Darwin Nunez set to be confirmed as the new player and record signing for Liverpool FC. The excitement is understandable with Liverpool not having a successful pure no. 9 since Fernando Torres. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing considering that Klopp’s system prefers a false 9 like Roberto Firmino.
Because of this aspect many would have doubts haven’t Benfica played Liverpool in the Champions League where Nunez gave an impressive cameo of what to expect from the Uruguay number 11.
What does Darwin Nunez offer Liverpool?
With Sadio Mane expected to go to Bayern Munich and Takumi Minamino to complete a transfer elsewhere in England or abroad, Nunez will be a welcome addition.
Nunez is going to offer Liverpool something which was missing down the year, a big presence in the box – perhaps what was missing in the Champions League final. However, it will also allow Diaz and Salah to flourish in the build up play as Nunez will be attracting defenders whereas before Firmino and Jota didn’t cause that much trouble due to their physical stature.
As said before, Nunez isn’t just a traditional number nine and that’s the reason why it will cost Liverpool potentially a whopping 85 million pounds. Against Liverpool during the Champions League we could see Nunez picking up passes in the middle of the pitch and play the ball upfront whether it’s with passes in small spaces or long balls in the space created by the Benfica attackers.
This is what Klopp looks at when buying a striker, not just a number nine that scores goals but someone who will create opportunities for the trident upfront.
What to expect from Liverpool?
This year has been impressive for Liverpool, Quadruple or no Quadruple. But it can be argued that that last spark was missing – and Darwin Nunez should be that spark.
It’s really hard to imagine a better attack then Mane – Firmino – Salah three years ago, but now they have a proper number nine together with the trickery of Luis Diaz and the magic of Mo Salah, it’s really exciting.
No doubt Liverpool will miss Mane but Diaz is a similar player. The signing of Nunez might push Klopp to play the attacking 4-2-3-1 now as Jota is expected to be his partner rather than competitor.
Jota is an incredible scorer as we saw this season, but his ability is in finding space and this will help Darwin and the rest of the attack. This is what was missing against Real Madrid as although Courtois had the match of his time and Liverpool played a great game – spaces weren’t being found in the tight spaces.
Several bookmakers have Liverpool and Manchester City odds on to challenge for all trophies once again. With Liverpool potentially signing Calvin Ramsey and a new midfielder, they are seen as the only contenders to Guardiola’s City. However, City are still favorites for the Champions League and the Premier League – especially after the signing of Erling Haaland.
This is not stopping Liverpool supporters from betting on the opportunity of winning the Quadruple next season, or at least the Premier League which needs to become the bread and butter again. If you are new to betting there’s a football-focused welcome promotion available at Paddy Power, offering new bettors a total of £50 back as cashback if their first five £10 football bets lose. That’s a total of five football bets that can be placed on the Champions League final with cashback available on each at Paddy Power. Newbies can find a guide about the Paddy Power sign up offer to prevent any mishaps when claiming the sizeable bonus!
The takeaway
With Darwin Nunez signing being close to completion, the only missing piece for the puzzle is a midfielder to compete and add depth when Thiago or Henderson are injured or need to rest.
The departure of Sadio Mane is surely disappointing but the man earned the right to decide his future. Whatever happens, another exciting run is expected next season and all we can do is to hold on and enjoy the ride.