Darwin Nunez fast becoming €100 million well spent by Liverpool

FT Desk

• 12 Nov 2022 19:35 GMT
• 3 min read

Darwin Nunez's brace for Liverpool against Southampton on Saturday means he has a better goal record over his first 10 games than any of Reds legends Luis Suarez, Fernando Torres or Michael Owen.

Darwin has come in for some stinging criticism since sealing his €100m transfer from Benfica to Liverpool in the summer, with his headbutt against Crystal Palace's Joachim Andersen and subsequent three-game suspension giving naysayers plenty of ammunition.

But the Uruguayan has steadied the ship in recent weeks, and his two-goal haul at Anfield means he has tallied five goals and two assists across his first 10 games for Liverpool - a figure only Sadio Mane, now of Bayern Munich, can better.

READ: Darwin Nunez is the future of the club says Liverpool legend

Klopp impressed

Mane, who left for €41m in the most recent transfer window, had eight goal-involvements to Darwin's seven at the same stage of his Reds career.

Jurgen Klopp, who had to watch the game from the stands due to a touchline ban, was impressed with Darwin's all-round play, as well as his goals.

"The first half was really good," he said. "We did everything Southampton didn't want us to do. We used the speed of Mo [Salah] and Darwin.

READ: Liverpool believed Darwin Nunez was better value for money than Haaland

"In the system we play, Darwin has to defend the left wing. Great play offensively from him. We didn't do that enough in the second half."

Part of the criticism of Nunez seems to stem from the fact that Liverpool's title rivals and champions Manchester City spent just €60m on signing Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund this summer, and the Norwegian has raced to 18 Premier League goals already.

But Darwin is proving value in his own right, despite the outlay, and now has a goal-involvement of one every 86.6 minutes he has played in the English top-flight.

That may not better Haaland's 49.5 minutes, but to be out in front of such Anfield royalty is an achievement. The longer it goes on, the cheaper Darwin's transfer fee may come to look.