Wataru Endo is demonstrating to be Liverpool’s outlier in a lot of ways.
Jordan Henderson and Fabinho reluctantly joined a mass midfield exodus that also included James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Naby Keita earlier in the summer. The Reds’ recruitment team had a general goal of bringing in younger, more dependable players throughout the transfer season.
The additions of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Ryan Gravenberch, who are 24, 22, and 21, respectively, have done that. Jurgen Klopp appears eager to rebuild his midfield with technical assurance at the forefront of his thinking rather than the hard-pressing tactics that have characterized the last few years.
Endo, who is 30 years old, marks a change in that approach. Instead, he has lowered the average age of the squad and sprinkled in some experience.
Endo’s comparatively low price and reputation as an international captain who would offer trustworthy cover, however, would have been viewed in a more favorable light had he been signed earlier in the transfer window.
Even if many members of the larger Liverpool audience were unaware of Endo’s abilities prior to moving to Merseyside, many seasoned Bundesliga observers recognized the potential. When the trade was finalized, Klopp received numerous notes from family and friends in his native country commending him on his cunning.
The Reds’ manager would have no doubt watched on with interest as Endo’s midfield performance in the Volkswagen Arena helped keep Hansi Flick’s team at bay.
As a highly proud German, seeing Endo succeed on Saturday night probably left Klopp with conflicted feelings, but he is undoubtedly ecstatic about the chance to really start working on putting his midfield together after the break.
