Liverpool legend picks Everton star over €80m Anfield ace
Robin Bairner
- 21 Oct 2023 10:50 BST
- 3 min read
Jose Enrique says that he would rather have Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin than Liverpool hitman Darwin Nunez.
Nunez arrived at Anfield for €80 million from Benfica in the summer of 2022, with that fee having the potential to rise as high as €100m, making him the most expensive signing in Liverpool’s history.
The 24-year-old, though, has failed to silence critics following the transfer, with 19 goals arriving in his 52 outings for the Reds.
Nunez has even lost his status as regular starter, having featured from the outset in only three of Liverpool’s eight Premier League matches this season ahead of a derby encounter against Everton on Saturday.
Even when Darwin Nunez is scoring goals for Liverpool, I still have my doubts about him as a player under Jurgen Klopp.
- Jose EnriqueAnd Jose Enrique, who played 99 times for the Anfield club between 2011 and 2016, says he would rather take Calvert-Lewin from a notoriously goal-shy Everton team.
“Obviously, Liverpool fans are not going to like hearing this from me, but with both Darwin Nunez and Dominic Calvert-Lewin fully fit, I think I would take Calvert-Lewin,” he told Grosvenor Sport.
“People seem to forget how good Calvert-Lewin is when he’s fully fit – he’s an excellent player. The way I see it – put Darwin Nunez in any world-class teams in the world and I don’t think he’s starts for most of them.
“However, if Calvert-Lewin could keep himself fit, I really believe he could be a starting number nine for a world-class team. That’s the kind of level I see from him.
“Even when Darwin Nunez is scoring goals for Liverpool, I still have my doubts about him as a player under Jurgen Klopp.
“I love him and think he would do well for loads of other teams who play counterattacking football – he’s outstanding for that – but for a team that presses a lot like Liverpool do, I’m not so sure.”
Despite Jose Enrique’s criticism, Liverpool have scored 18 Premier League goals in eight games this season, which is twice as many as Everton ahead of Saturday’s Merseyside derby.
