“The spirit is gone” - Ex-Ajax coach tells Gakpo he made mistake by joining Liverpool as ‘misery’ identified at Anfield
Cody Gakpo made a mistake by securing a transfer to Liverpool this winter, as per former Ajax manager Aad de Mos, who has claimed that there's something wrong with the timing of the attacker's switch to Anfield.
Cody Gakpo became a hot target for many big clubs across Europe following his brilliant start to the season with PSV. The winger bagged 13 goals and 17 assists for the Eredivisie side in 24 appearances in all competitions. He also shone at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, bagging three goals for the Netherlands in five games.
Cody Gakpo is officially a Red after the formalities of his transfer from PSV Eindhoven were successfully concluded on Tuesday 😍
Thanks to those numbers, Liverpool wasted no time in snapping him up. The Reds beat competition from rival clubs to reach a €42 million deal with PSV. The 23-year-old signed a five-year contract that will keep him at Anfield until the summer of 2028.
Meanwhile, Aad de Mos isn't convinced by Gakpo's switch to Merseyside. The former Ajax coach believes the attacker has joined the Reds at the wrong time considering their struggles in recent months.
“He will come at a time when the team is disappearing a bit,” the 75-year-old said while speaking with Soccernews.nl. "The spirit is gone and the position is no longer in the top five… Just like Chelsea. Maybe just a little too late to rejuvenate. Yes, then you also get all that misery, perhaps with a manager who is about to leave."
“It is not the right time that so many young players are joining: ‘we are going to rejuvenate the team and we are not looking for the first five places there’. So, I don’t know if the time is right to go to Liverpool,” he added.
It is worth noting that Liverpool have been a far cry this season from what it has been of late again. Jurgen Klopp's men have struggled to impress with their performances and results since the campaign kicked off.
Welcome to Liverpool, Cody Gakpo! 😍 https://t.co/Vyc2Ob4UKI
As it stands, they are out of the top-four zone in the Premier League table, as they currently occupy the sixth position with 28 points in 17 games. It remains to be seen if they can steady their ship in the coming weeks.
How Cody Gakpo fared on his Liverpool debut
The 23-year-old made his debut appearance for the Reds in the FA Cup clash with Wolves on Saturday, January 7. He started the match on the left wing and played up to 84 minutes before being replaced by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in a match that ended 2-2 at Anfield.
During his time on the pitch, the winger made 41 touches, recorded a shot on goal, and completed 24 out of his attempted 35 passes. He also recorded one tackle, won one ground duel, and had a decent rating of 7.4 as per Sofascore.
Up next, Jurgen Klopp's men will continue their Premier League campaign this weekend when they clash with Brighton on Saturday. It remains to be seen if Gakpo will be involved once again.