VfB Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth unenthusiastically sold Wataru Endo to Liverpool this summer, feeling his hands were tied on the matter.
Despite being captain of his previous club, the midfielder followed a dream to play in the Premier League when he completed a £16m transfer to Liverpool last month.
As a defensive midfield or centre back option with a clean injury record, the Japanese international became known as one of the most reliable players in the Bundesliga.
Wohlgemuth
Wataru is a player that we actually didn't want to let go," the director told German outlet BILD
"To be honest, we didn't have Liverpool FC on our list as an interested party.
"We were informed by the player's advisors about Liverpool FC's interest a few hours before the offer was received.
"Wataru himself really wanted to take this step regardless of our offer to extend the contract.
"Because the facts were on the table, we had no choice but to agree to Jorg Schmadtke with our revised financial demands. In the end, we came to an agreement relatively quickly in the negotiations."
Comments