'I know Liverpool wanted' - Wataru Endo responds to transfer criticism

Wataru Endo admits he understood the surprise when he joined Liverpool from Stuttgart in August, but insists he doesn't care about any criticism of the deal.

Having failed to sign first Moises Caicedo in what would have been a British record £111m deal from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer transfer window, Liverpool then lost out to Chelsea once more when they also signed Romeo Lavia from Southampton in a transfer worth around £50m.

After missing out on the two defensive midfielders, Jurgen Klopp and sporting director Jorg Schmadtke turned their attention to Endo from Stuttgart as the Japan captain moved for around £16m just days before the home visit from Bournemouth on August 12.

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There was plenty of surprise and even shock about the speed of the deal and the profile of the player at the time having seen Liverpool lose out to Chelsea for two younger Premier League-based players in Caicedo and Lavia. Endo became the first player signed in his 30s since Ragnar Klavan in 2016 when he eventually joined from the Bundesliga side.

Endo, though, insists he is not concerned by those who questioned the deal too much after he scored his first Reds goal in Thursday's 5-1 hammering of Toulouse in the Europa League.

"I understand they say that stuff because I'm 30 years old and I know Liverpool wanted to sign younger players," Endo said. "But that's normal. I didn't care what they said, I just have to do my job.

"And if I play well, it's a good sign. Not only today, my performances are getting better and better and I can see it improving more so I just try to do my job every game."

Endo was one of