Liverpool and Japan star Wataru Endo opens up on transfer move and makes £115m midfield claim

Wataru Endo has opened up on the midfield summer saga which saw him arrive at Liverpool.

He claimed he was 'lucky' to get the move as Liverpool were originally battling it out for Brighton's Moises Caicedo, as the Reds had a record £111m bid accepted. In the end, Chelsea swooped in and secured a £115m deal and Liverpool sought out alternative options - which included the Japan captain.

In an interview with Japanese streaming service Abema, the holding midfielder spoke about his surprise move and opened up on his fears that it wouldn't come to fruition. "I thought [Mosies] Caicedo would sign [for Liverpool]," he admitted. "I remember seeing in the news that a deal was close. I thought that I'd lose out. In the end, he went to Chelsea."

The midfielder knows this, too. "A player like me only gets an opportunity in a situation like this," he said, admitting: "The ideal situation would be to get a hold of young, talented players. But not every club can sign their ideal target. So the plan B would be to sign an older, experienced player. Someone who can be immediately effective. Liverpool were looking for that in signing me."

Endo has certainly been effective, but it was not immediate. He only completed 90 minutes for the first time in November and started back-to-back games in December, as an injury to Alexis Mac Allister gave him an opening. Games in Europe and, most notably, the EFL Cup final have shown just how effective he can be for Liverpool anchoring the midfield and his most recent big game performance against Manchester City was a perfect example of the quality he possesses.

Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne were stunned at Anfield and Endo's effective and simple performance was his best showing of the season which simultaneously justified his signing and made a mockery of the tens of millions (and hundreds) spent by other clubs in the same window. Perhaps not the first choice in the summer, he now sits at the top table and 'a player like him' might just end up being the bargain of the season.