Football supporters love to reminisce about glories from days past and certain dates get indelibly inked into their minds. May 25 th will forever stir memories of Istanbul for Liverpool fans (and Rome in 1977 for older Kopites) and you can be certain to see footage of a quickly taken corner every May 7 th for the rest of your life.
There aren’t many anniversaries for June 14 th , the day that Darwin Nunez was officially unveiled as a Red, and certainly none of any real significance. It was the date that a little-known player left Liverpool almost a century ago though, and he is a man that the club’s new number 27 will be looking to emulate in 2022/23.
Jimmy Walsh’s career with the club was relatively inconsequential, with him making 77 appearances across his five-year stay. However, in 1923/24 he scored 19 goals, which gave him the fourth highest scoring debut season in what was Liverpool’s relatively brief history. Even now, 99 years on, Walsh is still joint-16 th in the standings. How high is Nunez going to finish in that list in 12 months’ time?
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As there are so many factors at play – not least the winter World Cup making next season unlike any Europe has seen before – it’s going to be impossible to make an accurate prediction. It’s fun to speculate though.
The chances of Nunez winning the Golden Boot have already been dismissed elsewhere, and not without reason. No player has ever finished top scorer in their debut Premier League campaign when joining from overseas. Mohamed Salah came from Roma and scored 32 times in 2017/18 but he had played in England before.
The presence of the Egyptian may count against Nunez’ hopes of bagging a spectacular tally of goals too. Not because of the tiresome accusations that Salah is selfish (though he will presumably retain penalty taking duties), but rather due to the rarity of having two players who score very heavily simultaneously. Only twice since 1990 have two Liverpool forwards hit the 25-goal mark in the same campaign, and it seems reasonable to assume that Salah will be in that ball park as usual.
Then again, the seasons in which that occurred were in the last five years. Roberto Firmino had his best campaign in front of goal in Salah’s first season with the club, then Mane did likewise in 2018/19. And although neither player was in their first year with Liverpool as Nunez will be, they did still score more than they had for their previous club when playing their debut season with the Reds.
This was hardly a surprise. Compared to Hoffenheim and Southampton, Liverpool are a significantly stronger club, and playing for one of the best managers in the world only helped Firmino and Mane further. Jurgen Klopp has a tremendous record of improving players and he will be looking forward to moulding Nunez to his requirements over their time together.
The Uruguayan’s record of 27 non-penalty goals might suggest he doesn’t need any help but one thing he will have to adapt to is no longer being the main man at his club. Nunez finished 23 goals clear of his nearest competitors at Benfica this season ( Rafa Silva and Roman Yaremchuk) and that won’t be happening with Liverpool, no matter how well he performs in 2022/23.
However, this needn’t mean he won’t get a similar level of chances. Per Fotmob, Nunez had opportunities collectively valued at 18.4 expected goals in the Primeira Liga this season, while Mane had just 0.1 less for Liverpool when not taking penalties and while Salah was having 23.7 xG, the most in the Premier League. There will be plenty of chances to go around.
And while the style of play won’t be identical with Benfica's, there are reasons for optimism. Nunez linked up very well with Silva, their right-sided attacking midfielder/forward, so could easily strike up a great relationship with Salah (who led the league assist chart, lest we forget).
As a player who is great in the air, Liverpool’s latest acquisition should enjoy the crosses of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson too. With creative talents this strong lining up to assist him, there’s every reason to believe Nunez can go past Jimmy Walsh and break the 20-goal barrier next season.
