Liverpool booked their place within the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield on Friday evening.
Targets from Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones gave the Reds three factors, with Kodi Gakpo beginning at centre-forward.
Resulting from Alexander Isak’s harm, coach Arne Slott rested Hugo Ekitike from the beginning and appointed the Dutch worldwide as his predominant quantity 9.
Gakpo completed his enjoying time on the pitch with extra offsides (two) than photographs (one), however he posed little risk on the prime finish of the pitch, by no means creating “massive probabilities” for his teammates or placing photographs heading in the right direction.
The 26-year-old ahead doesn’t look prepared to unravel Liverpool’s quantity 9 downside if Ekitike is unable to play.
Why Liverpool ought to promote Kodi Gakpo this summer time
Liverpool ought to signal the Dutch attacker, who has been too inconsistent within the ultimate third, when the summer time switch window opens later this yr.
Eight targets and 4 assists in 38 appearances in all competitions shouldn’t be an ideal outcome for a participant who often begins, and the Reds want extra from their attacking gamers in the event that they wish to get again into rivalry for the Premier League title.
Gakpo has solely scored six targets from 6.37×G within the prime league, lacking 5 “massive probabilities” and giving up the ball a whopping 300 occasions in 27 video games earlier than reaching his six targets. This implies they misplaced the ball a mean of fifty occasions per aim.
Liverpool ought to subsequently contemplate parting methods with the previous PSV star, who has scored three targets in his final 20 video games, in the summertime attributable to his inconsistency in entrance of aim.
Steele’s final 10 video games | ||
|---|---|---|
Opposition | the aim | help |
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 Metropolis (H) | 0 | 0 |
Newcastle (H) | 0 | 0 |
Kara bag (H) | 0 | 0 |
Bournemouth (A) | 0 | 0 |
Promoting Gakpo would unencumber house within the squad for Slott and provides him one other left-winger who might compete with Rio Ngmoha for a beginning spot subsequent season.
It will likely be as much as the membership and his agent to discover a group prepared to pay sufficient to lure him away from Anfield when the summer time window opens.
Liverpool have already bought main improve in Codi Gakpo
Liverpool may very well be in the marketplace for a brand new winger to interchange Gakpo for the 2026/27 season, however the membership bought the Dutchman an improve for a small price in 2021.
Virtually 5 years in the past, the Reds determined to promote Wales worldwide Harry Wilson to Fulham for a mere £12 million. Harry Wilson spent final season on mortgage at Championship facet Cardiff, scoring 12 assists in 37 video games.
The left-footed star rapidly attracted consideration on the Cottage’s second division facet. He scored 10 targets and supplied 20 assists in 41 league video games, serving to Fulham win the Championship title.
Wilson has made 178 appearances for Fulham in all competitions since arriving from Anfield for £12m, scoring 35 targets and offering 45 assists, and is at the moment energetic within the Premier League.
The Welsh star, whose contract expires in the summertime, has scored 9 targets and supplied six assists in 27 appearances for the Cottage within the prime flight to this point this season.
Hailed as “unbelievable” by head coach Marco Silva, Wilson is at the moment much better than Liverpool’s present ahead, Gakpo, on proof from the 2025/26 season.
25/26PL | metal | wilson |
|---|---|---|
Look | 27 | 27 |
xG | 6.37 | 4.65 |
the aim | 6 | 9 |
missed an enormous alternative | 5 | 0 |
help | 3 | 6 |
cross accuracy | 13% | 26% |
The Fulham star has scored three extra targets and assisted twice as many targets within the Premier League than the Dutchman, regardless of having a decrease xG.
His statistics on the prime finish of the pitch this season recommend that Wilson can supply Liverpool far more than Gakpo, each as a scorer and as a aim creator from vast positions.
Liverpool should subsequently be disenchanted to have bought him to Fulham for simply £12 million. It’s because he’s at the moment one of many Premier League’s most in-form vast gamers and is tied for ninth within the league when it comes to prime scorers.
Hopefully the Reds can signal Gakpo in the summertime and discover a new winger who is healthier than each the Dutchman and Wilson.
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