Success is seldom not far away in soccer. Whereas the jubilation of successful matches towards arch-rivals offers ephemeral injections of endorphins, scorn at rivals’ expense, how usually does it really rely towards one thing lined in silver?
That is particularly pertinent for the lion’s share of the Premier League, residing within the shadowed wake of Manchester Metropolis’s domination underneath Pep Guardiola.
Liverpool? Liverpool have suffered, pulled and pained and pricked by the buffeting blows of close to misses and ‘what-ifs?’, reaching illustrious heights underneath the lionised Jurgen Klopp however nonetheless yielding perpetual sporting glory to the all-conquering Residents.
Nonetheless, Liverpool have loved greater than most, successful the entire gamut underneath Klopp, who has now departed after practically 9 years. Arne Slot is his successor and will likely be hoping to guide Liverpool towards new, shiny heights, seeking to improve Anfield’s first group with some well-placed signings.
The place, precisely, is that major place of concern? Liverpool are good at retaining their innermost switch ideas underneath wraps, with info gleaned thus far suggesting that signing a central defender and huge ahead is of the best significance.
A winger, specifically, has dominated Liverpool-focused switch headlines over the previous week.
Liverpool eyeing new huge ahead
Final weekend, Liverpool rejected Newcastle United’s proposal to alternate Jarell Quansah plus money for winger Anthony Gordon, who was awarded the Magpies’ Player of the Season award for 2023/24.
Gordon is a participant that Liverpool admire, previously of Everton and however a boyhood Purple, however FSG consider they’re well-stocked at left wing, and certainly, Liverpool aren’t precisely wanting choices.
|
Liverpool: Left Wing Choices |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Participant |
Age |
Apps (23/24) |
G/A (23/24) |
|
Luis Diaz |
27 |
51 |
18 |
|
Cody Gakpo |
25 |
53 |
22 |
|
Diogo Jota |
27 |
32 |
19 |
|
Darwin Nunez |
25 |
54 |
31 |
Followers may really feel that to take a step ahead underneath Slot, and declare a few of that fleeting success talked about above, an improve is required someplace within the attacking division, with Liverpool having toiled towards the top of Klopp’s reign, spent of power and missing a killer intuition within the closing third.
Diaz, specifically, is probably going thought-about expendable within the minds of many of the Reds trustworthy; having been linked with a transfer to Barcelona in latest months, Liverpool would solely entertain the indefatigable Colombian’s sale if his £50m price tag is met.
Gordon, in the meantime, would solely go away St. James’ Park if Liverpool played to their £75m tune, having swerved PSR issues – the ball, so to talk, is in Tyneside’s court docket with that one.
This can be a important sum, nevertheless it would not fairly make him Liverpool’s most costly ahead addition in historical past. That, as an alternative, lies with Darwin Nunez.
Darwin Nunez’s Liverpool profession
He arrived with fairly the glowing reputation from his days in Portugal, off the again of a 34-goal campaign with SL Benfica that confirmed his standing as considered one of Europe’s most promising younger forwards, scoring 5 objectives within the Champions League towards Bayern Munich, Barcelona and… Liverpool.
And regardless of sealing the Neighborhood Defend off the bench on his debut with a last-gasp strike towards Manchester Metropolis, Nunez solely bagged 15 goals across all competitions and regarded each threatening and toothless all through a polarising time period.
Nonetheless, having earned the moniker of Liverpool’s “agent of chaos” – as relayed by author Leanne Prescott – the Uruguay worldwide has a lot to deliver to the desk.
As per FBref, he ranks among the many high 5% of centre-forwards throughout Europe’s high 5 leagues over the previous yr for assists, the highest 13% for shot-creating actions, the highest 15% for progressive carries and the highest 20% for tackles per 90.
Whereas Nunez missed a staggering 27 big chances within the Premier League final season, scoring simply 11 objectives, he was wonderful when taking the entire yr under consideration, clinching 18 goals, 13 assists and taking part in an essential half within the membership’s resurgence.
His unceasing output, unflappable mentality and distinctive strategy to the centre-forward recreation have made the £140k-per-week expertise an thrilling commodity that also appears to carry the best days inside. In different phrases, Nunez has but to faucet into the total scope of his potential and he might usually explode underneath Slot’s tutelage subsequent season.
His significance is mirrored in his rising market worth, regardless of his lofty signing payment and the persevering with narrative that he is but to achieve his peak on Merseyside.
Darwin Nunez’s market worth in 2024
Gordon might bloom into one of many Premier League’s main forwards, particularly if making the transfer again to his dwelling metropolis and plying his commerce at Liverpool.
The England worldwide scored 12 goals and added 11 assists throughout all competitions final time period, incomes reward for his “unbelievable” marketing campaign from teammate Bruno Guimaraes.
£75m would make him considered one of Liverpool’s most costly gamers, however not the most costly. That tag lies with Nunez, who joined in the summertime of 2022 from Benfica, finishing a switch rising to a club-record £85m fee.
Regardless of the ebb and stream that has dictated the South American’s first few years on English shores, his exploits have nonetheless seen him skyrocket into one of the vital marketable and highly-valued gamers within the Premier League, with CIES Football Observatory’s valuation model recording his present value at £95m, some £20m greater than the mooted payment to signal Gordon.
Positive, Nunez has been confronted together with his share of criticism since alighting in Liverpool for the primary time (as a Liverpool participant, that’s) however he stays one of the vital proficient and influential forwards on the continent.
His exploits underneath Marcelo Bielsa at CONMEBOL Copa America denote his high-level high quality, playing in a 4-2-3-1 system that bears a semblance to that of Slot’s soon-to-be-inculcated model.
Notching 31 objective contributions throughout the 2023/24 marketing campaign is hardly the mark of a poor striker. Can we, the Liverpool flock, not afford this famous person his foibles?
He is dipped his toes into the ascendancy over his first few years, now, underneath new administration, he should make the leap and reside as much as his mountainous potential.
Associated
His value has risen 1438%: Liverpool must axe £1m ace instead of Quansah
Arne Slot doesn’t want this expertise regardless of his worth rising by 400%.
