Liverpool have not been at their best this season, but there is hope and hope across the red streets of Merseyside that Arne Slott has what it takes to turn things around.
After all, the Dutch manager won the Premier League in his first year in charge, and did it by spending very little last summer, bringing in Federico Chiesa from Juventus for a whopping £12.5m, and then using the Italian sparingly throughout the season.
But that didn’t matter. Liverpool have been at the forefront of Mohamed Salah’s incredible season, with the Egyptian winning his second Premier League title and breaking all records. He also won numerous individual honors.
However, Salah was 33 years old and it was clear to Slott and sporting director Richard Hughes that the Reds needed radical changes across the final third, and there was no guarantee that Salah would repeat such a unique campaign.
Indeed, it was clear that Darwin Nunez needed to be sold after three seasons on Merseyside, leaving a lot to be desired.
Why Liverpool sold Darwin Nunez
Liverpool signed Nunez from Benfica in 2022 for a starting salary of £64 million. The figure would have reached £85 million, the club’s highest ever fee, but given the Uruguayan’s struggles during his three years in England, it meant the target was not achieved.
Throughout three seasons, he only scored 25 goals in the Premier League. This statistic was further exacerbated by Sofascore data which revealed that the 25-year-old missed 53 big chances during that period.
Nunez’s travails, first in Jurgen Klopp’s system for two years and then as a number nine under Slott, unfolded against the backdrop of his trophy-filled days at Anfield. did They depart this summer as Premier League champions.
Nuñez – Liverpool statistics | ||
|---|---|---|
competition | app | Goal (assist) |
premier league | 95 | 25(16) |
champions league | 17 | 5(1) |
carabao cup | 13 | 2 (6) |
europe league | 10 | 5(1) |
FA Cup | 7 | 2(2) |
community shield | 1 | 1 (0) |
Dates via Transfermarkt | ||
But Nunez, who is currently plying his trade with Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, has never failed to shake off the redundant tag that has followed him throughout his English career.
It was decided that he would be the substitute, and he will be the substitute this summer.
Liverpool first signed Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt for £69m, and the French forward already looks to be on a level above Nunez in Liverpool’s front line.
But the other red man has been criticized for not performing as well as Nunez did last season, with the South American scoring seven goals and seven assists through 47 games in the slot system.
Liverpool forward ‘has fewer offers than Nunez’
Liverpool “won” in the transfer market. Although so many exciting signings have been welcomed at Anfield Road, the club has experienced difficulties throughout the first few months of the season and club record signing Alexander Isak is a perfect example of this.
Isak, 26, is one of the best goalscorers in world football and Liverpool ended their expensive transfer saga this summer by completing a British record £125m addition to Newcastle United’s talisman.
However, Isak struggled to find his form throughout the opener as he hit strikes in the build-up to his big moves, lacking adaptability and fluency in his game.
Expectations are high for more at this stage, with Liverpool correspondent David Lynch going so far as to suggest that the 6ft 3in striker is currently “less able to contribute to Liverpool than Darwin Nunez”, with just one goal and one assist in eight appearances this season.
Isak showed off a glimpse of his new skills when he found the back of the net in the Carabao Cup match against Southampton in early October, but this was certainly a transition period for him.
And Lynch is right. Nunez had made further offers to Liverpool at this stage last season, but that doesn’t mean Isak will continue to struggle.
Of course, add a pinch of salt to this. It wasn’t until January that pundit Jamie Carragher hailed Isak as “the best striker in the Premier League”.
Last season, the Swedish star ranked in the top 3% of Premier League forwards for goal involvement, top 12% for goal-creating actions and top 14% for successful take-offs, according to FBref. He scored 27 goals in all competitions, including the decisive goal against Liverpool to win the Carabao Cup at Wembley.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player, while still in possession of the ball, directly carries the ball and defeats his opponent.
His comprehensive attacking style has even drawn comparisons to former Liverpool superstar Luis Suarez. Luis Suarez was one of England’s most prolific players, and his football was full of spirit and character.
Suarez was a unique centre-forward, and so is Isak. Liverpool are yet to embrace his best skills. But it’s up to Isaac to step up and prove he’s not like Nunez.
While Nunez suffered a setback after completing a big-money move from overseas, Isak has proven himself in England since joining Newcastle from Real Sociedad in 2022 for £63 million. His time on Tyneside is no joke and after a string of brilliant performances against Anfield in the past, Liverpool will be looking to prove the power of their record signing.
Liverpool must nurse Isak to full fitness now that we are well into autumn, but Slott will be cautious after Sweden manager Graham Potter kept the £280,000-a-week superstar on the periphery during the recent international break.
Ekitike has shown in every respect that he is an elite contender who can operate as a No. 9 even if Isaac is injured or simply rested, but Liverpool will be hoping that their English-record addition starts to pay off soon, especially given the need to lighten the weight of the club’s current crisis.
That a respected reporter observes that Isak is currently weighing less than Nunez, a highly polarizing former Red, is proof that it’s not enough and needs to change immediately.
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