Slot has a new unsellable star at Liverpool & it's not Van Dijk or Salah

Liverpool know how to win. Rivals might not like it, but Arne Slot has created the best team in England this season, and one of the best across the continent.

Recent victories over Champions League rivals Paris Saint-Germain and Southampton in the Premier League have underpinned the brilliance of this Merseyside outfit, capable of winning in different ways, protean to the nth degree.

So then, what makes this Liverpool side so brilliant? It’s the obvious route, sure, but you’d have to start with the superstars.

The numbers behind Liverpool’s title charge

Slot is an elite level unto himself, but he’s certainly been helped by the staggering quality of some of Liverpool’s finest.

Where to start but with Mohamed Salah, whose attacking greatness has seen him chalk up 32 goals and 22 assists across all competitions, break incalculable records.

Salah is the offensive poster boy and rightly so, but he’s no more influential than his skipper, Virgil van Dijk.

The towering Dutchman is truly redoubtable, fusing inimitable defensive skill with supreme leadership and eye-catching distribution. Van Dijk is every bit as important as his flashier peer, so important in ensuring Liverpool push forward.

Along with Trent Alexander-Arnold, these players are into the final few months of their careers on Merseyside, and while sporting director Richard Hughes is fighting for them to put pen to paper, the future is uncertain and worrying.

They are each of them unsellable, untouchable pillars of Anfield’s infrastructure. Of course, this is redundant, for each can leave if they so wish.

However, they aren’t the only untouchables in Slot’s squad, with one surprise figure earning that status with his performances this season.

Liverpool’s unlikely untouchable star

Not everyone in Liverpool’s first team starts every week, but each player has a role. For example, Darwin Nunez might reportedly be up for sale and struggling to hit the expected heights, but he’s still popped up with some big moments, contributing toward the multi-front title charge.

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Likewise, Harvey Elliott, 21, has been angered by his lack of game time this term but remains one of the most gifted young playmakers in the business, underscoring his value by netting an incredible winner in Paris last week.

However, similarly to Nunez, Elliott is allegedly wanted by several clubs and FSG could bank a pretty penny by selling him. Both players could be sold this summer, albeit fans would be dismayed at the 21-year-old’s playmaker’s departure.

But there’s another older fringe player in Slot’s squad who has established himself as an unsellable part of the team. His name is Wataru Endo.

The 32-year-old midfielder is approaching the end of his second season on Merseyside, having won one title to date and completed 68 appearances, scoring two goals and registering one assist.

The Japan captain struggled to win Slot over across the opening months of the Premier League campaign, only playing 20 minutes across six matches before Christmas. However, he’s become a regular feature in recent months, instrumental in keeping Liverpool afloat as they chase down multiple major honours.

That said, Endo has been used prominently across domestic cup competitions, showcasing his value by completing 91% of his passes in the Carabao Cup, also averaging two tackles per game and winning 63% of his duels, as per Sofascore. His efforts have been key as Liverpool prepare for the final against Newcastle United this weekend.

Though he hasn’t started a single Premier League match in 2024/25, Endo has been a core part of Slot’s plans, hailed as a “red machine” by talkSPORT’s Steve Hothersall.

Recent weeks have seen him hit a new level of appreciation at the club. Liverpool have won each of the five fixtures listed below, in no small part down to Endo’s combative late injection.

Remarkably, Endo hasn’t misplaced a single pass over his past five appearances in all competitions, so underrated in his ability to slow games down and ensure Liverpool have control and composure in the dying embers.

He’s the perfect shop-shutter. As per FBref, the 32-year-old ranks among the top 8% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion, the top 15% for tackles, the top 20% for interceptions, the top 13% for blocks and the top 18% for clearances per 90.

Such impactful late-stage displays have seen Endo cultivate a cult hero status from those of a Liverpool persuasion. He is adored.

How curious that Liverpool were met with derision when purchasing him from Stuttgart for £16m in August 2023, mocked for missing out on Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo to Chelsea. Well, Endo bested Chelsea’s crop in last season’s Carabao Cup final and is now heading for a Premier League title and perhaps even more.

Drafted in by Jurgen Klopp as a stop-gap option at number six, Endo has proved himself as a priceless part of Liverpool’s team.

As per Football Transfers, the tough-tackling midfielder is valued at just £11m. Where would be the value in selling him, especially when he brings something different, almost diametrically opposed to Ryan Gravenberch as a number 6.

Indeed, this player’s value is found on the pitch. If you pay attention you’ll see. We’re deep into the second half, and there he is. Bib off, jogtrot down the sideline, and then he’s unleashed to an uproarious Anfield crowd, who delight in his defensive impact.

Fair play to Salah and Van Dijk, they are two of the finest players of their generation. But fair play to Endo. Klopp saw something in this industrious athlete, who is now invaluable as the Premier League title draws near.

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