Should Liverpool move on Cody Gakpo as part of their summer building?
The upcoming summer transfer window could be legacy-defining for FSG as Liverpool owners.
With Jurgen Klopp departing, the Reds need to find and recruit a manager capable of replacing the lovable German tactician. With things changing behind the scenes, there is added pressure on finding the right fit for the project at Anfield.
Michael Edwards has returned, this time in the role of Chief Executive Officer of football, and he’s named Richard Hughes, the former Technical Director at Bournemouth, as the new Director of Football.
That is just one piece of the puzzle.
Having rebuilt the midfield during the 2023 summer transfer window and retooling the attack over a three-window period prior to that, the focus this summer was supposed to be on the defence.
However, while one eye is guaranteed to be on that part of the team, there could be wholesale changes made to the forward line. And this, no doubt, will complicate things somewhat.
The Liverpool attack is one of the reasons that, up until last weekend, there was talk of a quadruple challenge.
Mohamed Salah, despite missing the best part of two months, has 21 goals and 12 assists to his name this term. Darwin Nunez has chipped in with 17 goals and 11 assists for the Reds in his second season.
Diogo Jota has had an injury-hit campaign but is still on 14 goals and three assists, Luis Diaz is into double figures (11) for goals and has assisted on three occasions this term while Cody Gakpo has 17 goal involvements.
Gakpo has been a good squad player for the Merseyside club, scoring eight goals across the Europa League and the Carabao Cup. It is this sort of depth that has allowed Liverpool to compete across all four competitions this term.
But there are question marks over whether he has the ability and the mentality to be a leading player for the Reds. And this is something that needs to be addressed due to the make-up of the Liverpool attack.
Injury issues having an impact
Salah, as brilliant as he is, is not getting any younger.
The 31-year-old suffered a hamstring injury at AFCON and, more often than not, these aren't one-off injuries. A reoccurrence could be on the cards.
Jota regularly misses games and Klopp recently implied the Portuguese forward is never truly 100% fit - he’s always named in medical reports as having a knock or muscle fatigue.
The No20 isn’t exactly reliable, so it is impossible to build a team around him. Darwin is susceptible to niggles too. He misses far more games than people realise.
So while, on paper, Gakpo might be a fifth choice attacker right now, he’s going to get a lot more minutes than players at other clubs.
He’s already racked up over 2,500 minutes for the Reds across all competitions this term, though just shy of 1,200 of these have arrived in the Premier League.
Last season, Gakpo arrived in January and helped Klopp utilise a false-nine system once again. With Darwin and Salah on either side of him, the dynamic wasn’t too dissimilar to the Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Salah forward line of yesteryear.
But the decision to use Gakpo there was made primarily to help solidify the midfield.
At the time, it was porous. It also allowed Darwin the chance to develop the off-the-ball side of his game away from the central part of the pitch.
Liverpool have changed
Now, though, Liverpool have improved their middle-third options and require their centre-forward to be more of a goal threat. Darwin is perpetually on the move, he’s brave with his decision making and he’s always looking to make something happen.
Diogo Jota is just as direct when leading the line.
Gakpo, however, isn’t.
During the 4-3 loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup, Jamie Carragher posted a Tweet that said: “Gakpo plays like the game is in slow motion.”
Gakpo plays like the game is in slow motion.
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) March 17, 2024
The Dutchman never seems rushed and there’s no real urgency to his game. The sequence that probably springs to mind is during the five-on-two counter attack Liverpool had to finish the game off.
Gakpo has possession of the ball with space ahead of him. He has Darwin to his left, Diaz makes a run from right to left to drag the centre-back with him and this leaves Harvey Elliott and Conor Bradley as free men over on the right.
The versatile forward holds onto the ball for far too long and this slows the momentum. He then underhits a pass into Elliott.
The youngster should’ve done better after receiving the ball and he’s just as much at fault for the move being easily dealt with, but Gakpo’s lacklustre approach during this attack highlighted why he’s fifth choice in the pecking order.
He was tepid against the Red Devils.
Gakpo was on the pitch for 43 minutes and managed just one shot while attempting 14 passes. He failed to win any tackles and triumphed in just four of his 10 duels.
The former PSV man needs to be more impactful. If he’s not able to then Liverpool might need to bring in someone who is, just for the fluidity of the team.
If the attack is geared towards directness, you need everyone to be on the same page.
The decision on his future might not be made by the manager or even the returning Edwards. It could well be determined by Hughes as he looks to shape the squad to give the new manager the best chance of success.
The list of things to do at Anfield this summer is ever increasing.
Odds correct at 1000 GMT (21/03/24)
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