Liverpool paying the price for prioritising Gakpo transfer over midfield

Suraj Radia

• Updated: 21 Jan 2023 16:19 GMT
• 3 min read

Cody Gakpo has endured a tough start to his Liverpool career and the Dutch forward represents the squad building issues that have plagued the club so far this season.

Gakpo signed for an initial £37 million after a standout performance at the 2022 World Cup in addition to a prolific start to the season with PSV, where he grabbed 12 goals and 14 assists in 19 games.

Liverpool felt they had pulled off something of a coup by announcing Gakpo’s arrival prior to the January window opening, beating the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid to his signing.

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However, the 23-year-old has been underwhelming in his four appearances so far for his new side and Jurgen Klopp admitted that Liverpool would likely be unable to sign anyone else in January after Gakpo’s arrival, with the team’s midfield still a cause for concern.

Liverpool have not signed a midfielder since they brought in Thiago in 2020 and Klopp was forced to turn to Stefan Bajcetic against Chelsea in the hopes the 18-year-old would inject some life into middle of the park.

The Reds have been reluctant to strengthen their midfield in recent seasons as they are hoping to secure the signing of Jude Bellingham in the summer but the decision to prioritise a forward instead could prove to be the hammerblow in their quest for the top four this season.

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The decision to sign one of the most inform forwards around in Gakpo was sensible on paper, with Luis Diaz a long-term absentee through injury, Diogo Jota still unfit and Roberto Firmino out of contract in the summer.

However, while the deal could eventually end up to be a shrewd one in the future, spending their entire January budget on a position they have quality in at the present reflects the strange decision making surrounding Liverpool in the market in recent times.

The club opted against pursuing attainable targets such as Matheus Nunes and Yves Bissouma last summer, believing that their seasoned midfield could carry then through another season before hopefully signing Bellingham in 2023.

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But the decision to wait multiple years for a player who may not even choose to join them has cost Liverpool in the short-term and they sit mid-table at the halfway point in the Premier League season, looking a shadow of the side that finished runners-up in the Champions League last year.

Klopp admitted the club should have signed a midfielder in the summer and made somewhat of a panic purchase on deadline day in August by signing Arthur on loan from Juventus but the Brazilian picked up a long-term injury soon after joining.

The club instead chose to pursue Gakpo, a player who appears unsuited to English football in the short-term, even bailing out rivals United in the process, who were considering moving for the Dutchman before Liverpool swept in.

Liverpool are in transition on and off the pitch with the owners considering selling the club but there needs to be a serious overhaul of the club’s strategy and squad to avoid one of Europe’s elite teams fizzling out into mediocrity.