Wataru Endo: Liverpool's Jordan Henderson replacement?

• @SamMcGuire is a football journalist who specialises in data, analysis and tactics, with specific knowledge on Liverpool

Out of seemingly nowhere, the Reds announced a surprise deal for Wataru Endo. It was quite the seven days on Merseyside from the point of interest in Caicedo.

The move for Endo caught a lot of people cold. There had been no links to the VfB Stuttgart captain and he didn’t appear on any lists of midfield alternatives this summer.

• Article was published prior to Liverpool's 3-1 win over Bournemouth

Questions had been asked after the rather public failings in their pursuits of Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. Was Jorg Schmadtke up for the job as interim Sporting Director? What was going on within the recruitment team at Anfield?

Speed of deal a positive sign

The signing of Endo doesn’t emphatically answer these but the swiftness of the deal does suggest that the Reds are once again focused, all on the same page and eager to right a few wrongs.

But why the 30-year-old? Liverpool had been linked with Sofyan Amrabat and Ibrahim Sangare over recent days as a potential stop-gap signing but the club instead opted for the 50-cap Japan international.

Adored by Stuttgart fans, he’s a player who goes under the radar. Initially, he joined the club on loan for the 2019/20 campaign when the club were in the German second tier.

The move was made permanent in the summer of 2020 and he’s practically been ever-present following their promotion to the Bundesliga, appearing in 99 of their 102 matches. No player in the German top flight has started more games during this period of time.

Versatility a bonus

He’s been used in a variety of roles by the German club, operating as a single pivot at the base of a midfield three or as part of a double pivot on either flank.

During his time in Japan with Urawa Reds, he was deployed as a centre-back and even appeared as a right-back. Endo hasn’t played there regularly for quite some time but could he potentially fill in for Trent Alexander-Arnold as the inverted full-back? He has the ball-playing ability to do it.

Since promotion to the Bundesliga, Endo has completed 85% of his attempted passes. For a little more context here, he’s averaging around 44 passes per 90, so the volume is decent and he won’t need to scale too much to fit in at Liverpool.

He isn’t just playing simple five-yard passes either. The 5'10" midfielder loves a big switch to either flank and he often has a good connection with the centre-forwards. He’s progressive, incisive and precise in possession.

In fact, only Jamal Musiala, Dominik Szoboszlai, Moussa Diaby and Raphael Gurreirro created more open-play chances than Endo last season.

And he was primarily used as a holding midfielder. His ability to create chances is down to his understanding of the tempo. Endo knows when to take an extra touch and when to quickly get things moving.

An example of this can be seen below.

The VfB number three positions himself to pick up the defensive knockdown. Bayern are well positioned to press him as well as any teammate in the Stuttgart half who may receive a pass.

After the ball bounces his way, he just repositions his body and sends a pass over the top having seen there is a three-versus-three situation with lots of space to attack. This doesn’t result in a goal but it requires a last-gasp block. And this entire situation was down to Endo’s quick thinking and the perfectly weighted pass.

Without the ball, he’s just as effective. The Japan captain has been involved in close to eight defensive duels per 90 in the Bundesliga and he comes out on top in 61%.

Aerially, he gets about too. He’s not the tallest but he’s combative and he times his jumps. He’s attempted 3.45 aerial duels per 90 in the German top tier and he wins close to 60%. Peak Fabinho was involved in 2.5 aerial duels per 90 in the Premier League for the Reds and won 64%.

Endo is fairly press resistant too, regularly attempting over two dribbles per 90 and having a success rate of over 50%. He’s very nimble and has the ability to work half a yard of space to get away from players.

The 30-year-old ticks a lot of desirable boxes.

His experience could be huge

Off the pitch, he could be just as influential as Liverpool lost a lot of experience this summer.

Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Milner and Roberto Firmino all left Anfield and though the leadership group has been reconfigured with Virgil van Dijk named as the club captain and Trent Alexander-Arnold given the vice-captaincy, there was a gap in the squad for a 12th man, of sorts.

Someone who could come off the bench and help see out the final 20 minutes.

That won’t be Endo’s only role for the Reds, but it could be a key part in why he was identified.

The £16m fee may seem a little steep given he was into the final 12 months of his contract but without him last term, VfB would’ve suffered relegation. He’s their captain and an important player; it was going to take a substantial amount of money to convince them to part with him, especially with relegation once again on the cards.

Endo has a lot of experience and leadership skills that will be invaluable for the Reds, just as they were for Stuttgart over the years. He isn’t the flashiest arrival but there’s potential for him to be a shrewd signing who turns into something of a cult hero, a la Ragnar Klavan.

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