Liverpool can repeat Luis Suárez transfer for 21-goal winger Jürgen Klopp will love
There was a time when Liverpool used the Eredivisie as one of their primary choice of recruitment.
From Dirk Kuyt to Ryan Babel and Luis Suárez, Liverpool have often reaped the rewards of
their acquisitions from the Netherlands' top tier.
Liverpool have made just one first-team signing from the Dutch top flight in Sepp van den
Berg, though even he was more of a signing for the club's academy.
According to reports in the Netherlands by Voetbal International, the club are keeping
a close eye on Cody Gakpo of PSV and have even spoken to the player about a potential
move.
The 22-year-old has been one of the leading players of the Eredivisie this season and
could be an ideal candidate to rejuvenate this Liverpool side.
Gakpo has come through the ranks at PSV, and has been playing for the club's first team
since the age of 17 making his debut all the way back in the 2017/18 season.
Recently he has been called up to the Netherlands senior team, where he debuted at Euro 2020
coming on as a substitute against North Macedonia.
Since then he has made four appearances for his international team scoring once and registering
one assist.
He also scored two goals and registered two assists in the recent U21 European Championships
in just three games.
Meanwhile, this season he has 10 goals and 11 assists for PSV in 28 appearances and has
even taken on the responsibility of captaincy wearing the armband on several occasions,
despite only being 22 years of age.
Gakpo's towering 1.89-metre frame is an unusual height for a player who prefers to play on
the flanks and is capable of playing as a centre-forward, too.
His spindly legs allow him to cover great lengths of the pitch on the flanks in long
strides making him a suitable option for Klopp's gegenpress.
In possession, his slender frame makes him an elusive player.
He averages 8.56 dribbles per 90 with a 56.41 per cent success rate which is relatively
impressive.
It is also the second-highest in the Eredivisie, just behind fellow reported Liverpool target
Antony.
Preferring to play on the left, Gakpo likes to cut into his preferred right foot and he
is a player who takes a high volume of shots.
Close to 40 per cent of Gakpo's shots this season have come from outside the box where
he is yet to score from, and he does need to improve his decision making at times to
choose more viable options and create opportunities for his teammates over a shot.
His finishing inside the penalty area is slightly better with Gakpo getting 39 per cent of his
shots on target inside the area, but this is still far from a refined finisher.
What redeems Gakpo is that he is an extremely creative player from the flanks.
When he cuts in, he doesn't always shoot, he is also adept at playing penetrative passes
and crosses through the opposition.
Gakpo's dribbling and pace allows him to get into dangerous areas on the pitch where he
is capable of creating a high volume of chances, and his ability to be both a creative and
a goal threat makes him a double threat to the opposition.
A key element of any player under Liverpool's system is their ability to contribute defensively
and to be able to counter-press the opposition.
He ranks in the top 15 wingers in the league for possession adjust interceptions per 90
as per Wyscout averaging 3.41 per 90, against not too far away from Ajax's Antony's 3.63.
Defensively, he does need to get himself more involved in the game with his 3.6 defensive
duels per 90 fairly low even for a player who plays as advanced as he does.
But his 60 per cent success rate is an amicable return, meaning he is capable of being effective
when he does involve himself in defensive actions.
Recently, players from the Eredivisie have struggled to adjust making the step-up to
the Premier League.
But trends are there to be broken.
It is has been reported that Liverpool are also looking at Ajax's Antony, so the club
may be tempted to dip into the market
once more.