There might not be a Liverpool player who has divided an opinion more during Jurgen Klopp’s reign.
Naby Keita was a marmite character when he played, although what could be agreed on was the midfielder’s woeful injury record. Purchased for £52 million, Keita was a rare transfer failure during Klopp’s time as manager as he left on a free transfer last summer.
Meanwhile, Thiago Alcantara is set to follow that path in a matter of weeks. No-one has ever denied the Spaniard’s swashbuckling qualities yet he too has spent too much time on the treatment table after being signed from Bayern Munich for a reported £27 million.
And as Klopp prepares to step down from the Anfield hot seat, he looks set to leave behind a player whose Liverpool career is still to fully ignite. There have been plenty of signs Darwin Nunez can be a superstar. But there are also glaring flaws in his game that suggest he might never justify a £75 million price tag.
When Nunez was signed from Benfica in the summer of 2022, the Reds equalled the club-record fee that they paid for Virgil van Dijk. There were eyebrows raised when van Dijk became the most expensive defender in the world in January 2018. But after six major trophies, including the Champions League and Premier League, that figure has been justified. But approaching two years since moving to Merseyside, the jury remains out on Nunez.
He finds himself out of Liverpool’s starting line-up yet again and featured for just 15 minutes in last Sunday’s 4-2 win over Tottenham. At the full-time whistle, Nunez trudged straight down the tunnel – not for the first time. Then it subsequently emerged the Uruguay international removed all Liverpool-related posts from his Instagram account.
In fairness, Nunez’s record during his Anfield career isn’t a bad one. A total of 33 goals and 17 assists in 93 appearances is a decent return – yet not enough to vindicate his cost. His goal tally should be much greater but too many gilt-edged chances have been wasted. For all of the chaos he creates, Nunez’s biggest deficiency is his composure in the final third, exemplified when he spurned a one-on-one chance against Spurs. Another frustrating foible is his persistent habit of straying offside.
Nunez’s actions over the weekend have fuelled speculation as to whether he will remain at Liverpool beyond the summer. Klopp is departing and successor Arne Slot may have other plans for his attack. Chelsea reportedly made an offer for the 24-year-old while Barcelona have been mentioned as a potential suitor.
Klopp has emphatically defended Nunez when he’s been placed under scrutiny. So has assistant manager Pep Lijnders, who reckons the pacey forward must be judged on more than goals. And Mo Salah believes that Nunez brings qualities to Liverpool that no-one else is capable of.
Salah said earlier this season: “He’s a great player for sure. But I always see that I need to adapt to the players who play alongside me because before it was Cody (Gakpo),” Salah said. “I try to do a partnership with him.
“Before Cody it was Bobby, and we had a really good relationship together in the game and we understand each other. Whoever is going to play with me, I need to understand his game and I need to understand his strengths, so he can help me a lot in the game.
“(Nunez is) kind of a different player. We never had that quality before [that] he loves to run in the space. He doesn’t like the ball much in his feet, which is unique (and) he’s really, really fast.
“He keeps looking at me because he knows I can get him the ball easily in the space and he can finish the situation. His numbers this season are improving a lot, which is great for us.
“I always try to watch him in training and try to watch the other guys, to be fair. Like Cody when he plays. Darwin when he plays striker, I can give the ball to him in the space, but Cody doesn’t like the ball in the space, he likes it into his feet, so it’s different.
“They’re different kind of players so you need to adapt with the players that you have. This is the main strength.”
