There was a time when Liverpool would have been left embarrassed by an Alex Ferguson-led Manchester United’s transfer efforts, though the tables appear to have firmly shifted since then.
One Sky Sports reporter admitted he couldn’t help but ‘chuckle’ at the Reds snapping up Manchester United’s top target, Cody Gakpo, for the January transfer window.
“This is a fascinating situation, a story I look at and chuckle because he was at the top of Manchester United fans’ wishlists for this January transfer window,” Mark McAdam spoke on Sky Sports News (via Football Daily). “Every single United fan went to bed on Christmas Day thinking ‘Cody Gakpo. He’s the man for us, he’s the one we can get’ and they woke up to the news on Boxing Day that their fierce rivals Liverpool had agreed a deal with PSV.”
It seems, too, that the signing could be all wrapped up in the next day or so with the Netherlands’ international having officially arrived in England ahead of Anfield medical.
“Medical in the next 24-48 hours before the 23-year-old becomes the first signing for Jurgen Klopp in this January transfer window.
“Big impact at the World Cup – three goals in five games for the Netherlands and has been probably one of the standout players.
“But not only are Liverpool getting a great player, it’s also a big dent for Erik ten Hag who saw Cody Gakpo as a big part of this transfer window for Manchester United.”
There’s a feeling that the Reds are taking perhaps a slight risk on Virgil van Dijk’s teammate, though it’s far from being unwarranted in light of his quality performances for club and country.
Beyond the World Cup, Gakpo has amassed an impressive 30 goal contributions in 24 games (across all competitions), though, of course, we’d expect (with all due respect to the Eredivisie) a tougher challenge lies in store for the forward should he complete a medical in England without any complications.
At 23 years of age, it’s a signing that otherwise hits the mark for us in a position that has been hit hard by injuries, if not quite the area in the park that many expected us to reinforce first in January.
Fans can catch the full clip below, courtesy of Sky Sports News (via Football Daily):
🚨 | Cody Gakpo has arrived in England for a medical ahead of a transfer to Liverpool pic.twitter.com/BpJWDnfdZv
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) December 28, 2022