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Wataru Endo has issued a strong message on his Liverpool future this week.

Signed from VfB Stuttgart in July 2023 for approximately €20 million, Endo enjoyed a strong debut campaign under Jurgen Klopp.

However, Slot’s arrival has coincided with the emergence of Ryan Gravenberch as Liverpool’s preferred defensive midfielder.

End?’s league minutes this season have dipped dramatically, featuring only 260 in 20 appearances—19 of which came from the bench.

His dwindling game time has prompted questions about his long-term role at Anfield and whether he can secure the regular starts he desires, particularly with Japan’s 2026 World Cup campaign looming.

However, speaking to during a Q&A for his ‘Monthly Endo Wataru’ platform, the 32-year-old responded strongly a question around his future – asserting he will remain at Liverpool for the forseeable future and that his career is in his hands:

“I told you I’m staying!” he said as quoted by Soccer Digest.

“If the club tells me to leave…no, I’m staying.

Basically, I’m staying, for now.”

He added that he had to work hard to just earn a role as a ‘closer’ for Arne Slot’s side, but does not rule out fighting for starting role next term:

“People started calling me a ‘closer’, but I don’t think people would call me that if I’d come on in the last 10 or 15 minutes of a game and conceded goals every time,” the Japan skipper added.

“The ‘closer’ position is one I finally won in the situation I was placed in.”

“I’ve been called a ‘closer’ as a result of fulfilling the role I was given, so it means that I’ve found my purpose this season.”

“If I can show that Endo can be a ‘closer’, and that he can play even as a starter, from next season onwards, there won’t be any problem,” he explained.

“I think there’s a high possibility that I’ll be able to play in various positions in the future, so I think I can carry that over to the next stage.”

Eintracht Frankfurt have been credited with an interest in Liverpool’s No.3.

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