Wataru Endo has doubled down on his desire to stay put at Liverpool this summer
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Wataru Endo of Japan applauds fans after the FIFA World Cup Asian Third Qualifier Group C match between Japan and Indonesia at Panasonic Stadium Suita
Wataru Endo of Japan applauds fans after the FIFA World Cup Asian Third Qualifier Group C match between Japan and Indonesia at Panasonic Stadium Suita
(Image: 2025 Etsuo Hara)
Wataru Endo has reiterated his desire to stay put at Liverpool this summer. The Japan international found himself limited to a bit-part role at Anfield last season following Arne Slot’s appointment as head coach.
The 32-year-old made 32 appearances in all competitions under the Dutchman, but only started seven times. And while he still helped the Reds win the Premier League, he started just once in the English top-flight with such an outing (away at Chelsea) coming only once the title was already won.
But despite his limited game-time, Endo has no desire to leave Liverpool and insists he will be staying put this summer.
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“I told you I’m staying!” he said during a live Q&A event in his hometown of Kanagawa, as quoted by Soccer Digest. “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.
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“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.”
While Slot might have preferred to use Endo to help see out matches last season, the Japanese is determined to feature more prominently next season.
“There is the manager's style, and there are preferences,” he conceded. “In the end, you should think first about what you can do in the environment you are given.
“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.
“I think there's a high possibility that I'll play in various positions in the future, so I think it'll be fine if we can carry that over to the next stage."
Endo previously signalled his intention to stay at Liverpool last month, before doubling down on such a stance with his latest admission.
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"I've heard about it (transfer speculation). Everyone's talking about it,” he admitted in an interview with former team-mate Tomoaki Makino for Abema Times. “My friends contact me, even my family is like, ‘so what are you going to do?’
“And yeah, sometimes other players ask too: ‘Are you going to be here next year?’ Especially after the middle of the season. But I just say, ‘as far as I’m concerned, I’m staying.’”