Liverpool’s signing of Wataru Endo on Friday was done to address one very important need.

The Reds, having been stymied in their attempts to sign defensive midfielders Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, instead turned to a player of an entirely different profile in terms of age, with 30-year-old Japan captain having been something of a ‘late bloomer’ in the Bundesliga with VfB Stuttgart, according to Jurgen Klopp.

It is likely that Liverpool go back into the market for another player in that defensive midfield position before the window is out; likely one that is of a younger age profile and carries the potential for a significant value rise in the coming years and with a ceiling for growth. There is less than two weeks to find that player.

For the here and now, Endo is in the building and comes with glowing references from his time in Germany, where he was one of the standout players in his position despite going under the radar somewhat when it came to his profile around Europe. He solves an immediate problem for Klopp, and in signing a long-term contract after a £16m deal was agreed with Stuttgart, he is someone who will help fill the experience and leadership void that was left by the departures of Jordan Henderson and James Milner in the summer.

Looking at the wider picture away from just what Endo can deliver for Liverpool on the pitch, the arrival of the midfielder at Anfield will almost certainly aid the club’s efforts to grow their profile in one of their key markets.

Asia is a major market for the Reds, hence the reason why the club has made numerous visits to the continent over the past decade during pre-season tours, including last month’s trip to Singapore. There is a huge Liverpool fan base across the Asian nations, with the Reds the most popular Premier League club in a number of countries.

In Japan they are one of the most followed clubs. When Liverpool signed Takumi Minamino from Red Bull Salzburg back in 2020 they gave their popularity a boost in Japan, with the attacker one of the nation’s most popular and recognisable exports. While the signing of Minamino from a competitive point of view may not have worked out as planned, the club will have benefited from generating new fans which, in turn, generates greater revenue streams through shirt sales and other means.

As captain of the Japan national team, Endo is a player with a significant profile in his home nation, something aided by his transition to become one of the best exports into European football in recent years. With that comes potential for Liverpool to explore growth potential in Japan, something that could be aided by their long-standing partnership with Japanese publisher Kodansha, one of the world’s biggest publishing houses who this year inked an extension to their multi-year deal with the Reds.

Part of Kodansha’s remit is to aid the storytelling of the club around the world through TV, anime, magazines, picture books, novels and official merchandise, and their positioning the Japanese market would greatly aid any Liverpool effort to maximise the potential around the signing of Endo.

The biggest potential positive for Liverpool from a revenue generating standpoint on a short to medium term basis is the increase in intellectual property value, a key component in how the value of sponsorship deals across territories are assessed. For some partners from or that do business in the likes of Japan, they may be willing to pay more to align themselves with the Reds due to the potential benefits that exist from having the captain of the Japanese national team playing for one of the biggest clubs in world football. That can provide some greater leverage for the club when engaging with new partners and talking about the kind of exposure that can be given.

Liverpool are one of the most popular clubs in Japan and for a club the size of the Reds moving forward it is important to try and grow their share of a fan base in the face of stiff competition from rivals. From the value of the IP to the potential to deliver greater revenues through the sale of merchandise that would be beneficial through the 20% slice of sales that the Reds receive as part of the Nike deal, creating a larger fan base globally has enormous potential, especially when considering the broad lifestyle merchandise that Liverpool offers through its partnerships with Converse and LeBron James lines.

The next generation of fans in some countries outside of Europe are likely more willing to attach themselves to big clubs where there is a narrative that links them culturally or emotionally, and for some fans in Japan who may not have nailed their colours to the mast just yet in terms of following a European side, having someone like Endo in the Liverpool midfield could be compelling. Alongside Minamino in Monaco, Takehiro Tomiyasu at Arsenal and Kyogo Furuhashi of Celtic, Endo is of the most prominent Japanese players on the world stage. If he shines in the way that maybe Minamino was unable to, the Reds could get a boost away from the pitch as well as on it, one that could help them with their revenue generating potential in the Japanese market for years to come.