Wataru Endō was never signed to be first-choice at Liverpool and that he has never become. In the summer of 2023, after missing out on both Moisés Caicedo and Roméo Lavia, the duo both joining Chelsea for a combined £173 million, with mixed results, the Reds desperately needed a new defensive midfielder.
Thus, they turned to Endō, who was sighned by Jurgen Klopp and he arrived from Stuttgart for £16 million. However, could the Japanese international's three-year stay on Merseyside be about to come to an end?
Well, according to a report by Pete O'Rourke of Football Insider, Liverpool "are open to offers" for Endō, and are actively making clubs aware of his availability. So, would letting him go be a mistake?
During Sunday's 3-2 friendly defeat at the hands of Monaco at Anfield, the 33 year old was introduced at half time, replacing teenager Ifeanyi Ndukwe. This was his first appearance for the club since 11 February, when he suffered a serious ankle injury in the 1-0 win vs Sunderland at the Stadium of Light during the 2025/26 camapaign.
Despite returning in time to play the first half of the Samurai Blue's pre-tournament friendly against Iceland in Tokyo, Endō's lack of fitness meant he was ultimately left out of Hajime Moriyasu's Japanese World Cup squad.
This obviously will have been heartbreaking for him, so he'll be doubly determined to be back to his best by the time the AFC Asian Cup rolls around in Saudi Arabia in January.
By then, will Endō still be a Liverpool player?
Well, all indications suggest not. Across three seasons, he has made 87 appearances for the club, albeit 43 of these have come as a substitute. He has scored two goals, netting against Fulham and Toulouse during a thumping Europa League win.
.@TrentAA's inviting cross met by @wataru0209's perfectly placed header 💪#LIVTFC pic.twitter.com/OPKXQHsxNH
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 27, 2023
Both of those came in 2023/24, when he started 20 Premier League games, with his importance drastically diminishing subsequently. The following campaign, the Japanese started only once in the league, coming off the bench on 19 occasions, before just one league start again last time round, this the night he suffered that World Cup thwarting injury on Wearside.
Thus, it is easy to understand why he is not in Andoni Iraola's plans. However, capable of being deployed both at centre-back and in midfield, can the Reds afford to let him go? Well, ahead of Ronald Araújo's arrival on loan from Barcelona, Iraola is very short of central defenders, considering that Giovanni Leoni, Joe Gomez and Jérémy Jacquet are not currently available.
Similarly, at the base of midfield, allowing Endō to leave, with Curtis Jones potentially departing too, would be putting a lot of trust in Trey Nyoni to be Ryan Gravenberch's understudy. Nevertheless, it does appear as though the 33 year old will be on the move, if a suitable buyer comes forward.
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