What will Liverpool do about Darwin Nunez?
On Tuesday night in the UEFA Champions League, Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez started the game against Spanish side Girona and played 71 minutes before being substituted for Cody Gakpo. He failed to register a goal or assist in their 1-0 win, registering 2 shots on target from an xG of 0.47. It is the fifth consecutive game he has not registered a goal or assist, and Liverpool has become reliant on Mohamed Salah to score most of their goals. In the Premier League, Liverpool has scored 29 goals and Salah has scored 13 of them — approximately 44%. Colombian winger Luis Diaz has scored 5 goals in 14 appearances, and summer signing Federico Chiesa has yet to play a significant role.
Liverpool, perhaps unexpectedly, have found themselves in the middle of the Premier League and Champions League race. But they are not only in the middle of it — they’re leading it. Should they capitalize on the momentum heading into the second half of the season, they would do well to tap into the upcoming January transfer window to reinforce their attacking force and relieve the scoring burden on Salah.
The perfect player to replace Nunez is already in Liverpool’s ranks — Portuguese forward Diogo Jota. Manager Arne Slot prefers his strikers to play a dynamic positional role and provide flowing movement to stretch the center-backs. Jota is perfect for this role, as he has impressive acceleration and a great eye for both a pass and a finish.
Unfortunately for them, Jota’s injury record is quite poor. He is currently out with a muscle injury until early 2025. He missed two months in 2024 from a knee collateral ligament tear and half of 2022 with a calf injury, making his attempts to stay consistently fit challenging. Liverpool may have to look to recruit an additional attacker to support their goalscoring — but who would be the ideal transfer?
Rumors have swirled that Omar Marmoush, the Egyptian forward who plays for German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, is one of the candidates to sign for Liverpool. The 25-year-old has had a breakthrough year in Germany, scoring 13 goals in 13 appearances and establishing himself as one of the emerging talents in football. He also has the pace and dribbling ability to fit well into Slot’s setup. Of course, the opportunity to play with compatriot Mohamed Salah may prove to be a big allure for Marmoush.
Viktor Gyökeres, the Sporting CP striker who has lit the football world alight this season, is another player who has emerged as a top striker this season. The Swedish striker has already scored an incredible 25 goals this season, and his effective conversion rate makes him one of the most lethal strikers in Europe. His ability to both collect the ball from deep and run in behind would fit well in Slot’s system. The issue is that these performances will also attract many elite clubs in the world, including Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Arsenal. Liverpool would face no shortage of competition for the Swede’s signature.
Lastly, Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak would be a good candidate to help Liverpool’s goalscoring. As another Swedish player, Isak has proven to be one of the most consistent players in the Premier League since he signed for the Premier League outfit, and is having another quietly good season by scoring six goals in 13 appearances. Given that he signed for 70 million Euros to Newcastle, they will surely demand a high transfer fee to prize him away from St. James’ Park. He also has the occasional injury issues. Since signing for Newcastle, he has missed 38 games through injury — the same amount of games played in one Premier League season.
Knowing how Liverpool typically do their transfers, there is a strong likelihood that they sign none of the players above and instead prefer to pick a lesser-known player. There is also a world where Nunez improves his performance or even switches positions to take advantage of his raw energy.
