Liverpool booked their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield on Friday night.
Goals from Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones gave the Reds three points, with Kodi Gakpo starting at centre-forward.
Due to Alexander Isak’s injury, coach Arne Slott rested Hugo Ekitike from the start and appointed the Dutch international as his main number nine.
Gakpo finished his playing time on the pitch with more offsides (two) than shots (one), but he posed little threat at the top end of the pitch, never creating “big chances” for his teammates or putting shots on target.
The 26-year-old forward does not look ready to solve Liverpool’s number nine problem if Ekitike is unable to play.
Why Liverpool should sell Kodi Gakpo this summer
Liverpool should sign the Dutch attacker, who has been too inconsistent in the final third, when the summer transfer window opens later this year.
Eight goals and four assists in 38 appearances in all competitions is not a great result for a player who regularly starts, and the Reds need more from their attacking players if they want to get back into contention for the Premier League title.
Gakpo has only scored six goals from 6.37×G in the top league, missing five “big chances” and giving up the ball a whopping 300 times in 27 games before reaching his six goals. This means they lost the ball an average of 50 times per goal.
Liverpool should therefore consider parting ways with the former PSV star, who has scored three goals in his last 20 games, in the summer due to his inconsistency in front of goal.
Steele’s last 10 games | ||
|---|---|---|
Opposition | the goal | assist |
Wolves(A) | 0 | 0 |
Wolves(A) | 0 | 0 |
West Ham (H) | 1 | 0 |
Forest (A) | 0 | 0 |
Brighton (H) | 0 | 0 |
Sunderland (A) | 0 | 0 |
Man City (H) | 0 | 0 |
Newcastle (H) | 0 | 0 |
Kara bag (H) | 0 | 0 |
Bournemouth (A) | 0 | 0 |
Selling Gakpo would free up space in the squad for Slott and give him another left-winger who could compete with Rio Ngmoha for a starting spot next season.
It will be up to the club and his agent to find a team willing to pay enough to lure him away from Anfield when the summer window opens.
Liverpool have already sold major upgrade in Codi Gakpo
Liverpool could be on the market for a new winger to replace Gakpo for the 2026/27 season, but the club sold the Dutchman an upgrade for a small fee in 2021.
Almost five years ago, the Reds decided to sell Wales international Harry Wilson to Fulham for a mere £12 million. Harry Wilson spent last season on loan at Championship side Cardiff, scoring 12 assists in 37 games.
The left-footed star quickly attracted attention at the Cottage’s second division side. He scored 10 goals and provided 20 assists in 41 league games, helping Fulham win the Championship title.
Wilson has made 178 appearances for Fulham in all competitions since arriving from Anfield for £12m, scoring 35 goals and providing 45 assists, and is currently active in the Premier League.
The Welsh star, whose contract expires in the summer, has scored nine goals and provided six assists in 27 appearances for the Cottage in the top flight so far this season.
Hailed as “incredible” by head coach Marco Silva, Wilson is currently far better than Liverpool’s current forward, Gakpo, on evidence from the 2025/26 season.
25/26PL | steel | wilson |
|---|---|---|
Appearance | 27 | 27 |
xG | 6.37 | 4.65 |
the goal | 6 | 9 |
missed a big opportunity | 5 | 0 |
assist | 3 | 6 |
cross accuracy | 13% | 26% |
The Fulham star has scored three more goals and assisted twice as many goals in the Premier League than the Dutchman, despite having a lower xG.
His statistics at the top end of the pitch this season suggest that Wilson can offer Liverpool much more than Gakpo, both as a scorer and as a goal creator from wide positions.
Liverpool must therefore be disappointed to have sold him to Fulham for just £12 million. This is because he is currently one of the Premier League’s most in-form wide players and is tied for ninth in the league in terms of top scorers.
Hopefully the Reds can sign Gakpo in the summer and find a new winger who is better than both the Dutchman and Wilson.
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