Neil Jones has named one Liverpool player who could be ‘licking his lips’ with excitement over the Reds’ transfer business so far this summer.
Jurgen Klopp has already brought in two marquee signings in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, both of whom could add a great deal of creativity to the midfield at Anfield.
For that reason, the journalist believes Darwin Nunez could be a particular beneficiary of the duo’s arrivals, potentially feasting upon the service the new men are capable of providing.
Speaking to CaughtOffside, Jones said: “This now makes Liverpool a bit more technical and creative in midfield than they have been previously.
“We’d normally expect Liverpool to go more for physicality in that area, with the creativity coming from wide with the full-backs, but now they have players with the ability to play the final pass, and I think someone like Darwin Nunez, who makes runs in behind and who likes to get on the end of balls into the box and crosses, will be licking his lips.
“Szoboszlai creates an awful lot of chances, he was one of the best in the Bundesliga at that with his quality set piece delivery and good crosses and through-balls in open play too.
“Mac Allister is another who has shown he can both create and score, and I think Nunez in particular is going to get a lot of chances now.”
Nunez plundered a respectable tally of 15 goals from 42 games in his first season at Liverpool in 2022/23 (Transfermarkt), despite the Reds often lacking in creativity from midfield throughout the campaign.
With Mac Allister and Szoboszlai added to the ranks, that should theoretically give someone of the Urugyayan’s mobility and movement far greater service in the red zone.
The Argentine finished last term with 15 goal contributions for Brighton, while the Hungarian has 62 goals and 67 assists to his name during his senior club career so far (Transfermarkt).
That’s not to mention that Nunez and his attacking colleagues will likely have Trent Alexander-Arnold loading them with ammunition too, with the 24-year-old set to be preserved in the hybrid role in which he thrived towards the end of the 2022/23 season.
When his contribution is excluded, creativity was in very short supply from Liverpool’s midfield in that campaign, with nobody else in the middle of the park providing more than three assists (Transfermarkt).
Reds fans will be hoping that the Uruguayan’s second year at Anfield will mirror that of his time at Benfica, when in 2021/22 he helped himself to 34 goals in all competitions (Transfermarkt), duly prompting his current club to sign him for an initial £64m, potentially rising to £85m (BBC Sport).
It should be fascinating to see the difference that Szoboszlai and Mac Allister make to how Liverpool play in the coming season, with the likes of Nunez possibly feasting on the deliveries from the newly-arrived duo.