With Liverpool facing Manchester United today, and Cody Gakpo scoring twice, we revisit Paul Gorst's inside story on the signing of the Netherlands international, who for so long looked set to join the Reds' biggest rivals...
The arrival of Cody Gakpo bookends a year of major renovation for Liverpool's frontline.
Almost 12 months ago, the Reds brought in Luis Diaz from Porto for an initial £37m before sealing a deal for Darwin Nunez in June for a fee that could yet rise to as much as £85m if his £21m worth of add-ons are unlocked.
Meanwhile, the new contract for Mohamed Salah and the departure of Sadio Mane were the big internal decisions taken by Liverpool over the summer as they continued their long-term view towards revamping the forward options at Jurgen Klopp's disposal.
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It's understood Gakpo has been tracked for some time within the recruitment department but with Nunez the primary target to replace Mane and the complex deal for Salah to make him the highest paid player to ever turn out for the Reds, interest in the Netherlands international was pushed to the backburner last year. The capture of Fabio Carvalho from Fulham also made it less of a priority at the time.
Liverpool, in fact, had not originally planned to bring in Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven in January, preferring, like Diaz, to have waited until the summer months. Those plans were expedited, though, when it became clear that Manchester United had made their interest known in the 23-year-old.
Once it also became clear PSV were open to doing business, the Reds swooped with sporting director Julian Ward sacrificing much of his festive period with his young family to thrash out the specifics of the transfer with his Dutch counterpart, Marcel Brands. The fee, which stands at an initial £37m, could eventually rise to somewhere between £45m and £50m.
The injuries to Diogo Jota and Diaz were also factored into the equation for Liverpool to take the plunge. The ECHO understands the club's owners, Fenway Sports Group, were happy to sanction the deal once it became clear how much Klopp valued Gakpo's ability as a versatile frontman.
While Klopp spoke gently in the summer months about a desire to see more risks taken in the transfer market from those above him in the chain of command, the deal for Gakpo was one that FSG signed off on following extensive scouting and positive reports from the likes of chief scout Barry Hunter and head of recruitment Dave Fallows.
While interest predates his displays at the World Cup for Oranje, where Gakpo scored three times in five games in Qatar, it is understood Ward stepped up negotiations during an intense three-day period between Christmas Eve and Boxing Night, shortly before PSV confirmed an agreement had been reached between the clubs.
A key element of the deal, from Liverpool's perspective, was that PSV did not attempt to significantly hike up the price tag after his performances for Holland in Qatar. While a bidding war between two of the biggest clubs in the world in United and Liverpool - for a player whose stock was high after an impressive World Cup, no less - is perhaps manna from Heaven for many a selling club, Ward ensured, through his positive talks with Brands, that they were not overpaying.
“He is a young player with a lot of potential,” said Klopp earlier this week. “If he would have already been scoring 40 goals in Spain or whatever he would be unaffordable. These kinds of things, it’s all about timing, getting these boys at the right moment that they didn’t already score 55 goals per season and stuff like this. That’s why we were really convinced.
“He could always make the next step, and that makes it interesting. We believe in our process, when players come here – especially offensive players – they have all made a step forward because of the way we work and the way we can help them. That makes it massively interesting.”
Gakpo flew into Merseyside via private jet on December 28 to put the finishing touches on the deal. Arriving at Liverpool's John Lennon Airport, the attacker then took the 20-minute journey towards the AXA Centre in Kirkby where he met Klopp and his new team-mates, before being given the guided tour of the £50m training base with a representative of his SEG agency.
Twenty-four hours or so later, he was at Anfield to oversee the Reds' hard-fought 2-1 win over Leicester, with his partner, Noa van der Bij. The new signing was also introduced to some of the great and the good of Liverpool FC, including the legendary Ian Rush.
One helpful component of Gakpo's move, it's been privately stated, is his good command of English. Nunez, for example, did not speak the language upon his arrival in the summer and was reliant on the Portuguese-speaking contingent of both the coaching and playing staff to relay the key messages.
The absence of a language barrier is an important and often unseen aspect to helping any player settle in a new country, particularly at a club the size of Liverpool where the expectations and immediate demands can often be stifling.
Someone who will help on that front is Gakpo's international colleague and friend Virgil van Dijk, who was one of the people to make an immediate beeline for his compatriot at the training ground on Wednesday evening.
“He's a good player, good boy and obviously I know how it is to come in January," Van Dijk says. "We have to give him time, I’m very sure the Liverpool fans will give it time, we’re family and the real ones will always back him. He has to keep his head down, no matter what happens, fight, enjoy the moment and be important for the football club.
“I spoke to him, I can only say good things because I’m here, enjoying my time, we’ve been very successful. But the manager said it as well, if it was me it was an easy decision to make, I didn’t need convincing. If there were any questions, I answered them honestly. I’m glad he’s here and getting started as quickly as possible.”
Senior figures at the club have already privately spoken about the lift Gakpo has given everyone connected to Liverpool. The arrival of international-class attacker mid-way through the campaign, as evidenced by Diaz's capture, will do that and there has been a real excitement around both Anfield and the AXA Centre this week.
Gakpo, given his age, potential to improve and relatively modest price tag by modern standards, is the quintessential Liverpool transfer. The club has turned raising the profile of such players into an art form over the past five years or so.
Now, though, with a new-look forward department reshape over the coming weeks, months and years in Diaz, Nunez and Gakpo - alongside the enduring brilliance of Salah - the task starts all over again for Klopp.
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