Liverpool are flying this season. Arne Slot’s aspect have been one of the best aspect within the Premier League, sitting top of the table 15 video games into his first marketing campaign in cost at Anfield. It’s truthful to say that the transition from legendary supervisor Jurgen Klopp to new boss Slot has been seamless.
Statistically, they’ve been incredible. As per Understat, Liverpool have the second-highest variety of anticipated targets, with 33.91, barely greater than they’ve scored. In addition they have a wonderful anticipated targets in opposition to file, with 14.63; extremely, they’re outperforming that stat, having conceded simply 11 Premier League targets, one of the best within the league.
In addition to the group is performing, nonetheless, certainly one of their star gamers, Darwin Nunez isn’t having his finest season.
Nunez’s stats in 2024/25
It has been a troublesome marketing campaign thus far for the Uruguayan striker. Nunez got here with an enormous weight of expectation on his shoulders, given the payment Liverpool paid for him. He cost an initial £64m to prise from Benfica, but it surely was a deal that might rise as excessive as £85m together with add-ons.
Nunez has, in essence, underwhelmed at Anfield thus far. He has played 115 games for the membership, however has discovered the again of the web on simply 32 totally different events and has 19 assists to his identify, a complete of 0.44 targets and assists per recreation.
It appeared like he was discovering kind final season. Nunez had 11 targets and eight assists in 36 Premier League video games. Nonetheless, he has been poor beneath Slot, with three targets and two assists in 19 games throughout all competitions.
There’ll absolutely be concern amongst Liverpool’s backroom employees on the type of their quantity 9. Their different attackers are not finding goals hard to come by; Mohamed Salah has 16 to his identify, Luis Diaz has 9 targets and Cody Gakpo has scored eight occasions.
Transfer Focus
Mega cash offers, controversial strikes and big-name flops. That is the house of switch information and opinion throughout Soccer FanCast.
With the Reds needing a greater contribution from their strikers, they may properly look to herald a brand new centre-forward to boost the standard of their ahead line. They’ve been linked with a lethal striker in current weeks.
Liverpool’s seek for a striker
The participant in query right here is Sporting centre-forward Viktor Gyokeres. According to a report from Florian Plettenberg in November, Liverpool are “presently within the race” to signal the Sweden worldwide.
They’re competing with the likes of Manchester Metropolis, Arsenal and Chelsea for his signature, and the striker may price round £57m.
There isn’t any doubt that, from a targets viewpoint, Gyokeres can be an improve on Nunez. He has been phenomenal this time period, with 25 targets and 4 assists in just 23 games across all competitions. He has additionally scored over 50 targets in 2024. It has been a 12 months of seismic proportion for the Sporting man.
Curiously, a statistical comparability will be drawn between Gyokeres and Liverpool legend Luis Suarez, as per FBref. Now 37, the previous Barcelona star plies his commerce within the MLS for Inter Miami. He scored 82 goals in 133 games for the Merseysiders, and people are numbers the Sweden striker can be hoping to hit.
According to FBref, the previous Liverpool talisman averaged 0.94 targets per recreation final season, with Sporting striker Gyokeres impressively exceeding that quantity, with 1.33. Not solely that, he has a greater anticipated targets tally than Suarez, with 1.09 in comparison with 0.63 for the Uruguayan.
It’s maybe value mentioning Nunez’s stats in relation to these numbers, too. In 2024/25, the Reds quantity 9 has thus far averaged 0.29 targets per recreation and an anticipated targets per recreation of simply 0.3
|
Gyokeres, Suarez & Nunez objective stats |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stat (per 90) |
Gyokeres (2024/25) |
Suarez (2024) |
Nunez (2024/25) |
|
Targets |
1.33 |
0.94 |
0.29 |
|
Anticipated targets |
1.09xG |
0.63xG |
0.3xG |
|
Photographs on track |
1.56 |
2.21 |
1.01 |
|
Targets per shot on track |
0.5 |
0.43 |
0.29 |
|
Shot-creating actions |
5.77 |
3.56 |
2.31 |
|
Aim-creating actions |
1.01 |
0.94 |
0.29 |
|
Stats from FBref |
|||
In the end, signing Gyokeres would convey targets to a Liverpool aspect who presently lack a scientific centre ahead. Because the stats present, he would definitely be a large improve on Nunez in entrance of objective.
Gyokeres could be a “recreation changer” for the Reds, as football statistician Statman Dave described him. The Swede may very well be precisely who Liverpool have to hold their wonderful momentum going.
Associated
Saved by Salah: Slot must axe 5/10 Liverpool ace who had just 50% pass rate
The Liverpool man was saved by Salah’s penalty
