According to The Athletic's football reporter David Ornstein, Liverpool are set to pay a €19million fee for the 30-year-old midfielder, Wataru Endo, who has arrived in Merseyside for a medical. We've compiled everything you need to know about the midfielder.

Jurgen Klopp's Reds have endured a well-publicised search for a new defensive midfielder following the departure of Fabinho. Chelsea have beaten them to Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia but it sounds as though they've finally found an alternative option.

The story so far:

Born in the Yokohama region of Japan in 1993, Endo developed his skills as a youngster with Shonan Bellmare and graduated from their academy to make over 100 first-team appearances for the club as they flitted between the top two divisions of Japanese football.

In 2015 he moved to Urawa Red Diamonds, one of the biggest clubs in Japan, with whom he helped win the Asian Champions League in 2017. Endo started at right-back in both legs of the final as they edged past Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal with a 2-1 victory.

He subsequently moved to Europe to sign for Belgian club Sint-Truiden in 2018. A short while later he joined Stuttgart, originally on loan, and has been with them ever since helping them get promoted to the Bundesliga back in 2020.

Wataru Endo has been one of Stuttgart's standout players as they've consolidated their spot in the German top flight over the last three seasons. He scored an unforgettable last-minute winner against Koln on the final day of the 2021-22 campaign, vital in keeping them in the Bundesliga, before they narrowly avoided the drop via a relegation play-off last term.

First capped by Japan back in 2015, he was part of the Samurai Blue's squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia but never made it off the bench. In recent years, he's nailed down his spot as their first-choice defensive midfielder and caught the eye at the World Cup in Qatar, looking particularly good as Japan pushed Croatia to penalties in the Round of 16.

Wataru Endo: Style of play

Nowadays Endo is almost exclusively a defensive midfielder for Stuttgart and Japan, but he's actually notched up more appearances as a centre-back, having plied his trade there during his early years back in Japan. It's only since he moved to Europe five years ago that he's adapted his game to the No.6 role.

Having slotted in at the base of a diamond at Stuttgart, their captain's energy and engine makes him well-suited to the high-intensity style predominantly played in the Bundesliga – and is surely the key factor behind Jurgen Klopp reportedly being so keen.

A positionally astute midfielder that's earned praise for his reading of the game, Endo has a reputation as an adept ball-winner – precisely the type of player that Liverpool were lacking in their opening day 1-1 draw at Chelsea.

Opta note that among all Bundesliga midfielders since his competition debut back in September 2020, Endo ranks top for the most duels and minutes played, second for possession won and second for tackles.

According to FBref, Endo is ranked in the top 10th percentile compared to positional peers for clearances and aerial duels won over the last 365 days. He also ranks towards the top end for non-penalty xG, xAG (expected assists) and shots. Similar players – based entirely on their statistical profile – include Casemiro, Gavi, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Adrien Rabiot.

What's been said about Wataru Endo:

"I love Wataru Endo, to be honest," Bundesliga stalwart Mario Gomez recently told reporters (via Sky Sports).

"When I came into the dressing room, I was always telling the coach to put me in the same team as Wataru because then we will never lose. This is how it started. I was just pushing him a lot.

"At a certain point, the coach used him. And then it is not me, it is about the player, because he played fantastic. That is why he is playing not because I told the coach that he is great. It is because he is a really great player. Now, he is the captain of his team."

"There was no uncertainty over what Endo could bring to the club," former Stuttgart sporting director Sven Mislentat told the Bundesliga's official website.

"As a player and as a person, he's simply incredibly valuable."

"It's important for me that our captain can take everyone with him, that he embodies the values we stand for and is an example to follow," explained Pellegrino Matarazzo.

"I have chosen Wataru Endo because he's also someone who leaves room for other players to take responsibility."

Although fans have some time to wait before the Premier League 2025/26 season, the preparation for the teams is definitely under way. Manchester City follow Everton, Leeds United and West Ham United are the latest clubs to unveil their Premier League jerseys. While each kit will keep the team colours, there are always new ways to play with the look for both home and away.

Also Read: I-League winners since 2007-08

2025-26 Premier League jerseys for Each Club

Arsenal

Arsenal’s new kit for their men’s and women’s teams lean into nostalgia with the red shirt, trimmed with white shoulders and red detailing, featuring the letter 'A' on the badge at the forefront, in a reference to the 1990-91 title-winning season.

Aston Villa

The design includes nods to the home city of Birmingham, with design details inspired by the iconic Bullring, where the team has a new fan store.

AFC Bournemouth

The red and black stripes are a little broader than usual and the metallic gold trim adds a sprinkling of glitz. It's unlikely to make much of an impact outside of the immediate vicinity of the Vitality Stadium.

Brentford

Brentford's latest home shirt celebrates the 100th anniversary of the team adopting red and white stripes as their official club colours. Naturally, the design is just that, with the heritage faux lace-up collar being the only real retro appointment of note, a nod to the first batch of home jerseys worn by the Bees in 1925.

Brighton & Hove Albion

Rather than the standard yellow trim, this season's familiar blue-and-white stripes are accompanied by accents of minty turquoise like the rails that run along the city's seafront.

Burnley

The new kit has been designed to visually encapsulate the rugged landscape that surround Burnley and celebrate the beauty of Lancashire.

Chelsea

Chelsea have revealed their sleek away kit, with a largely white look, accented with red and green.

Crystal Palace

After a few years of more experimental and off-piste designs, the Eagles' new home jersey features clean red and blue stripes with all the extra detailing picked out in white.

Everton

This one comes in a beautiful shade of creamy yellow and includes subtle references to the industrial heritage of the Bramley-Moore docklands, the site of the club's new stadium. The pattern on the sleeves references the old railway lines that ran in and out of the area and have since been reinstalled as a heritage attraction. 

Leeds United

The blocky, tessellating pattern found on the collar and cuff is actually a replication of the yellow and blue tile pattern found in the Lowfields Tunnel near Elland Road.

Manchester City

Keeping the typical sky blue colour, Man City have adopted a new look, with a white slash across the front and minimalistic emphasis on its sponsors.

Manchester United

This design is fairly traditional, with a solid red base and sparse black-and-white trim. However, the material does contain a subtle reference to Old Trafford via a smattering of dots and stripes.

Newcastle United

Newcastle United’s 2025/26 kit doesn’t just look good, but also does good, with £5 per shirt sold going to the Newcastle United Foundation.

Nottingham Forest

With a folding collar and immaculate white pinstriping inspired by the revered home shirt of 1992-1994.

Sunderland

A lovely bit of retro-infused handiwork from Danish brand Hummel here, who have used Sunderland's cult classic 1989-91 away kit as inspiration for a demure maritime-themed jersey that is covered in a pattern made up of local coastal landmarks, including the Roker Beach lighthouse.

Also Read: Most goal contributions in every season since 2001 [Updated]

Tottenham Hotspur

Released with the dramatic tagline "In darkness, we dare," the blackout design has a dark-grey grid pattern overlaid to add some texture. 

West Ham United

The new away kit is the particular shade of creamy off-white that only seems to exist in British football kits of the mid-to-late-1990s. 

Wolverhampton Wanderers

A sharp kit that also features a mini history lesson in the form of the pattern that is debossed into the fabric of the jersey. 

UEFA Women's Champions League winners Arsenal are set to break all the past transfer fee records for 20-year-old Canadian forward from Liverpool, Olivia Smith. Smith is now on the verge of becoming the world's first women's player to break the £1m transfer fee record. 

If the deal gets completed, Olivia Smith will break the record for the most expensive transfer fee in women's football history, beating the record of Naomi Girma, who was bought by Chelsea FC Women for £900,000.

Who is Olivia Smith?

Olivia Smith is a 20-year-old centre forward from Canada, born on August 5, 2004. Olivia started her football career in Ontario, Canada, playing youth soccer before joining college football in the United States at Penn State University.

Club career so far

To pursue her career in football, Smith left college early and joined Sporting CP in Portugal in 2023, where she played the first professional season of her career. After a sensational season with Sporting, where she netted 13 goals and produced nine assists in 18 league games.

Smith went on to win the Best Young Player and Revelation Player as Sporting finished second in the league, behind Benfica. 

Her extraordinary skill as a teenager caught the eyes of Liverpool, and she was signed by the Reds in July 2024. In her first season in the Women's Super League, Smith scored 7 goals in 20 appearances. In the whole season for the Reds, she scored 9 times and provided an assist in 25 games. 

Smith was even nominated for the WSL Player of the Year 2025 award. She was named the LFC Women's Player of the Season 2024/25.

Read Also | Who is Tobin Heath? Two-time World Cup champion retires from football

International career

Smith debuted for Canada at just 15 years and 94 days old, becoming her country's youngest player ever in 2019. She also played in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023. 

Till now, she has appeared 18 times for Canada, scoring 3 goals. 

Why are Arsenal willing to pay the most expensive transfer fee for Olivia Smith?

Well, the truth is that Olivia Smith might find it hard to find a place in the playing XI for Arsenal FC Women. The UEFA Women's Champions League winners have Mariona Caldentey, Beth Mead, Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly in the team, and this will make it very hard for Olivia to start in every game.

So, why are they willing to pay such a high amount for her?

Just like all the men's football teams in the world are thinking, the women's teams are also thinking the same. With Olivia Smith, Arsenal are thinking long-term goals, and that is why they are willing to pay big bucks for the Canadian. 

"I don't necessarily know how easily she walks into that Arsenal team, obviously they won the Champions League last season, which makes them extremely lucrative, but they've got a great attacking threat already," Rachel Corsie, former Scotland captain, told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It will be a challenge for her, but probably an addition for Arsenal that they'll expect is maybe one of those signings who could be at the club for a number of years," she added.

Read Also | Best 10 Women's Footballers in the World Right Now

Most expensive transfers in women's football history

Liverpool FC have announced that the club will retire the number 20 jersey across all levels of the club in honour and memory of Diogo Jota, who passed away along with his brother Andre Silva in a tragic accident a few weeks back. 

Jota, who had featured in 182 games for Liverpool, had won the Premier League 2024-25 title with the club. The Portuguese striker scored 65 goals and assisted 26 times for the Reds across competitions. 

Read Also | Rest in peace Diogo Jota: 1996-2025

Moreover, he had recently won the UEFA Nations League with Portugal as well. 

"After consultation with his wife, Rute, and family, the club can announce the squad number will be retired in honour and memory of Diogo across all levels, including LFC Women and Academy," a statement from the club read. 

"The move is recognition of not only the immeasurable contribution our lad from Portugal made to the Reds’ on-pitch successes over the last five years, but also the profound personal impact he had on his teammates, colleagues and supporters and the everlasting connections he built with them," the statement added. 

Read Also | Why Cristiano Ronaldo did not attend Diogo Jota's funeral?

“As a club, we were all acutely aware of the sentiment of our supporters – and we felt exactly the same way,” said Michael Edwards, FSG CEO of Football.

“It was vitally important to us to involve Diogo’s wife, Rute, and his family in the decision and to ensure they were the first to know of our intention.

“I believe this is the first time in Liverpool Football Club’s history that such an honour has been bestowed upon an individual. Therefore, we can say this is a unique tribute to a uniquely wonderful person.

“By retiring this squad number, we are making it eternal – and therefore never to be forgotten.

“Diogo joined us in 2020, he won us number 20, and he wore – with honour, distinction and affection – the number 20.

“As far as Liverpool Football Club is concerned, he will be forever our number 20," Edwards added. 

Portugal and Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva passed away tragically after a car accident in Spain. The 28-year-old striker got married just a few weeks back and also won the UEFA Nations League with Portugal and the Premier League with Liverpool.

After the incident, an official statement from Liverpool FC read:

"The club have been informed the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre.

Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss.

We will continue to provide them with our full support."

Cristiano Ronaldo and nearly every major football star around the world sent in their messages for Diogo and his family. An Instagram post from Ronaldo said, “It doesn’t make sense. We were just together with the national team, you had just gotten married to your wife”.

Every now and then, a year comes along that changes sports history. Imagine waiting years, even decades, for your favourite team to win. For fans across the globe, 2025 has turned that dream into reality.

This year has been special, marked by some of the longest trophy droughts in sports finally coming to an end. Teams like South Africa in cricket and Bologna in football have broken long-standing curses, proving that anything is possible. 

Is 2025 the miraculous year in sports history? Join us as we explore why 2025 is a year sports fans won't soon forget, and is also termed as "Year of the underdogs."

1. South Africa won an ICC Trophy after 27 years/ 9,862 days

For nearly three decades, the "chokers" tag clung to the Proteas like an unwanted shadow. Time and again, they reached close to the glory, only to falter at crucial moments. But 2025 changed everything, as they lifted ICC WTC Trophy defeating a strong Australian side in the Final.

South Africa showcased a cricketing masterclass with extraordinary team efforts in a high-stakes final match. From Aiden Markram's century to Temba Bavuma's batting class, they gave it all to earn the standing ovation from the crowd as they walked with pride after the win.

This victory, as Mark Boucher previously said, indeed is the turnaround they needed to inspire future generations and earn global respect as champions that they truly deserve.

They made the world chant "It's time for Africa" with their performance.

Read Also: Most ICC Trophies by any men's team

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2. RCB won their first ever IPL trophy after 18 years/ 6,570 days

For 18 painfully long years, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and their passionate fans endured a rollercoaster of hope and heartbreak in IPL. Led by Rajat Patidar, RCB delivered exceptional, balanced performance this season, finally breaking free of their curse.

The image of Virat Kohli lifting the IPL trophy, the last major piece missing from his glittering cabinet, was one of the most iconic sporting moments of this year. It not only signified the team's victory, but also the ultimate reward for loyalty and career-long excellence.

The overall team contribution and management are the key factors that led them to secure their place as champions, shutting all the haters down.

Read Also: IPL 2025: RCB batters create this unique history before the playoffs

AAAAARRRRR CEEEEEEE BEEEEEE ❤🏆#TATAIPL | #RCBvPBKS | #Final | #TheLastMile | @RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/lp3AwgCVQl

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) June 3, 2025

3. Go Ahead Eagles won the KNVB Cup after 93 years/ 33,968 days

Go Ahead Eagles soared to their first major trophy in 93 years, winning the KNVB Cup in 2025. For generations of fans in Deventer, this was a moment they might have only dreamed of. The emotions outpouring after the victory were sensational.

Their journey in the tournament was an underdog saga, defeating AZ Alkmaar, where they equalised the final match in the 99th minute to take it to penalties, and ultimately winning it from there!

4. Bologna won the Italian Cup after 51 years/ 18,619 days

Bologna's victory in the Italian Cup after 51 years was a testament to patience and a perfectly executed season. Their triumph in 2025, defeating AC Milan 1-0 in the final, was a moment they manifested for years.

Key contributions from players like Don Ndoye, who scored the decisive goal despite returning from injury, and the tactical decisions of the coach, Vincenzo Italiano, brought joy to a city that waited for so long.

5.  Crystal Palace won the first ever major trophy (FA Cup) after 119 years/ 43,714 days

Perhaps the most astonishing drought-breaker of 2025 belonged to Crystal Palace. After 119 years, the Eagles finally lifted their first-ever major trophy, the FA Cup. 

The single decisive goal from Eberechi Eze and crucial saves from goalkeeper Dean Henderson shaped their 1-0 victory over Manchester City FC. This victory proved that even after more than a century, a club's biggest dream can still become reality!

Read Also: Football teams with most international trophies

6. Newcastle United won the League Cup after a long wait of 55 years/ 20,367 days

For the passionate supporters of Newcastle United, 2025 brought an end to a 55-year wait for a major domestic trophy as they won the English Football League Cup.

The sight of the Magpies defeating the 10-time champions Liverpool (1-2) was a powerful moment that reinforced belief in their new era. Goals from local hero Dan Burn and Alexander Isak brought the victory home for them.

7. Harry Kane won his first-ever major trophy (Bundesliga) after 32 years/ 11,676 days

For years, England's most prolific striker, Harry Kane, was burdened by an unfortunate tag: "trophy virgin." Despite his goal-scoring records and individual brilliance, a major team trophy has always slipped away from him.

But 2025 finally saw the narrative shattered as Kane immediately made his mark after joining Bayern Munich, leading them to their 33rd Bundesliga title. He was also the top scorer of the 2024-25 season, having scored 26 goals and 8 assists.

This victory felt like a personal one, putting a line to complete the picture in his football career.

Read Also: 11 players who have won the most trophies in football history

This one’s coming home with me! 🏆

Buzzing to be Bundesliga top goalscorer for the second year in a row and this one’s even more special as it goes alongside the Bundesliga title! Couldn’t have achieved this without the support of my teammates! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/WnvIvCf28S

— Harry Kane (@HKane) May 17, 2025

8. Tottenham won the UEFA Europa League after 17 years/ 6,296 days

2025 finally broke Tottenham Hotspur's 17-year trophy drought, as they won the UEFA Europa League. This was a monumental win, bringing the title back to North London.

The tense final against Manchester United saw a crucial goal from Brennan Johnson secure the 1-0 victory. However, the most iconic image was Son Heung-min, the club's long-serving captain, finally lifting a major trophy.

After a decade of dedication and numerous near misses, Son's emotional moment, draped in the Korean flag, was the highlight of his commitment and love for football.

A moment Tottenham fans will never forget 🏆#UELfinal | @SpursOfficial pic.twitter.com/ROFK5pRtDD

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 22, 2025