Before Liverpool became a laughing stock for losing two transfer targets to Chelsea in as many days, the Reds were renowned for the speed and secrecy with which they wrapped up deals. However, Liverpool's acquisition of Wataru Endo is on a whole other level to anything they've done before. Nobody saw this coming.
Even in Endo's native Japan, football fans were left in a state of shock. "Endo, really?!" was trending on Twitter minutes after it was revealed that Liverpool had bid £16 million ($20m) for his services. However, the news also generated a huge amount of excitement because there is a strong belief that he has the talent and temperament to thrive at one of Europe's elite clubs.
On Merseyside, by contrast, there is some trepidation, given Liverpool have been burned before when it comes to shock signings towards the tail end of the transfer window. Only last summer, Arthur Melo arrived on loan from Juventus and managed just 13 minutes of game time before being sent back to Turin.
So, does the 30-year-old Endo really have what it takes to make a big impact at Anfield? Is he the long-awaited answer to Jurgen Klopp's problem in the middle of the park? GOAL details everything you need to know about Endo below...
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
