Liverpool fans were treated to a late Christmas present this week when the Reds announced the signing of PSV winger Cody Gakpo on a five-and-a-half-year deal.
The likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea have been big admirers of Gakpo throughout the first half of the season, but it was Liverpool who managed to complete the signing of the Netherlands international. The ECHO understands Gakpo's fee is an initial £37m, and the forward looks in line to potentially make his debut against Wolves in the FA Cup on January 7.
With injuries keeping attacking duo Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota out for a few more months, a move for Gakpo has bolstered the Reds' attack as Jurgen Klopp's side look to fight their way back into the Premier League top four. Just 23 years old, Gakpo has impressed immensely so far this season, scoring nine and assisting 12 in 14 Eredivisie games for PSV while scoring three times for the Netherlands in the 2022 World Cup.
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So, what sort of impact could the Dutch forward have throughout the rest of the season at Liverpool? We simulated the remainder of the season to find out.
Cody Gakpo's 2022/23 season with Liverpool simulated
To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2023 to arrange for the 23-year-old to join Liverpool in the 2023 January transfer window, using FM23 to run the simulation. We then simulated the remainder of the 2022/23 season to see what sort of impact the forward could have.
Gakpo made 33 appearances across all competitions in his first few months at Liverpool, with just six of them from the bench as he became a regular in the side. Gakpo was utilised in a number of different positions, and the 23-year-old managed an impressive goal return, scoring nine and assisting seven.
His best competition for goals and assists was the Premier League, with Gakpo scoring five and assisting five in 18 appearances. He also scored two and assisted two in the Champions League, whilst another two goals came in the FA Cup.
When compared to the rest of the Liverpool attack, Gakpo was the fourth top highest scorer at the club, with Diogo Jota (8) and Roberto Firmino (7) scoring less. Mohamed Salah managed 19 goals and seven assists in another impressive season, whilst Darwin Nunez scored 18 and Diaz grabbed 11.
Gakpo and Salah both managed the most assists, whilst the Egyptian also won 13 player of the match awards, the most at the club. Gakpo averaged a rating of 7.03 per game, the same as Nunez but less than Diaz (7.26) and Salah (7.56).
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 23 put together an overall best Liverpool XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
Full Liverpool best XI: (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Matip, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Thiago; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.
Despite his impressive start to life in England, Gakpo didn't make Liverpool's best XI, with Salah, Nunez and Diaz all starting in the front three. All three scored more than the Dutchman whilst registering a higher rating bar Nunez, though Gakpo only played half a season compared to the best XI attacking trio who all had full seasons.
Liverpool's results with Gakpo from the 2022/23 season
Liverpool showed improvement in the Premier League after the arrival of Gakpo, with the Reds winning 15, drawing four and losing three following the start of 2023. The Reds' improvement along with Man United, Tottenham and Newcastle all hitting some poor form saw Klopp's side leapfrog the three sides, ending the season in fourth place.
Liverpool lost three games in the Premier League between January and February, meaning the Reds didn't lose once in the final 14 games of the season. Klopp's side tallied 74 points in total, just one behind Chelsea in third but 16 behind winners Arsenal.
Gakpo's goals and assists helped the Reds score the third-highest amount of goals in the league, with only Arsenal and Manchester City scoring more. Gakpo also impressed in the Champions League where he managed nine starts, playing a big role in the Reds winning the prestigious competition for the seventh time in their history.
Liverpool met Bayern Munich in the final, with Gakpo starting in the striker role of the front three alongside Diaz and Salah. The 23-year-old played fantastic, setting up Diaz and Jordan Henderson to score as the Reds won 3-1.
Like the Carabao Cup, Liverpool couldn't defend their FA Cup trophy in the simulation, with the Reds losing 3-2 to Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Football Manager 2023 predicts that Gakpo could enjoy an impressive start to life as a Red, with the 23-year-old becoming a vital part of Klopp's attacking set-up in the simulation. The versatile forward played in each position of the front three, adding goals to Liverpool in each competition and helping the Reds win the Champions League trophy.
How do you think Gakpo could perform at Liverpool? Let us know in the comments!
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