Liverpool find their 19-year-old star to replace Wataru Endo

Liverpool may have found the player to replace Wataru Endo in their squad. The Reds are seriously considering a transfer.

Liverpool haven't really found a place for Wataru Endo under Arne Slot. The Japan international was just shy of a key player for the Reds under Jurgen Klopp but things changed quite dramatically for him.

The main difference is simply in how the midfield is shaped. Klopp played with one sitting midfielder and then two more well-rounded players in front. Slot still has those two well-rounded midfielder but swaps a holding player behind them for an attacking midfielder in front.

And so Endo isn't really suited for a role. He likes that lone holding midfielder position that Klopp used - someone who can play without any pressure to deliver on the ball and instead focuses on breaking up attacks and playing simple passes.

Slot does not allow for someone like that. It's why Endo is essentially limited to a few minutes at the end of games where Liverpool are winning - times when it's more important to stop the opposition than anything else.

While it's nice to have such a player in the squad, there's no real question that Slot would prefer to have a midfielder he could use more often. Or at least, someone who fit the system a little better.

Maybe they've found one.

Liverpool consider Kees Smit

Kees Smit is one of the young midfielders in Europe that's really catching the eye. As pointed out by Soccer News in the Netherlands, a host of elite European clubs are looking at the 19-year-old.

One of those is now Liverpool, who are seriously considering a move according to the report. Smit would be the kind of upgrade on Endo that they're after.

He's a player who wins tackles, albeit not at the rate of the veteran. You're looking at around 2.5 per 90 minutes, which is a solid rate for an all-around midfielder.

But it's in carrying the ball that catches the eye. Smit breaks the defensive line with a carry around twice per 90 minutes - the rate Liverpool like. It's roughly four times the number that Endo averages.

And it's something Liverpool need more of. Midfielders who are happy to carry the ball up the pitch, taking advantage of gaps in the opposition press would go a long way to improving the teams' form.

Ryan Gravenberch is fantastic at it, of course, and his compatriot, Smit, is also becoming a star there. And he really is becoming a star.

Smit also has goals in his game, finishing as top scorer at the Under 19 Euros over the summer. He scored in every game, in fact, apart from the final - though, the Netherlands still went on to win it.

This is the kind of upgrade Liverpool want on Endo, then. The 32-year-old likely won't stick around beyond this season and Smit may well be who the Reds sign to take his place in the squad.

A better fit for Slot's team and someone who could excel in the future.

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