‘If the club tells me to leave…’ – Liverpool cult hero doubles down on stance on Reds future
One Liverpool player has doubled down on his stance regarding his immediate future at Anfield.
Shortly after the 2024/25 Premier League season ended, Wataru Endo told media in his native Japan that he wants to stay put on Merseyside and has no plans to ‘throw away’ the opportunity to continue playing for the Reds, with two years remaining on his contract.
The 32-year-old started only one top-flight match under Arne Slot last term, but far from complaining about his status as a ‘closer’ coming off the bench late in games, he actually appears to revel in it.
Endo reiterates his commitment to Liverpool
The Liverpool midfielder recently held a Q&A in his hometown of Kanagawa when he was inevitably asked about his future at Anfield.
Endo emphatically replied (via Soccer Digest): “I told you I’m staying! If the club tells me to leave… No, I’m staying. I have a contract. It’s up to me to make the final decision. Basically, I’m staying, for now.
“Looking back, I think it was a good season. I didn’t have many opportunities to play at Liverpool, but in the end, we won the Premier League and qualified for the World Cup with the national team, so it was a great season that will lead to next season.”
He added: “In the professional world, you have to show the meaning of your existence. I don’t think people would call me a closer if I had entered the game with 10 or 15 minutes left and conceded runs every time.
“This position of closer is a position I ultimately won in the position I was in. I was able to be called a closer as a result of fulfilling the role I was given, so that means I found the meaning of my existence this season.
“If we can show that Endo can play as a closer and even if he’s in the starting line-up, there won’t be any problem from next season onwards.”
Selfless Endo genuinely loves being a Liverpool player
Liverpool are truly blessed to have such a model professional in Endo, who’s become a genuine cult hero at Anfield for his unselfish, no-frills attitude on and off the pitch.
Most footballers hate being regarded as a ‘supersub’, but the 32-year-old seems to have accepted his place in the Reds’ pecking order and embraced his familiar responsibility of coming off the bench in the final 15 minutes and helping his team to see out crucial victories.
The way in which he expertly ran down the clock in away wins over Crystal Palace and Southampton last autumn testifies to his game intelligence, with the Japan captain utilising all his years of experience at a high level to do what’s needed for his side, and it certainly doesn’t go unappreciated.
In his actions and in his words, Endo unfailingly comes across as someone who truly savours his status as a Liverpool player and is in no hurry to give that up just because his starting apperances are sporadic.
In a summer which is already seeing a large chunk of Slot’s title-winning squad linked with moves elswhere, it’s quite a relief to hear our number 3 stating (once again) in no uncertain terms that he’s staying put!
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