Amid Liverpool celebrating their second-ever Premier League title, the eagle-eyed members of the Anfield faithful have come to the realisation that a particular statistic of Wataru Endo’s this season sets him apart from every other player in the top flight.
Arne Slot, on Sunday, became the fifth manager in Premier League history to win the title in their maiden campaign in England’s top flight after dismantling Tottenham Hotspur in a routine 5-1 victory in front of a roaring Anfield.
Something of a forgotten figure under Slot, the seasoned Japan international, Endo, has played 29 times in 2024/25. That said, many of his cameos have come from the bench, by virtue of the respective forms of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister.
Crazy Endo Stat Proves Midfielder’s Worth to Slot
Midfielder’s future at Anfield hangs in the balance
What the Japan national team skipper has always provided when relied upon is a work ethic – and that’s proved by a statistic that has recently come to light: his somewhat impressive tally of fouls per game, which has trumped every other player in the Premier League.
Endo joined the Merseysiders, who were then under Jurgen Klopp’s stewardship, with a gritty reputation of a player who enjoyed getting stuck in – and, when stripping his move back to its bare bones, that’s exactly what he has supplied in his short stay at Anfield thus far.
Of all the players in England’s primary division this season, there is no one (Crystal Palace’s Will Hughes is just behind) that has committed more fouls per game than the 32-year-old, who joined from VfB Stuttgart in the summer of 2023.
Per game, Endo – who has become popular for wearing a rugby-like gumshield during matches – has chalked up eight fouls this term. What’s more notable is that he’s managed to go the entirety of the Premier League 2024/25 season without receiving a yellow card.
Elsewhere, the aforementioned Hughes, all while accruing 2.9 fouls per game, has received 11 yellow cards since the campaign got underway in August – and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Jota Silva (third) has notched five yellow cards while chalking up 2.6 fouls per game.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), one Liverpool supporter – perhaps in jest – insisted that the little-known statistic of Endo’s season under Slot is worthy of a ten-year contract extension amid uncertainty over whether he’ll remain on Anfield books.
“This is the greatest stat in the history of the Premier League. Left him lift the trophy. Give him a ten-year deal. What a fella.”
What lies ahead for Yokohama-born Endo remains to be seen. Sturdy enough to be relied upon when the going gets tough, the question is whether it’s a profile that Slot – regarded as one of the best managers in world football – will be looking to upgrade.
Incredibly, the Dutchman could use his statistical anomaly to the club’s advantage. When clubs come sniffing for his signature, it could be used as leverage – because who doesn’t want a battle-ready player who is prepared to throw it all on the line?
