After Cody Gakpo’s transfer from PSV Eindhoven to Liverpool was confirmed for £37m, which could rise as high as £50m if all the add-ons are fulfilled, many questions hang over the 23-year-old Dutchman.
To start with, are we going to call him “Gakpo” or “Hakpo”? To the English ear, his surname starts with a hard G, but it’s more of a guttural H sound in Dutch. Accepted footballing pronunciation has become a complex field mired in pretentiousness, from Bruno Fernandes/Fernanj to the 17 different ways you’ll hear Kevin De Bruyne’s name said. For once, can we just pick an agreed pronunciation and stick to it?
Anyway, Gakpo joins a star-studded Liverpool squad which sit in sixth after a disappointing, injury-stricken first half of the season. Some doubt the necessity of this move, suggesting the club’s priority should be bolstering their threadbare midfield of aging stars and raw prodigies.
But as he always has, Jurgen Klopp wants this Liverpool side to lead from the front, pressing high up the pitch with a flexible, dynamic forward line.
And as it happens, flexibility and dynamism are two of Gakpo’s greatest qualities.
What Gakpo will bring to Liverpool
As an attacking player, there is little Gakpo can’t do. Standing 6ft 2in, he is considered tall for a winger, but is a similar height to Cristiano Ronaldo. Although predominantly right-footed, he is also a threat with his left. He’s explosively quick and possesses an agility which belies his height.
He is also a dual goalscoring and creative threat, with 13 goals and 17 assists across 24 games in all competitions for PSV this season.
Gakpo’s versatility is one of his greatest assets. At his most comfortable as an out-to-in left winger, receiving the ball on the touchline and running at goal, he can also play through the middle as a second striker or central forward, as he does for the Netherlands. He has even popped up on the right wing on occasion.
This versatility has been lacking at Anfield since Sadio Mane’s summer departure to Bayern Munich and the signing of Darwin Nunez. Luis Diaz is a great talent but can only play on the left wing and operates in slightly deeper areas than Mane, who is at his most comfortable harrying defenders high up the pitch.
The Colombian is also ruled out with injury until March after suffering a training camp setback on his knee injury from mid-October.
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Alongside this, Gakpo’s stylish, emphatic finishing from any distance is an asset that will win games for Liverpool. According to FBRef, Gakpo has scored 12 goals this season in the Eredivisie and Europa League at an xG (expected goals) of 7.5, an overperformance of 4.5 goals. He also scored three World Cup goals from an xG of just 0.3.
Actual goals scored exceeding xG tends to signify one of two things. Firstly, it can mean that a player is simply overperforming against probability. This happens regularly and most players tend to recede to the expected level, or below it, eventually.
However, it can also demonstrate that a player is simply a very good finisher, set to score at an above average rate throughout their career. Gakpo has scored some extraordinary goals this season for PSV, including a special first-time curling finish against Zurich in the Europa League.
While he is clearly most comfortable playing off the left as it stands, many believe that Gakpo will transition to a central striker later in his career, much like Ronaldo did at Real Madrid.
He joins Liverpool as a raw but phenomenally talented 23-year-old which Klopp will believe he can mould into a destructive yet flexible attacking weapon. While Klopp often tries not to rush new players into his line-up, the German may have little choice due to injuries.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain started on Liverpool’s left wing on Boxing Day but may find himself usurped by the Dutch youngster by Liverpool’s visit to Brentford on 2 January.
Possible line-ups
Klopp’s Liverpool tenure has been tactically defined by his 4-3-3 formation. While his use of full-backs and wingers has evolved since 2015, the fundamental structure almost always stays the same.
If you assume 30-year-old Mo Salah is a mainstay in Liverpool’s attack after he became Liverpool’s highest-paid player ever in August, then only the left wing and central forward spot in Klopp’s traditional front three are up for grabs.
Mane could play anywhere in a front three, whereas Diaz’ play suffers from a predictability that can appear to neuter Liverpool on occasion. A forward line of Diaz, Nunez and Mo Salah, probably Liverpool’s strongest front three based on individual talent, lacks the flexibility of their great Champions League-winning attack of Mane, Roberto Firmino and Salah.
This is where Gakpo comes in. While PSV’s 4-3-3 under Ruud van Nistelrooy is not identical to Liverpool’s set-up, there are marked similarities that should aid Gakpo’s assimilation.
Gakpo will offer a different threat to Diaz, able to drift centrally more often while also playing off the shoulder of the last defender. This will also allow Andy Robertson more space to overlap, as the Scot can sometimes clash with Diaz as they operate in similar areas. His height also provides a new outlet for Trent Alexander-Arnold and Robertson’s elite crossing – as demonstrated by his goal against Senegal at the World Cup
Alongside Nunez and Salah, Gakpo’s versatility will give the erratic Uruguayan more opportunities to switch roles with his Dutch counterpart, something which is not possible with Diaz or, at the moment, Oxlade-Chamberlain. Nunez often played off the left for Benfica and this would provide Klopp with a new option to break down defences.
It is also easy to forget that Diogo Jota is still a Liverpool player after his injury woes this season. The Portuguese has started just four games this season, but a 4-3-3 forward line of Gakpo, Jota and Salah could replicate the flexibility of Mane, Jota and Salah as a trio. All three players can operate anywhere across the attack, unsettling opposition defensive structures and encouraging overloads in dangerous areas.
On occasion, Klopp has also utilised a 4-2-3-1, especially against weaker teams, as it allows him four attacking players. Gakpo could play off the left in this system, but would potentially better suit the central role behind a main striker.
Gakpo demonstrated his competence in this role for the Netherlands in the World Cup and it would allow him, Diaz, Nunez and Salah to play simultaneously. He would not act as a traditional No 10, but as a second striker, constantly alternating roles with the rest of the front three and searching for space to exploit with his pace and directness.
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