Things have begun to click for January signing Cody Gakpo, with the Dutch striker clearly ticking a number of boxes in terms of what Jurgen Klopp demands from his central forward.
That does, of course, raise an interesting question as to where this development leaves potentially record-breaking signing (should performance-related add-ons be met) Darwin Nunez in Liverpool’s grand plans.
The sight of the German tactician ‘grimacing’ as the Uruguayan proved wasteful in front of goal against Brentford, as spotted by Neil Jones, will certainly have done him no favours in that regard.
“Liverpool paid big to get him, an initial £64 million ($81m) which will rise to £85m ($107m) if all performance-related add-ons are met. If so, Nunez would then be the most expensive player in the club’s history,” the journalist wrote for GOAL.
“Without wishing to be cruel, he hasn’t looked like that so far. He has looked, rather, like the archetypal ‘work in progress’; a player with potential for sure, but one with plenty of flaws to iron out, either technically, physically or in terms of his game understanding.
“At the moment, he misses too many chances – a big one squandered against Brentford on Saturday had both him and his manager grimacing – and his hold-up and link-up play could best be described as ‘hit and miss’. There is aggression, for sure, but he needs to tidy up if he’s to become a top-level Premier League and Champions League centre-forward.”
Brought in for his remarkable goalscoring rate and powerful runs, the Uruguayan international hasn’t enjoyed the most remarkable of seasons, though equally not quite disappointing either.
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Will Darwin Nunez make a success of his Liverpool career?
A return of 19 goal contributions in 42 games (a goal or assist every 124.4 minutes) is FAR from being disastrous.
As Jones has rightly pointed out, we do have to consider that the former Benfica hitman’s struggles are linked, at least in some part, to the struggles of the team as a whole throughout much of the campaign.
Coupled with multiple formation changes and tweaks – including the current decision to implement a new system that has seen the roles of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones change somewhat dramatically – it’s little wonder that the 23-year-old’s goals and minutes have dried up.
As our 22-year-old midfielder has proven following multiple freak injuries and questions over where he fits in this Liverpool side, there’s plenty to be said for sticking it out with a talented footballer.
Rough around the edges as Nunez remains, we’d be foolish to not try and tap into his vast reserves of potential.