Wataru Endo‘s transfer to Liverpool is official after swapping Stuttgart for Anfield, and his new shirt number has been confirmed.
Endo has been unveiled as the Reds’ third signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
The 30-year-old arrives to inject experience back into the team after James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho all departed for different projects.
The deal is worth in the region of £16.24 million and the move marks a dream come true for Endo in a career that has seen him ply his trade in Japan, Belgium and Germany.
He can now add England to the list, and upon his arrival at Liverpool he has taken the No. 3 shirt last worn by Fabinho.
“Number three is my number because I played as No.3 in Stuttgart,” he explained. “And when I was playing in Japan, also. I love this number! I cannot wait to play with this number here.”
Others to have worn the shirt in the Premier League era include Steve Finnan, Paul Konchesky and Bjorn Tore Kvarme.
Endo arrives in a fashion not too dissimilar from Szoboszlai, with little time between the news of Liverpool’s pursuit breaking and the official announcement.
The Japan captain joins with a considerably lower profile than the Reds’ first two signings of the summer, but he is held in high regard in Germany after 133 appearances for Stuttgart.
While a defensive midfielder by trade, Endo can operate at centre-back and has even had a taste at right-back, fitting the mould vacated by Milner earlier this summer.
This could prove a shrewd signing for Liverpool, though that will only be the case if they also add a younger, higher calibre No. 6 to their ranks before the deadline on September 1.
* Order your ENDO 3 Liverpool shirt from the official LFC online store here.
