Takefusa Kubo: Endo says ‘future superstar’ could replace Salah at Liverpool

Wataru Endo has stirred the pot by naming Japan teammate Takefusa Kubo as the ideal player to succeed Mohamed Salah at Liverpool. 

Multiple reports have stated that Liverpool are closing on the £50.6m summer signing of Kubo, who currently plies his trade at Real Sociedad, although the Liverpool ECHO are a little cooler in their assessment.

However, midfielder Endo has certainly fanned the flames, bluntly responding when asked which Japanese player he’d like to join him at Anfield: “Kubo.”

Endo then added: “The search for a replacement for Mohamed Salah has begun, so this is becoming a real area for Liverpool to strengthen. I think the player who can replace him, in the national team, would be Kubo.”

It goes without saying that whenever he eventually leaves, Salah’s boots will be big ones to fill. But it’s not like Kubo would come without pedigree. Still only 23 years old, the forward has 22 goals and 18 assists to his name across 159 La Liga appearances but has been most impressive since ending a stint of loans from Real Madrid by joining Sociedad permanently in July 2022. Since then, Kubo has registered 16 goals and 14 assists in 85 appearances across all competitions, winning the club’s Player of the Season Award for 2022/23.

Kubo has drawn praise everywhere he’s been, from Zinedine Zidane calling him a ‘very interesting player for the present and the future’, to former Mallorca CEO Maheta Molango glowing about him during his loan spell at the club in 2019/20.

“I was very, very impressed by Kubo when I met him. He’s super humble, super down to earth,” said Molango. “It’s not easy to keep your feet on the ground when you’ve been a superstar since you were 10.

“Kubo is very focused, very professional. That’s also down to his family, they’re very humble and hard-working. His talent is obvious, but the reason why he will one day be a football superstar is his head.

“He sees things that other people don’t see, the ability to see a pass and pick a long ball. His intelligence is outstanding. He is very skilled technically but also very brave, he’s not scared of the ball and of taking on responsibility.

“He’s a natural leader and he’s comfortable with the pressure. He has the ingredients to one day be a superstar.”

Kubo would certainly be a popular acquisition. Not only did he reportedly reject arch-rivals Manchester United earlier this year, but he also lavished praise upon Liverpool during the height of the Jurgen Klopp era back in 2019.

“The team I find interesting in terms of football right now is Liverpool,” said Kubo. “When I watch them, I feel like, ‘What an amazing team’. This is a little different from ‘liking’ them, it’s more like, ‘they’re amazing’.”

Who are the Kubo alternatives Liverpool could target?

Salah’s contract is expiring next summer and the time is now to, at the very least, start highlighting long-term replacements. On paper, Kubo tickets a lot of boxes and may even give the Reds a much-needed injection of speed and dynamism.

However, it’s important to remember the 35-time Japan international only signed a new contract with Real Sociedad in February, with his deal running until June 2029. If Liverpool are unwilling to meet his release clause — understood to stand just over £50m — Sociedad will feel no real pressure to sell.

So, who are the possible alternatives the Reds could target?

Well, despite Newcastle United CEO Darren Eales stressing the Magpies will be keeping hold of Anthony Gordon, Liverpool are still priced at 5/6 to sign the England international by Sky Bet. Gordon enjoyed an excellent 2023/24 campaign, notching 11 goals and 10 assists in 35 Premier League appearances, while also managing another goal and assist in the FA Cup.

Gordon may well feel like he has unfinished business at Anfield as well, with Liverpool his boyhood club but also releasing him from their academy at 11 years old, then going on to rise through the ranks at local rivals Everton. The main hangup with Gordon is the fact he’s right-footed, preferring to play on the left where he can cut inside.

Muhammed Kudus is another winger linked with Liverpool in recent months. The Ghana international adjusted brilliantly to life in England upon his arrival at West Ham from Ajax last summer, going on to bag 14 goals and six assists in 45 appearances across all competitions in 2023/24.

Kudus’ price tag is thought to have jumped to a massive £85m, which would represent quite the profit for the Hammers, who paid £38m last summer. It’s a fee that could put Liverpool off, although Arne Slot might be tempted by how familiar he is with Kudus given he faced him on multiple occasions as Ajax manager — with the Ghanaian also coming out very favourably in comparisons to Salah and Gordon.

The likes of Eberechi Eze and Crysencio Summerville have also been whispered for Liverpool this summer but have seen their odds drift to 16/1 and 10/1, respectively.