Jurgen Klopp hails new Liverpool signing Wataru Endo as ‘real monster’

Jurgen Klopp hails new Liverpool signing Wataru Endo as ‘real monster’

Jurgen Klopp called Wataru Endo a “real monster” on the field and predicted the Japanese midfielder would make the same impact at Liverpool as James Milner did.

The acquisition of the 30-year-old from Stuttgart for about £16.2 million may come as a disappointment after Liverpool lost big-money players Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Chelsea this week.

Jurgen Klopp hails new Liverpool signing Wataru Endo as ‘real monster’

Liverpool have lost a number of midfielders this summer, including Milner, who joined on a free transfer aged 29 but quickly became a regular and is regarded by Klopp as a major reason for their recent success, including Premier League and Champions League glory.

Endo has signed a four-year contract, and while his debut against Bournemouth is uncertain, Klopp is pleased with his latest signing.

Klopp said: “He is a late bloomer in his career and he was definitely underestimated for a long time. It is clear he has improved every year since he was on the proper football screen.

“There’s no chance that anybody could [think he is 30], when you see him, you think ‘is he allowed to drive a car?’. On the pitch, he turns into a real monster.

“One of the biggest LFC legends of my time was James Milner, he arrived here when he was 29. I can tell you without James Milner, we wouldn’t have enjoyed success in recent years.

“Wataru can have a similar impact. The last week was obviously a tricky one. But when you have a problem you can stick to the problem or find a solution, I’m more than happy to have the solution.”

Liverpool had bids, significantly more than what they paid for Endo, accepted for Ecuador’s Caicedo and Belgium’s Lavia but the pair each opted to move to Stamford Bridge.

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Klopp had “absolutely nothing to say about that” but was adamant bringing players to Liverpool has not become a trickier task in recent months.

As a whole, however, he emphasised how much more difficult recruitment has become because of the rise of Saudi Arabia and the eye-watering sums they are willing to pay for players.

Klopp said: “I’m not sure it’s something to do with Liverpool. Everything is more difficult. There are lot of things that are different, some clubs have just a different way to do it and somehow it works.

It’s extremely challenging to catch up with them as a typical club. That’s not my issue; that’s just the way things are. Saudi Arabia, on top of that, hasn’t made things easier. The endless money causes a problem.

“It would be cool if someone could find a solution. It became more difficult, but not to convince players to come to Liverpool. You just have to make sure you go for the right ones.

“I sit here and I’m really happy with our transfer window in this moment. We will keep looking, we will try to make the best decisions for this club and we will not use money or anything else as an excuse.”

Meeting the boss for the first time 🤗 pic.twitter.com/DCRa4oazdb

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Klopp will once more be without Spanish duo Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara but added they are “really close” to a first-team return after the pair missed last week’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea.

While Klopp was heartened by the displays of summer signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, he admitted Liverpool were slow out of the traps in their first match of the season.

He added: “We were not settled enough in the way we want to play. What we lacked in the game was rhythm, especially in possession.

“We had 35 per cent possession which is an absolute joke, it should not happen – it can happen against Manchester City on a special day for them and if it’s an idea of ours to sit a little bit deeper.

“It was not our idea but it happened. We have solutions for our situation, they’re just not available at the moment.”