Cody Gakpo: How new signing will change Liverpool tactically under Jurgen Klopp and influence Darwin Nunez

It’s an exciting move for Liverpool as Gakpo has been one of Europe’s top players this season with nine goals and 12 assists from 14 games.

Only Erling Haaland had more goal contributions in Europe prior to the World Cup break, and he’s pretty good isn’t he?

“It really is great news for us that we have been able to do it and I have to say it has been a fantastic job by everyone involved, especially Julian [Ward],” Jurgen Klopp said about the signing of Gakpo.

“The work that has gone into this has been really impressive and in the end we have managed to sign a player who we have known about for quite some time and who we believe will have a really bright future with us.

“There is a lot to like about Cody. He is still only 23 years old but he already has a lot of experience.

“He was the captain of PSV, he was the Player of the Year in Holland last season and, as a lot of people have just seen, he also had a great World Cup with his national team.

“So, it is clear that he is already a really, really good player but his age also means he also has the potential to become even better.

“Offensively, he is very versatile and on top of this we know he is a smart footballer and also a smart person, so we are really excited to be able to work with him.”

How Gakpo will tactically change Liverpool

That versatility Klopp mentions could be a game-changer. At PSV, Gakpo played on the left wing, which is where Luis Diaz would typically play, but he is out until March after having knee surgery. It’s likely Gakpo will initially play here.

You would think Liverpool should be pushing really hard for a top midfielder and that may still come in January or the summer. *Jude Bellingham enters thoughts.

But the Reds are still feeling some effects of not having Sadio Mane in their side. As popular as Darwin Nunez has been at Anfield, he has not been anywhere near as clinical as Mane.

With no Diaz, Gakpo’s versatility means he can play on the left, as well as the middle. Should Nunez and Gakpo be on the pitch at the same time, they can interchange during the match. In some ways, Gakpo is filling the hole left by Mane and this could subsequently help Nunez too by taking pressure away from him.

When Diogo Jota comes back in the next four to five weeks, Liverpool’s flexibility will only increase because he can play in all three forward positions.

We know Mohamed Salah can drift into the middle too so, as a defender, not knowing how Liverpool will play with their forwards when they are in possession is going to be a problem.

Roberto Firmino will still play a key role in January and February with the absence of Diaz and Jota, but his future at Liverpool is uncertain beyond the end of the season, as is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who can also play on the wing.

Liverpool’s depth up front is now incredible. In the last year, Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino have gone, with Nunez and now Gakpo coming in. That’s a huge step up.

Imagine when all of Liverpool’s players are fit. Perhaps Klopp could turn to a 4-2-3-1 that he used brilliantly at Borussia Dortmund.

You would have Gakpo in the middle of the three as a No. 10, Diaz on the left and Salah on the right with Nunez or Jota up top. That has the potential to be devastatingly good. Throw in a top midfielder behind that quartet and you have something special.

As Louis van Gaal stated, Gakpo could become an outstanding player and he should be a great fit for Liverpool.

“Things can change but Cody has everything it takes to become a star,” said Van Gaal. “He has a wonderful personality to become a star player because he is open minded to anything and everything.

“Cody is a very young player – he is 23 but looks younger. He has only been playing with PSV for two, three years and always played from the left. He did not want to play in the centre or at 10, but he did have to for me. Now he thinks I am a great head coach!”

There is potential for further improvement under Klopp, and that is extremely exciting for Liverpool. Gakpo’s arrival sends a message to the rest of the Premier League.