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New Liverpool signing Wataru Endo has chosen No. 3 as his squad number. The Japanese midfielder joins Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai as the Reds' third signing of the season, joining from VfB Stuttgart for a fee of just over £16 million.
The 30-year-old provides experience to a Reds squad that lost the likes of Jordan Henderson and James Milner this season.
The number was previously worn at the club by Fabinho, who left Anfield this summer for a move to the Saudi Pro League. Other players to have worn the number include Paul Konchesky, Steve Finnan, and Bjorn Tore Kvarme.
When asked why he picked the number, Endo said:
“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.”
The signing of the Japanese international comes after Liverpool expressed interest in Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
They made a record offer of £115 million for the former Brighton and Hove Albion man, but he instead chose to join Chelsea.
Lavia also snubbed the Merseysiders to join the Blues after they made multiple bids in the range of £40–50 million for him.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp opens up on latest signing
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp claims that his latest signing, Wataru Endo, was always a target in the market for the club.
This comes after the Reds missed out on signing Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, who joined Chelsea after being linked with them.
He said:
"You know it is not traditionally like that [signing a player of Endo’s age]. The last player in that age group was James Milner. It is always a discussion we have. The owners really want 200 games at 20 years old. That is pretty difficult."
He added:
“I didn’t need any kind of convincing. I know that the best time for a football player is from 27 to 33 in a normal career. It depends on injuries, of course. That is why I did not need to change anything and he was on my list from the beginning.”
The deal for the Japanese international provides a different dynamic from their other signings, which include younger players like Mac Allister and Szoboszlai.
However, the German was appreciative of Endo's experience, saying:
“It is a transfer that is not in the public eye. It’s not ‘Oh my God!’ and probably nobody at this moment is writing a new song about him. But wait. He has something that Liverpool supporters will love, definitely. He is already used to red a little bit, so that’s good, and when he puts that shirt on he will throw everything on the pitch and the people will love that.”
Endo has been registered in time for Liverpool's clash against Bournemouth and has been named on the bench.
