They formed an adored attacking triumvirate. Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino propelled Liverpool to Champions League, Club World Cup and Premier League glory....CONTINUE READING
Yet a year ago it was clear that major changes were afoot. All three were about to enter the final 18 months of their existing deals. At the time, Firmino was 30, while Salah and Mane both had that milestone birthday on the horizon.
There was no room for sentiment. It wouldn’t have made business sense to have committed vast sums of money on renewing all their contracts until they were 33 or 34. There were some big decisions to be made.
Jurgen Klopp’s front line needed to evolve. The arrival of Diogo Jota from Wolves for £45million ($54.3m) in the summer of 2020 had been the first step, but the project had to gather pace. Younger reinforcements were required.
Now the landscape is much clearer after Cody Gakpo became the third high-profile attacking player to agree to a move to Anfield over the course of 2022.
The Netherlands international has much in common with Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, who arrived in the two previous transfer windows. All three were plucked from outside of European football’s ‘big five’ leagues. All three are quick, powerful, direct and aggressive. All three are viewed as forwards with huge potential rather than the finished article.
That’s largely been the way throughout Klopp’s reign. He prides himself on developing talent and elevating players into the world-class bracket. Only Alisson and Virgil van Dijk were already operating at that level when he signed them. Salah and Mane certainly didn’t have Europe’s elite fighting over them before they joined Liverpool.
“If Cody had been scoring 40 goals, not in Holland, but in Spain or wherever, he would have been unaffordable,” admitted Klopp.
“With these kinds of things, it’s about all timing. Getting these boys in the right moment – before they score 55 goals a season. That’s why we were really convinced. He has always made the next step and that makes it so interesting.
“We believe in our process. Offensive players especially have always made a step forward here because of the way we work and the way we can help them.”
With Gakpo and Nunez both aged 23, and Diaz 25, Liverpool have sought to future-proof their front line at a combined cost of £138.5million (potentially rising to £179million with add-ons). Another quality the trio have in common is versatility.
Certainly, until Jota or Diaz return from injury, Gakpo is likely to feature primarily on the left of Klopp’s front three. That’s where he has done most of his damage for PSV Eindhoven – scoring nine goals and contributing 12 assists in 14 league appearances so far this season. Louis van Gaal played him through the middle at the World Cup where he scored three times in five outings for his country.
With Klopp’s resources stretched, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain started on the left for Liverpool during the Boxing Day win over Aston Villa, with Harvey Elliott replacing him in the second half. It’s not a natural fit for either of them. Fabio Carvalho can also operate there but he’s still learning his trade.
“Cody can play in all four positions up front if you play 4-2-3-1, he can play winger in a 4-3-3, and he can play winger and striker in a 4-4-2,” added Klopp.
“Holland didn’t have a striker-friendly approach at the World Cup, let me say it like this. Very well organised, difficult to play against, but not creating 50 chances a game. In a different role, where he had to defend a lot, he did really well.
“The position he would probably say himself he prefers to play is the left wing in a 4-3-3. But the fact he can play in other positions, too, is why he was so interesting for us.”
Keeping Salah was always the priority when Liverpool wrestled with how to handle the future of Klopp’s previously well-established front three.
The decision to end a lengthy saga in June by making him the highest-paid player in the club’s history on over £350,000 per week has been vindicated by his contribution so far this season. Once again the Egyptian leads the way, with 16 goals in all competitions.
Mane gave Liverpool plenty of notice that he wanted to embark on a new challenge and his £35million summer move to Bayern Munich made sense for all parties.
With Firmino having the lowest resale value of the trio, it’s no surprise that his situation has rumbled on and has yet to be resolved. He could sign a pre-contract agreement with a club overseas from January 1, but Klopp retains hope that he will pen an extension.
“We are in talks with Bobby. From my point of view, I definitely want him to stay,” said Klopp, who dismissed suggestions that Gakpo’s arrival was a sign the Brazilian will leave in the summer.
The big unknown with Gakpo is whether he will slot straight in and flourish like Diaz did last January or need time to adapt like Nunez so far this season.
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Darwin Nunez is still finding his feet at Liverpool following his big-money move in the summer (Photo: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
For all the outside noise surrounding the Uruguayan after the glut of opportunities he has missed, internally Klopp and his staff remain unconcerned. He’s a work in progress but they knew that when they bought him.
They love how much havoc he causes with his intelligent movement combined with pace and power. They believe the goals will ultimately flow for him.
“The only problem a footballer has is you get tested every three days pretty much and then it’s, ‘Oh, it didn’t work out yet. Are they not working on it?’ Of course we are,” added Klopp.
“It’s more about talking and to stay relaxed in these moments. If he wasn’t getting into these situations, that would be a problem.”
Patience is required with Nunez and that may well need to be the case with Gakpo, too. For all the excitement triggered by his signing, it’s a big step up from the Eredivisie.
He’s not Kylian Mbappe, he’s not Erling Haaland. But that’s the Liverpool way and they are convinced an initial fee of £37million represents real value in the market given his skill set. Now it’s down to Klopp and Pep Lijnders to iron out those rough edges and take him to the next level. Their track record bodes well.
