Wataru Endo has admitted that his Liverpool move came about after Moises Caicedo turned down the Reds in order to join Chelsea.
30-year-old Endo became Liverpool's third signing of the summer last week, in a deal 90min understands to be worth £16m, and made his debut as a second-half substitute in Saturday's 3-1 win over in Bournemouth.
The arrival of defensive midfielder Endo was a huge boost for Liverpool after they missed out on both Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, who also opted to join Chelsea despite Jurgen Klopp's side putting in four bids over the course of the summer.
Speaking to The Athletic, Endo admitted that he was acutely aware of Liverpool's search for a player in his role, especially after seeing the Caicedo transfer saga play out.
“To be honest I followed Liverpool’s news, that they wanted midfielders, they wanted a number six," Endo said. "I thought Caicedo had gone to Liverpool! So when I heard he went to Chelsea I just thought ‘maybe’.
“I thought maybe they needed experienced midfielders or something like that, because [Jordan] Henderson and Fabinho had moved. I thought there might be a chance.I understand top clubs want young talent, but you know I just say to myself: ‘This is the only chance you can get to move to Liverpool because they usually try to get younger players.’ I got the chance and I intend to take it.”
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Endo also provided insight into how quickly a deal with Stuttgart materialised, stating that is was a "dream" to play for one of the Premier League's elite teams:
"My agent called me and I had to decide quickly," the Japanese international continued. "I couldn’t say no because to play in the Premier League was always my dream. I would always tell my agent I wanted to play in the Premier League for a top, top team, so here I am!
“I was getting ready to play in the Bundesliga. Now I’m playing here at Anfield in the Premier League in front of all these fans, it is crazy. I only had time for one training session so I just tried to get ready as best I could. I am an experienced player, so I needed to accept and deal with the situation.”
Endo could be handed a first start for Liverpool when they travel to St James' Park to face Newcastle on Sunday.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Wataru Endo reveals Moises Caicedo role in Liverpool transfer.