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Liverpool has signed midfielder Wataru Endo from Stuttgart for a fee of around £16m (19m euros), subject to a work permit and international clearance (BBC). The 30-year-old Japan international has agreed to a four-year contract with Liverpool Squad. Endo can also play at centre-back but has been signed primarily as a central defensive+ midfielder. He captains the Japanese national team and had been the skipper of Stuttgart.
Wataru Endo: A Journey of Success in Football
Wataru Endo started his professional career at Shonan Bellmare in 2011, where he won the J2 League title in 2014. Throughout his time at Shonan Bellmare, he accumulated a total of 23 goals in 167 games (Wikepedia). He then moved to J1 League Urawa Red Diamonds in 2016, where he won the AFC Champions League in 2017 and the Emperor’s Cup in 2018. Throughout his time at Urawa Red DIamonds, he accumulated a total of 6 goals in 109 games. Wataru played for Belgian side Sint-Trudden from 2018 to 2019. He joined Stuttgart on loan in 2019 and helped them secure promotion to the Bundesliga. He made his move permanent in 2020 and became the Stuttgart club captain. He was also a regular member of the Japan national team, participating in the 2018 World Cup and the 2019 Asian Cup. Although he has not won any major awards, he has been named in the J.League Best XI twice (2013 and 2014) and was named the J.League Rookie of the Year in 2013. He also topped the Bundesliga for challenges won for two consecutive seasons (2020-21 and 2021-22) and finished fourth in those rankings during his final campaign in the division.
On 23 July 2015, Japan’s coach Vahid Halilhodžić called Endo up to the squad for the upcoming 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup. On 2 August 2015, he made his international debut in the opening game of the competition in a 2-1 defeat to North Korea. He was named in Japan’s squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, although he did not play in any of their matches. As of August 2023, he has scored 2 international goals in 50 games. He was named their captain in June 2023.
Premier League Transfer Record Summer 2023
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