2022-23 was a somewhat disappointing campaign for Liverpool. After being in the running for an immortalising quadruple last term, the Reds were unable to get their hands on any major silverware and failed to qualify for the Champions League this time around.
Many of the players who have been key during Jurgen Klopp’s reign at Anfield have dropped considerably below their usually high standards and a restructure is on the horizon.
Roberto Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner have been let go following the conclusion of their contracts, and Klopp is going to be an extremely busy man in the coming months as he reshapes his squad.
Luckily for the German coach, he and the club carried out a key piece of business in the January transfer window when they signed £37 million Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven.
After a stunning first half of the season in the Eredivisie, followed by some dazzling performances for the Netherlands at the World Cup, Gakpo asserted himself as one of the most sought after talents in Europe.
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The Reds moved swiftly to jump the queue and signed the attacker amid interest from rivals Manchester United. It took Gakpo a couple of games to get going for Liverpool, but when he got into his rhythm, his undeniable talent shone through.
One of Gakpo’s greatest strengths is his versatility. He can be asked to play centrally or out wide and can excel in either position. When deployed centrally, Liverpool fans have seen similarities to the departing legend Firmino. Gakpo is able to receive the ball onto his feet and turn in one motion, dancing his way through defenders and up the pitch - something we saw Firmino do on countless occasions in a red shirt.
His eye for goal is evident in the seven times he found the back of the net in the Premier League in 21 appearances. The 24-year-old has also shown his creative abilities, providing two assists for his teammates.
He has even had the experience of dropping into midfield, which has been Liverpool’s weakest area in 2022-23, and he didn’t look out of place. Mohamed Salah even said that he had the quality to play as a number eight.
Gakpo possesses many desirable qualities of an attacker in the modern game. His positioning has been impressive and although it took some time for him to find his feet on Merseyside, he will be a huge asset for Klopp next year, and will benefit from having a full pre-season with Liverpool in the summer.
The Dutchman will see several new faces join the dressing room between now and September but he is almost guaranteed to be one of Klopp’s first choice attackers when the Premier League restarts in August.
Klopp will take value in Gakpo’s ability to thrive anywhere on the field and he will look forward to working closely with him in pre-season to prepare him for a much bigger role in 2023-24.
The forward scored 20 goals and registered 20 assists across all competitions for Liverpool and PSV combined this term, which is just remarkable. And the most exciting part for Liverpool fans is that he is only going to get better.
