"He'll be fifth choice for them", "Will he even play?" - Paul Merson not impressed with Liverpool's decision to sign Cody Gakpo
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has criticized Liverpool's decision to sign Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven in a deal worth around €42 million.
The former Arsenal midfielder argued that the Reds should've invested the money in signing new midfielders instead.
The Englishman wrote in his DailyStar column:
"Liverpool are signing Cody Gakpo, but they should have signed some midfielders. Will he even play? When everyone is fit I think he’ll be fifth choice for them in the forward areas."
We have reached an agreement for the transfer of Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven, subject to a work permit, and the forward will join at the start of the January transfer window 🙌
He further wrote:
"Liverpool have gone top-heavy up front but their midfield is short. They have so many attacking forwards but I don’t think their midfield is good enough. When they’re all fit, they have got Salah, Nunez, Diaz, Jota, Firmino and now Gakpo up front, but only three can of them can play."
"It feels like a 'Stop Manchester United' signing really. United were trying to get him too and this stops them from doing that."
Paul Merson went on to detail Liverpool's lack of quality in the center of the park. He also explained how this resulted in a lack of freedom for the Reds' full-backs to roam as they used to. The former Arsenal midfielder continued:
"But Liverpool need a central midfield player badly in my opinion. They don’t have enough quality in there and they don’t have enough legs either. They don’t dominate in the midfield areas the way they used to. When they do that, the full backs have the freedom to roam. Now they can’t."
Welcome to Liverpool, Cody Gakpo! 😍 https://t.co/Vyc2Ob4UKI
Merson further mentioned:
"Salah and Nunez are going to start. So before you know it you’ve got four other forwards vying for one or two places in the team. They won’t all be injured forever."
Jurgen Klopp discusses Cody Gakpo's potential role at Liverpool
Shortly after Cody Gakpo's transfer to Anfield was confirmed, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp spent some time discussing the attacker's potential role at the club with reporters. The German manager said in a press conference ahead of his side's 3-1 away win over Aston Villa:
"The position he probably prefers to play is left wing in a 4-3-3 but Cody can play different positions - he can play all four positions up front - wing and striker. He is still very young, he was in a really good run of form for Holland and for PSV."
Cody Gakpo was in sensational form with PSV prior to his move to the Premier League. The 23-year-old has recorded 13 goals and 17 assists to his name in 24 appearances for the Dutch outfit across all competitions. He also scored three goals for the Netherlands at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.