Wataru Endo is close to joining Liverpool from Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart. The Reds are going to pay £21 million, including add-ons, for the 30-year-old.
A lot of fans may be questioning why the Liverpool would pay to sign a midfielder already in his 30's.
The answer to that lies in Endo's experience and leadership.
The Reds have already lost a major chunk of the 'original' leadership group which featured the likes of Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino.
Endo fits exactly the kind of leadership profile that Klopp looks for. He is known to be vocal on the pitch, is exceptional at rallying his teammates and leads by example too, as the following video will show.
Stuttgart were in a relegation battle towards the end of the 2021/22 season and played Koln on the final day. Anything less than a win would see them go into the relegation play-offs.
Endo was on hand to prevent that from happening as he sent the entire stadium into a frenzy with his 92nd minute winner.
While Stuttgart fans already a lot of affection for Wataru, this shed the limelight on him for others to appreciate as well:
Julian: "Endo a legend."
Mnm14: "To be a captain and to save your team like this? Wow, emotions!"
Adlanta: "Amazing Endo! He is a Japnese legend. 🇯🇵"
Suntzu: "Lavia cannot keep his team in PL... Meanwhile, Endo is the reason Stuttgart is still in Bundesliga.
"He's the better solution for short term than Lavia... For long term? We have Stefan Bajcetic."
