klopp has read the room and understands the apprehension among supporters regarding this signing. But, when the manager is convinced about his qualities, let’s get behind him and hope that he has an excellent career at Anfield.

At 30 years of age with a wealth of experience at club and international level, Endo will come with know-how of the game. He is an aggressive runner and loves to win the ball back for the team.

After the departure of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, Liverpool needed a player of this profile before the season started. Well, we have got him now.

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Endo’s job would be to play behind Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai and offer protection to the back-line. It remains to be seen whether we get to see him from the start against Bournemouth this Saturday. If it is the case, it would be an ideal debut for him in front of the fans at Anfield.