Be interesting to a comparison in styles with Martial based on playing as a number 9. He does have a lot of traits that would work given our style of play. Martial himself wasn’t always classed as a striker but we seem set on him now playing that role rather than on the left
Cody Gakpo | OFFICIAL: Liverpool player
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Very similar playing style and ability to that of Greenwood. At least from what I've seen.
he’s both. He will supply and can do that but he has a good eye for goal also which he showed at the World Cup. Will be interesting to see what he can do with the likes of Bruno, Antony and rashford around him. Very exciting signing this one.
Antony would be on the right
Gakpo is gonna compete with Martial for the striker spot I guess
would be very strange if we bought him to play left wing
like when we bought Sanchez when we already had Rashford and Martial playing well on the left, but played him there anyway
Of course… forgot about Antony. I don’t see Gakpo has a ST. Has he ever played there? I know he did for Netherlands but that was in a 2. I mean as a lone striker like what we play with. We seem to have an habit of buying a ton of players who play LW. We probably need more depth for the RW. We only have Antony who’s a specialist there.
In Ten Hag I trust. If he wants him, get him!
I think you are just totally alluding to the point I was making. We are signing an adaptable player that is primarily a wide player when we already have them, so still only have one striker in Martial....so it doesnt solve the problem we have it just adds to the overloaded one we already have.
As for how many strikers do I see? City have two, Liverpool have one, Arsenal have an injured one and are trying to sign a replacement, Spurs, Everton....Chelsea are the only side who dont as they have offloaded flops. Barcelona, Real Madrid...I think Baern are about the only other big side in Europe without one.
There are plenty of strikers out there, just mostly they are all at big clubs and nearly allthe top ones are over 30.....there is a lack of quality young strikers lookign top top level comign through but the there are no number 9's is an utter myth.
I think Gapko looks a good player, but he is no more a striker than Rashford is and looks far better on the left to me. Signing him now help us in the short term, of course as we literally have one striker who has had lots of niggling injuries and bar pre-season has been pretty poor for a fair while.....does it solve us long term....no, for all the reasons I mentioned I think it just bloats our squad and creates more problems
Agree on the first part. However just as I dont think Gapko solves problems long terms just creates tehm......who are the strikers around £40m who solve problems long term....I dotn seemany the right age and certainly nowhere near £40m
He does seem to be ambidextrous but I’m going off limited viewing
To me a lot of this modern striker talk seems nonsense....a modern striker is a striker that actually isnt a striker but a wide player playing there? I mean obviously there have been great example of players converting like Henry and Ronaldo....but personally dont see it, not that I have seen him enough to be honest but I really just dont see it
"Guarantee"....bit strong, there are plenty of players far more talented than Gapko that have flopped here since Ferguson retired.
You’re probably right, the strikers we’ll be after will be a lot more money. However with the right scouting we can pick up a decent player for that much or less. Just need to scout teams and leagues such as Salzburg. They always produce top ST. Should save the 40m towards a striker then has we have enough players to play on the left and if the plan isn’t to play Gakpo upfront then it’s pointless. I get he will add depth but the depth is needed up front and on the right not the left.
Yep, I don't rate Greenwood as a generational talent as many on here do but he's clear of Gakpo as a CF.
Thats a very valid point, do you really think we are going to sign two strikers, saving the big deal until summer?
On the flip side I woul dsay our crosses have come more from full backs and Fernandes. Shaws are good, Fernandes of course can make game changeing ones but be very inconsistent, Dalots are poor and very interested to hear of recent links to Gusto who has a lot of progression to do I feel but has great pace and ability going forward and crossing.
BUT....if we are signing Gapko as a wide forward and to supply crosses.....where does he play? We have Rashford back on form at the moment who is best on the left, we have Sancho still as well who is best on the left, we have one ofg th emost exciting youth products in a whiole in Garnaco,not to mention Elanga then on the right we have spent a fortune on Antony and still have youngsters there as well in Amad and Pellestri. Does he start over Rashford/Antony and if not dont we already have good squad options in both positions.
Only see Gapko as a quality signing IF we are looking to offload Sancho, Martial and maybe a youngster or two....but the youngsters are more right sided. But an attacking left sided player that is versatile for multiple positions personalyl doesnt make sense at this point in time even though it appears at least a reasonable fee.
Greenwood was head and shoulders above Gakpo sadly. Gakpo isn’t anywhere near as silky and skillful, finishing isn’t as lethal either.
This guy literally gets it and what a lot of people seem to be not understanding when trying to analyse him as a traditional #9. It's about attributes, this kid can score left foot right foot and head and cross excellent. When we attack a low or mid block and build up with our fullbacks pushing up providing width and overlap, Gakpo will be in a inside left channel drifting and rotating into striker with Rashford.
When we are recycling the ball around he will be able to be used wide to deliver great balls in, as well as be in central areas to use his powerful finishing and good striking ability. We are not just trying to be a counter attack team anymore where we need one man leading the line, Rashy is likely going to be used upfront for that counter purpose for those types of games.
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Nowhere near as talented as Greenwood.
Yes, but most of the scouting links of younger players I seem to have seen over the last year have been of central midfielders and they do again at the moment. Bar Alvarez and Sesko we dont really seem to have been lonked with any bar the seemingly yearly links with the likes of Moussa Dembele.
Of course they must be out there and our network of scouts will be aware of far more players than posters on here. But I personally dont see any at the moment anyway
Obviously Ten Hag has his own reasons for signing him. Although personally I disagree against the signing of Gapko, unless we are also looking at making a secnd striker signing in the summer as some are alluding to.......this is a brilliant post, fundamentally cant disgaree with anything you have put here even though personally he isnt for meWhy is it Mullock seems to be the most informed journalist on what we are doing? He seems to have sources he was all over us last summer too.
This guy literally gets it and what a lot of people seem to be not understanding when trying to analyse him as a traditional #9. It's about attributes, this kid can score left foot right foot and head and cross excellent. When we attack a low or mid block and build up with our fullbacks pushing up providing width and overlap, Gakpo will be in a inside left channel drifting and rotating into striker with Rashford.
When we are recycling the ball around he will be able to be used wide to deliver great balls in, as well as be in central areas to use his powerful finishing and good striking ability. We are not just trying to be a counter attack team anymore where we need one man leading the line, Rashy is likely going to be used upfront for that counter purpose for those types of games.
He sadly was/is a generational talent. It will be one of those who fecked up everything. Just sad.
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Having a top percentile creator, finisher, dribbler and versatile forward isn’t a bad thing at all.
I completely understand the concerns surrounding him not being a CF but he’s a goal threat in every possible sense.
Id be delighted to sign him for the reported €40m which is ~£35m so I’m guessing it will be reported in the mirror as £75m soon enough.
I completely understand the concerns surrounding him not being a CF but he’s a goal threat in every possible sense.
Id be delighted to sign him for the reported €40m which is ~£35m so I’m guessing it will be reported in the mirror as £75m soon enough.
It's not even close and Gakpo is two years older.
Depends if he uses his physical attributes.
Rashford must be 6ft 2 but he's no physical presence as a No.9.
Has Gakpo the aggression and strength to play with his back to goal?
Not saying he hasn't, I've barely watched him.
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He would need to work on this in my opinion but he uses his body well from what I’ve seen of him. He’s not blood and thunder though so the aggression isn’t Rooney/Tevez like.
But he’s able to hold the ball up no problem and receive on a half turn to roll a player.
Trouble is there’s not a huge sample size of him upfront.
Joao Felix would be a much better talent for us to try and unlock. As much as we need two forwards, I don't see it happening unfortunately.
Ronaldo
If this cost around 40-50M I say we go for it, anything above that seems too risky.
He has the numbers but I don't see the "intangibles"
He has the numbers but I don't see the "intangibles"
If you look at his games from the World Cup where he played up top in a 2 mainly, you can see him playing centrally and in the channels. There are some good moments where you see him using his body strength and mobility to fight and pass defenders. Also a lot of instances where he uses his balance and footwork to great effect to escape tight spaces. One thing we need to remember is he won’t be playing on the shoulder as a proper no9. We see a lot of times when Bruno drifts wide for us our central player will drop back and allow say the left forward (Rashford) to move inside.
I’ve been watching games of Gakpos and watching the goals and chances we’ve created so far this season and you can definitely see how someone with his skill set would be of great use to us. His finishing from range and up close is really good and his willingness to take on a shot is something that has been lacking for us at times, resulting in missed chances and games not being killed off. For his reported price I think he’ll be a steal, especially for a January signing
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I'm curious why we're going for him. We are absolutely stacked on the wings and he's not a CF.
We have Garnacho, Rashford, Martial and Sancho who are options for the LW alone.
Only way I see it is if we're thinking longer term and there's uncertainty around some of our players.
Rashford's contract just got extended for an extra year. I think he's least likely to leave tbf.
Martial's contract is up end of next season and Sancho is a complete no show at the moment.
Unless Martial becomes an absolute superstar from here on, I don't see us renewing his contract, especially if we're gonna reduce De Gea's wages and start to reign in that wage bill.
Both Sancho and Martial are two of the highest earners at the club. Neither has really earned that privilege.
Whether our manager has decided a whole rebuild of the squad and wage bill is necessary, idk, but this is the only way I see it making sense for the long term.
There really isn't a way this deal makes sense otherwise, especially when we're in desperate need of a CF.
We have Garnacho, Rashford, Martial and Sancho who are options for the LW alone.
Only way I see it is if we're thinking longer term and there's uncertainty around some of our players.
Rashford's contract just got extended for an extra year. I think he's least likely to leave tbf.
Martial's contract is up end of next season and Sancho is a complete no show at the moment.
Unless Martial becomes an absolute superstar from here on, I don't see us renewing his contract, especially if we're gonna reduce De Gea's wages and start to reign in that wage bill.
Both Sancho and Martial are two of the highest earners at the club. Neither has really earned that privilege.
Whether our manager has decided a whole rebuild of the squad and wage bill is necessary, idk, but this is the only way I see it making sense for the long term.
There really isn't a way this deal makes sense otherwise, especially when we're in desperate need of a CF.
ETH probably being forced to go for any realistically available goalscorer in the winter. After that Elanga can go on loan, but the gap after Ronaldo is still to be fully addressed...
Not sure why anyone is negative to this signing. Our attack simply don't score enough goals, and Martial is prone to injuries so it's likely Rashford will play as a striker when Martial is injured. Gakpo is in the 99th percentile for assisting and goalscoring so it's very clear why Ten Hag wants him. Even if its in the Eredivisie, it's still very impressive. He also scored in three consecutive games in the World Cup.
It seems a lot are skeptical because he's Dutch and they immediately think of Depay and Bergwijn. If he was 175cm, named Andrés Agüero and playing for River Plate you'd be jizzing your pants at the idea of us signing him. Don't forget Gakpo will very likely improve with Ten Hag as his manager too and playing with better players around him.
It seems a lot are skeptical because he's Dutch and they immediately think of Depay and Bergwijn. If he was 175cm, named Andrés Agüero and playing for River Plate you'd be jizzing your pants at the idea of us signing him. Don't forget Gakpo will very likely improve with Ten Hag as his manager too and playing with better players around him.
It's not that people are against the signing, more so that they think we should be signing a CF as priority. He's another square peg in a round hole even if he provides goals.
Sure but where is he on clean sheets?
But are there any strikers available that would actually improve us and make us a better team? I see people mentioning Sesko, but he's a 19 year old that has scored 5 goals in 16 matches in the Austrian league. Far away from being good enough, but maybe in a few years.
Others I can think of are Osimhen, Vlahovic, Mitrovic and Kane. All would be very expensive and personally I would only want Kane and maybe Vlahovic.
And who knows, maybe Ten Hag intends to use Gakpo as a striker, although I doubt it. He certainly has characteristics for it.
The issue is there aren't any strikers I would spend 60m on. Liverpool just badly overpayed for Nunez. Us and Chelsea did similar for Lukaku, Morata as well was a massive overpay. Since 2018, Haaland and Lewandowski are the only no.9 signings that I can think of that was actually worth it, both of whom were superstars before they came in.
My guess is that Martial will not be our staring no.9. I get the feeling that the plan will eventually be for Rashford to get that position, with Martial actually rotating with him.
However, it will be a narrow front 3 like Liverpool's has been under Klopp, so having a dedicated striking no.9 may not be part of the plan.
I can see us bringing him in and playing more of a fluid front three with everyone changing positions and dragging defenders all over the place. Perfect tactic for some games; in the summer we can try and address the number 9, this season top four is imperative.
Goals are more important than profile right now.
Moussa Dembele has scored 2 goals this season. Cunha has scored 0. Felix has scored 3.
Toney, Ramos, Osimhen are the ones we'll have to decide on for the summer. Probably too difficult to pull off a deal for any of them in January.
Moussa Dembele has scored 2 goals this season. Cunha has scored 0. Felix has scored 3.
Toney, Ramos, Osimhen are the ones we'll have to decide on for the summer. Probably too difficult to pull off a deal for any of them in January.
Shame about Toney as he’s likely to be getting a big ban isn’t he?
Oh yeh I forgot about that. Probably rules him out of any moves in the summer.
I think so but it is a shame as I think he’d of been top for us you know
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