His Liverpool career could be coming to an end in the not-so-distant future after his immediate exile from the first team under Arne Slot – as Athletic reporter Andy Jones has claimed that the early signs are there for his departure from the club amid Slot’s refusal to start him in his Reds side this season.
Endo joined Liverpool from Stuttgart last summer in a low-key deal that saw him look to be a rotational option at the club; but he ended up featuring regularly and played a key part in a season that saw the Reds somewhat push for the Premier League title and, at the very least, qualify for the Champions League. But the midfield star has not been utilised so far this season, with Slot preferring other players to feature in his system – and according to Jones, that could see the Japan international depart Anfield in the coming year after a promising start to life in the Premier League.
Jones: Endo ‘Not In’ Liverpool’s Future Plans
The Japan midfielder is on the peripherals of their squad
Endo
Speaking on The Athletic’s Walk On podcast, journalist Jones claimed that there are already telling signs that Slot doesn’t want the Japanese midfielder as part of his long-term plans with the club – having failed to give him major minutes in pre-season and beyond. He said:
“I think we’ve seen in pre-season, and Slot’s lack of usage of him – and the fact that ultimately, Liverpool decided to recruit a number six as well – that he doesn’t appear to be part of Liverpool’s long-term plans.
“I think in terms of this year, now that you’ve got him, I think that role of maybe not starting games but to do sort of the final 20 minutes, the final 15 minutes of a game when hopefully Liverpool are quite comfortable to be able to bring him on and shore things up.
“He can keep the ball ticking, he can do the simple stuff, he just isn’t really that progressive passer. That’s the problem.”
Endo Was a Great Servant for Klopp
Last season and this season are night and day
Endo was a regular under Jurgen Klopp last season following his move from Stuttgart, with the German labelling him “world-class”, and even with the switch in manager it would have been thought that he’d continue to at least garner a few starts under the Dutchman as a squad player at the minimum.
Wataru Endo’s Premier League statistics – Liverpool squad ranking, 2023/24
Stats
Output
Squad rank
Appearances
29
10th
Yellow Cards
10
1st
Pass Completion Rate Per Game (%)
88.4
6th
Tackles Per Game
1.7
5th
Aerial Duels Won Per Game
1.1
5th
Match rating
6.59
20th
9 starts from a total of 10 Europa League games, 20 starts in the Premier League and five starts in the domestic cup competitions saw Endo become a top performer under the German, but that has been negated so far this season with a real lack of minutes so far under Slot.
He’s made cameo appearances in the final minutes of matches – coming in the Premier League tie against Brentford in late August and Tuesday night’s 3-1 win over AC Milan at the San Siro – with Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboslai and Curtis Jones all being preferred to him at the best of times.
