With the advantage of hindsight, it was precisely what was wanted on the proper time. However additionally it is truthful to say that Wataru Endo’s arrival was greeted with its justifiable share of raised eyebrows.
Liverpool’s title-challenging midfield is nearly unrecognisable from the one which did not land a prime 4 place for the primary time in seven seasons simply 10 months in the past.
Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all waved their goodbyes on the ultimate day of the 2022/23 marketing campaign and made means for Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai originally of the summer time, however the engine refit wasn’t accomplished there.
The previous introduced a World Cup medal with him, whereas the sheer price ticket and popularity of the latter was sufficient to rapidly get the followers on board.
Then alongside got here Wataru Endo, a £16 million curveball from Stuttgart who no person knew something about, not to mention noticed coming.
Scratched heads
His arrival was met by a blended reception, with the intuition of many being that he was merely the primary course so far as filling the No. 6 void was involved following the additional departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to the Saudi Professional League.
It couldn’t presumably be that an unknown 30-year-old amount was the reply to our prayers on the base of the midfield, significantly given the failed mega-money makes an attempt to land Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo that ensued.
The following dish needed to be one thing substantial, somebody with a modern identify or an eye catching price ticket, didn’t it?
And but, as soon as once more, many amongst us have been made to seem like fools for our scepticism. After a quick bedding in interval the Japan captain grew to become an important cog within the machine, his significance underlined by the fears sparked by his departure to the Asia Cup.
The squad’s solely specialist senior defensive midfielder has been borderline undroppable in current months, all whereas Alexis Mac Allister has appeared equally spectacular when requested to drop deeper within the center.
Regardless of having now turned 31, the four-year deal handed to him throughout the summer time maybe should have served as a sign that Jurgen Klopp wasn’t viewing him because the stopgap signing many believed him to be, with or with out the advantage of hindsight.
We’ve got develop into accustomed to unearthing gems within the sweet-spot interval earlier than they hit their prime, however doing so with a participant who already had 13 years {of professional} soccer underneath his belt definitely appears like an anomaly.
Hitting his stride
Endo was scintillating throughout Liverpool’s present of defiance in opposition to Man Metropolis at Anfield, simply as he had been at Wembley two weeks earlier.
There are nonetheless events on which he’ll permit himself the early interval to really feel out an opponent throughout video games, very similar to elite boxers use the primary few rounds to scope out potential areas of hazard.
It might seem in these cases that he’s taking time to develop into matches, however the actuality is that he’s utilizing all of his expertise and recreation intelligence to watch simply how he anticipates his position to play out over the 90 minutes.
Praising his relentless work fee and willingness to place his physique on the road for the trigger would really feel inadequate by way of what he has supplied up to now this season.
However he has visibly performed like somebody hellbent on grabbing this considerably surprising alternative with each palms, after which some.
He has three fellow summer time arrivals to compete with in the midst of the park, together with two of Liverpool’s most constant performers all through 2023/24 in Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott.
And but, ought to Liverpool discover themselves needing a win to safe the Premier League title in opposition to Wolves in Might, or in a Europa League ultimate three days later, you’d be hard-pushed to seek out cause to go away Endo out no matter what number of match and out there choices the supervisor has.
Silencing the doubters
In equity, the preliminary August scepticism was considerably comprehensible given the observe report of buying gamers of their early 20s and permitting them to blow up on our books.
However what Endo has proved is that the membership can efficiently stray from conference when the proper alternatives current themselves.
Legitimate issues have been raised a couple of lack expertise and management inside the dressing room when each the captain and vice-captain departed inside a matter of months of one another.
Because the chief of his nationwide staff with a bunch of miles on his personal clock, Endo was considered as a super answer to redress that stability, however he has gone above and past all expectations with the degrees he has proven on the pitch.
New signings scarcely fly out of the blocks, Luis Diaz and Szoboszlai proving themselves to be among the many exceptions lately, however Liverpool very not often miss within the switch market and there’ll at all times be a way to the insanity.
As is commonly the case, the Endo doubters at the moment are just about non-existent and his catchy new tune speaks volumes for the fondness now felt from the terraces.
Maybe it’s time to cease judging signings earlier than they’ve kicked a ball and go away the consultants to it.
