As the sun sets on the careers of fan-favourites at Liverpool, a new dawn may rise with the potential signing of VfB Stuttgart’s Wataru Endo. A mass exodus has occurred at the Merseyside team this summer, with the departures of fan-favourites Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Milner, Liverpool are on the lookout for a new midfield samurai to play in front of the legendary Kop.
Liverpool have signed Stuttgart captain Wataru Endō. The dynamic 30-year old midfielder has showcased his versatility throughout his career, notably playing as a left centre back, a position Liverpool have shown strong interest in. The move is expected to cost in the region of £15m – a significant amount less than the record-breaking bid of £110m by Liverpool FC for Moises Caicedo.
The move for Endō Wataru has been met with mixed emotions by reds worldwide… from Caicedo and Lavia to an under the radar Japanese International – what is the strategic play behind this decision?
While Endo’s signing may seem unexpected at first glance, the need for a dominant midfield 6 for Liverpool has become glaringly obvious after the 1-1 display against Chelsea whereby new midfield addition, Alexis Mac-Allister was asked to play as a lone 6 (a position which he did play in a double-pivot with Caicedo for Brighton). The display, despite being positive, evidenced the lack of depth in this position, whereby Liverpool’s next closest 6 was Curtis Jones who is a doubt for the Bournemouth game with an ankle injury.
Wataru Endo is an experienced player, both in Europe and Internationally, being the Japanese national team captain. Endo made his move to Europe in 2018, after 7 years playing in Japan for Shonan Bellmare and Urawa Red Diamonds. Endo’s first taste of European football was for the Belgian outfit Sint-Truidense V.V. where he made 31 appearances, with a respectable 2 goals and 2 assists playing primarily as the side’s defensive midfielder.
The following year, Endo was snapped up by VfB Stuttgart in Germany’s second division – 2.Bundesliga. Since his move, Endo has played in a variety of positions for the German outfit, with the majority of his time being played in the defensive midfield position.
An amazing feat for Endo is that he has played 99 out of a possible 102 Bundesliga matches for Stuttgart – this stat will be music to the ears of Liverpool fans, with past midfield options for the reds being heavily injury-prone, something which has cost the reds in the past.
Is Wataru Endo any good?
Throughout his time at Stuttgart, he has played 133 games and accrued 15 goals and 12 assists – a respectable figure for a defensive midfield in a weak Bundesliga team constantly fighting to stay up and avoid relegation.
The move for Stuttgart fans has been met with heavy criticism for the club, with fans extremely frustrated at the club for allowing their captain to leave. Some comments include:
“If Endo goes this is a disaster. They had the option to extend it, but no, you wanted to do it casually during the season. Sosa and Mavropanos can be replaced. Endo is irreplaceable!”
“Thank you Endo for everything. Will never forget how you ensured us with class. Best captain in a long time. Hope you get the statue you deserve. Good luck to Liverpool”.
Interestingly, throughout Jurgen Klopp’s tenure as a manager, Klopp has never won a league title without a Japanese player in his squad – Shinji Kagawa at Dortmund and Takumi Minamino at Liverpool. And this could be another reason why Endo can become a Kopite favourite.
When looking at Endo’s stats for Stuttgart, it is clear that Liverpool are purchasing a strong, dynamic, gum-shield wearing fan favourite who will be sure to sure things up at the back for Liverpool, who have been leaking goals as of late.
The Japanese international was the captain of Japan’s national side at last years world cup and impressed throughout. Being a major part of Japan’s important wins against Spain and Germany.
How will he fit into the Liverpool team?
There is unlikely the luxury of a slow adjustment to English football with the standard introduction via the league cup. The clear desperation to complete the transfer by the Friday noon deadline for this weekends fixtures shows it’s likely he will be part of the match day squad, and even a good chance of starting.
With the likes of Stefan Bajcetic coming through the ranks and playing such a big part in Liverpool’s season last year, it does beg the question as to whether Klopp also see’s Endo as a Milner/Henderson type of player – there to not only play, but to be a voice in the changing room and to aid the younger players in their progression to first team football.
Klopp has always been a vocalist when it comes to senior mentors within the squad mentoring youth players such as Harvey Elliot and Ben Doak. As it stands, the only real senior midfielder at the club is Thiago – who’s father used to play professionally with Bajcetic’s father in Spain for Celta Vigo.
With the Europa League a real chance of some European silverware, it’s likely to see a fixture congestion needing squad rotation.
As we have seen this past year with Japanese star Mitoma for Brighton, it is way too soon to call with regards to Endo – he may just become a fan favourite and what Liverpool need to push on after a disappointing previous year.
The Japanese international is scheduled to have his medical at Liverpool today, with Jurgen Klopp due to announce the players arrival at 1:30pm BST.
