Who is Wataru Endo? Liverpool target “incredible” leader as Jorg Schmadtke role becomes clear

Liverpool are in the market for midfield reinforcements after being brutally snubbed by Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, who both instead chose to join Liverpool

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After missing out on both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, Liverpool have turned their attention to Wataru Endo.

Jurgen Klopp is desperately searching for a new midfield arrival with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho both making the move to Saudi Arabia. Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have already arrived, but further reinforcements are required.

Caicedo and Lavia were Liverpool’s top two targets, but despite having bids accepted for both, the players opted to instead join Chelsea. And reports now claim that Liverpool sporting director Jorg Schmadtke has sanctioned a bid for Stuttgart star Endo.

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.

Liverpool are reported to have made a bid for Stuttgart captain Wataru Endo

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.”

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The push for Endo signals the influence Schmadtke holds at Liverpool, despite only signing a short-term deal. His contract expires next summer, although he does have a break clause at the end of the window.

And he has admitted that the German market is where he will focus his attention, having already landed Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig. “Of course there are always players in Germany who are attractive. Then my experience on the market is in demand,” he explained.

“Because of course I know a little bit about how payment is made, how the other side proceeds in negotiations. The German market is my home market and for me easier for me, of course.”

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