Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool exit has inevitably ushered in a period of transition at club. His successor, Arne Slot, will bring a fresh template of tactics, ideas, and backroom staff and allow players to establish themselves in his ideal starting lineup.
One such player is Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan, currently participating in the Copa America, has divided fans and pundits alike with his performances during his time at Anfield. He recently ignited transfer rumours, having deleted all of his Liverpool-related Instagram posts.
Are Liverpool better off cutting their losses and reinvesting the money in other areas? Or is Nunez an integral part of a squad which will look to challenge across four competitions next season?
Nunez has been under the spotlight since his €75 million arrival from Benfica in 2022. Having been recruited in the same transfer window as Erling Haaland, comparisons were instantly drawn between the two.
However, Nunez was disappointing in his debut season. A red card in his first Premier League start put a target on his back. This, combined with repeated misses of big chances, led to him receiving plenty of stick from opposing fans.
Liverpool, however, have stood by him. Supporters loudly chant his name in the stadium, and he features heavily in social media posts. Nunez improved in his second season, bagging 19 league goal contributions.
Yet his reputation failed to significantly improve. It was not helped by his mediocre late-season form and 27 big chances missed. The second-highest in the Premier League.
It is hard to reflect Nunez’s impact with numbers though. He earned the nickname ‘Agent of Chaos’ due to his unpredictability in attack, and constant energy and commitment on-field. This created chances for himself, and generated space for his teammates to exploit.
Nunez is excelling internationally and appears to complement Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa’s system, which also uses a 4-2-3-1 setup.
On the other hand, Nunez has consistently struggled to replicate his international form at domestic level. He will undoubtedly now face stiff competition from his teammates.
Competition From Within For Nunez in Arne Slot’s Liverpool
Slot favours a 4-2-3-1 formation and could experiment with moving Mo Salah into the central role that Nunez tends to occupy.
Alternatively, Nunez is set to face fierce competition for the position from current Liverpool strikers Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota.
The most apparent successor to Nunez in the central role is Gakpo. Like Nunez, Gakpo has struggled for consistency in his 18-month stint at the club.
He did turn a corner towards the back end of the season, bagging three goals and two assists. A time when Liverpool saw their dreams of a quadruple disintegrate within weeks.
Cody Gakpo has replicated his end-of-season form at the Euros, with two group-stage goals to his name.
He is a versatile player, who plays on the left for the Netherlands, and so there is potential for him to move out wide to make room for Nunez, especially if incumbent winger Luiz Diaz departs this summer.
However, he has predominantly played centrally for Liverpool, either as an out-and-out striker or a ‘false-nine’. It is yet to be seen how this will fit into Arne Slot’s plans for the team.
The same could be said for Nunez, who has been trialled out wide but to limited success. Gakpo and Nunez occupy similar roles in the team and Slot will have to decide whether he prefers Nunez’s running and direct nature, or Gakpo’s ability to take on defenders and act as a false nine.
The other threat to Nunez’s spot in the starting lineup is Diogo Jota. Jota is by far Liverpool’s most clinical striker and, when fit, has the ability to cement his spot in the team.
However, injuries have constantly plagued his Liverpool career and it would be a dangerous gamble to rely on him to be fit for the entire season, where Liverpool will be fighting for trophies on multiple fronts.
Understandably, Slot is reluctant to make any major transfer decisions until he is able to watch the squad train at Melwood. Unfortunately, he will have to wait a few weeks to assess his squad due to Euro 2024 and the Copa America happening simultaneously.
Both tournaments finish in mid-July so any player whose team goes deep into the tournament is unlikely to rejoin the Liverpool squad until August, perilously close to the start of the season and the end of the transfer window.
Despite his inconsistencies, Nunez will still demand a significant transfer fee. Whilst Liverpool will undoubtedly lose money in his sale, it might be worth cutting their losses.
The club, fans, and Nunez himself have thrown everything they can to help him settle in and he has repaid that faith with solid returns and a ‘never give up’ attitude.
Yet with high competition for places in Slot’s new-look Liverpool lineup, it might be time for Nunez, who deserves consistent starts in a top team, to move on to pastures new.
On the other hand, he might display the qualities synonymous with his Liverpool career and fight to establish himself as central to Liverpool’s rebuild.
