When it comes to unlikely Liverpool heroes, there are few in recent memory who loom quite as large as Wataru Endo.
Used in some quarters as a vehicle to bemoan FSG’s oft-divisive transfer strategy when he first arrived from Stuttgart in a £16.2m deal last August, the midfielder has now rendered himself a virtual undroppable for Jurgen Klopp’s side as they continue their crusade for an unprecedented quadruple this term.
And, if the awarding of a terrace chant is to be regarded as a reliable gauge of fan sentiment, then the sight of Liverpool supporters singing their No.3’s praises to the tune of ABBA’s ‘Voulez-Vous’ after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City suggests Endo’s icon status is already secured.
But the 31-year-old is not the only Japan international to have won the hearts of the Liverpool faithful over the past year, with fellow midfielder Fuka Nagano also having helped propel the women’s team to new heights since joining the club from North Carolina Courage last January. And, as in the case of her countryman, the limited fanfare that greeted Nagano’s signing only serves to make the extent of her impact all the more impressive.
Diminutive in stature, the 25-year-old has shown herself to be adept at anchoring Liverpool’s midfield, regularly dropping deep to break up play and set her team on the attack. She was one of three players brought in to bolster the Reds’ engine room in January 2023 and, while other new recruits Sofie Lundgaard and Miri Taylor had to be patient before being afforded regular opportunities in the first team, Nagano quickly became an instant mainstay in Matt Beard’s side.
“Fuka coming in has helped,” the Liverpool boss said after Nagano’s impressive WSL debut against Reading last February. “She’s a diamond on the ball and even off the ball. She’s surprisingly quick as well. She sees things that other people don’t see so as this team evolves and as she settles in – and she’s settled in fantastically by the way – we’re only going to get better.”
Indeed, it was Nagano’s stellar form that helped steer the Reds away from the WSL relegation zone last season, with teammate Leighanne Robe going as far as to dub the Japan international “the best signing Liverpool Women have ever made.” With her performances in the second half of last season having set the bar so high, it has perhaps been easy for Nagano’s consistency to go under the radar in recent months.
Fuka Nagano is a midfield mainstay for Liverpool
But she has irrefutably been an integral part of a Liverpool side that have defied expectation this term to announce themselves as perhaps the biggest threat to the WSL’s top order. Although the Reds are still some way off competing for the league’s top honours, the fact they have already surpassed their points tally from last term with seven games still left to play – and that they are currently level on points with a Manchester United side that finished last season 33 points above them last season – is a real barometer of the team’s considerable progress.
Nagano has started all of the Reds’ 15 WSL games so far this season and has played more minutes in the league than any other Liverpool player. She has made the most tackles (24) and the most interceptions (18) of any of her teammates and also ranks among the top three in terms of passing accuracy and progressive passes.
That the Reds looked so off-colour in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final clash with Leicester City – which Nagano missed after picking up a hamstring injury in training last week – is reflective of the 25-year-old’s importance to Beard’s side. And the Liverpool boss will no doubt be hoping his no.8 won’t be sidelined for long as the Reds endeavour to finish the campaign with a flourish.
Although she may not have been a marquee name when she arrived on Merseyside, anyone who has paid close attention to Japan’s performances on the international scene in recent years will not have been surprised to see Nagano thrive for her new club. In 2016, she was named Asian Young Footballer of the Year; an award previously won by Arsenal duo Caitlin Foord and Mana Iwabuchi.
Two years later, the midfielder was part of a victorious Japan outfit at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in France – scoring a goal in the final in a 3-1 win over Spain – before going on to earn more than 30 caps for the senior team. She featured heavily for Futoshi Ikeda’s side as they reached the quarter-finals at last summer’s Women’s World Cup and is one of a number of Asian players to have made the transition to the WSL in recent seasons.
“If you look at the way Japan play, tactically they are very clever and technically, they are very good,” Beard told BBC Sport last month. “How the WSL is now with teams playing out from the back, because of the brand of football Japan play, (it helps) us.”
“From the day she walked in we just clicked,” teammate Missy Bo Kearns – who has developed a particularly close friendship with Nagano – told the ECHO earlier this year. “At first, we couldn’t really communicate but we did somehow still communicate. I think that just says it all.
“On the pitch, I love playing with her. I love the way she plays and I think we’ve just got that connection. Off the pitch, she’s a great person and is really buying into the club and the city. Her English – or Scouse – is coming on so much and I’m so proud of her because it’s been a big move for her and she’s only young herself. I’m really excited to see how far she can go in the future.”
Certainly, as Liverpool look to reestablish themselves as a serious outfit in the WSL in the next few years, Nagano’s star might just continue to rise. And, with Endo’s inspired form helping drive Klopp side on towards a potentially trophy-laden end to the season, it’s little wonder that Liverpool’s Japanese midfield maestros are quickly becoming cult heroes on Merseyside.
