It's fair to see Wataru Endo has been one of signings, if not the signing, of the season in the Premier League.
Little was expected of the Japan captain, who was seen as a left-field solution to Liverpool's defensive midfield issue last summer when he was brought in for £16m from Stuttgart.
The transfer was viewed by many as particularly underwhelming when contrasted with the two players the Reds had tried and failed to sign first: Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
During a particularly chaotic period of the summer transfer window, Liverpool were turned down by Caicedo, who held out for a £100m move to Chelsea, while backup target Lavia also ended up at Stamford Bridge.
In the months since, any disappointment over how the window panned out has turned into pure relief as the Blues have struggled badly, while Endo goes from strength to strength.
The gumshield-wearing midfield monster has outperformed many much more expensive high profile stars this season and looks one of the shrewdest bargains the Reds have picked up in years.
And now as a true sign of how highly he is rated at Anfield, Endo has his own song.
@theragamuffins Just a gang of lunatics having a very lovely time thank you (sort of) to @ABBA and Waturu Endo at @wearehotelanfield yesterday. Waturu.... ENDO He is Japanese ENDO He wears number three And he's gonna win the league! A great game of football between two brilliant sets of players yesterday, and managed to fit two gigs in, one with all of us on the stage up at Anfield alongside Buffalo Riot and @The Sway with the players coach driving right past us while we were onstage, then at Hotel Anfield before and after the game. This week I'll be there again on Thursday night before and after the @Sparta Prague 💙💛❤️ game but we've got the serious business of our next records, the first of which has just been mastered! Too Many Dancefloors!!!!! #endo #waturu #Japan #japanese #party #lfc #liverpool #lfcfamily #anfield
Sung to the tune of ABBA’s Voulez-Vous — as was Sadio Mane's old chant — the lyrics of the song go:
He’s Wataru
Endo
He is Japanese
Endo
He wears number 3
Endo
And he’s gonna win the league
The simple but catchy song (shared by theragamuffins on TikTok) has gone viral across social media platforms and is sure to be a staple at Anfield in the coming weeks, months and years.
Speaking after the 1-1 draw with Manchester City at the weekend, in which Endo was named Player of the Match, Jurgen Klopp once again hailed his summer signing, admitting even he couldn't have predicted the star's impact this season.
Kevin de Bruyne fully loses his head at 35 seconds 😂pic.twitter.com/1EAqVOZCiz
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) March 11, 2024
“What can you expect? That you sign a 30-year-old captain of Japan and he will be a standout player in the Premier League,” the manager told BBC Sport.
“That he would be a good player, we knew, but what he’s making of that role, together with Macca, or then with Dom or then with Harvey – by the way, what a game he played…
“You never know that people can develop to world class, but that’s what happened.”
Endo has made 31 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool so far this season, scoring twice and registering one assist.
