After an improved but still inconsistent second season at Anfield, Liverpool are reportedly looking to sign an upgrade on Darwin Nunez in the form of a striker who Arne Slot is a big fan of.
Liverpool transfer news
There was a period in which Nunez looked to have found his feet, but when Mohamed Salah's form fell away, the former Benfica man failed to show the necessary signs that he could one day be the main man to carry the Liverpool attack in a poor end to the season. In fact, by the end of the campaign, it was even Cody Gakpo who was trusted with the starting role, as Jurgen Klopp ruthlessly benched Nunez.
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That form makes the start of next season crucial for the forward, who cannot afford to endure another mixed spell. Into his third campaign, Anfield will no longer be able to deal him the excuse of a new player settling in. Instead, if that consistency doesn't come, the Reds could look to replace the forward altogether if recent reports are anything to go by.
According to reports via The Mirror, Liverpool are preparing a bid for Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa, with Slot reportedly an admirer of the forward who finished top of the assists charts and scored 19 Premier League goals in the season just gone. If Liverpool are looking for consistency, then paying the reported £130k-a-week salary of the Villa man is certainly the decision to make.
It won't be easy to lure Watkins away from Villa Park, however, now that Unai Emery and his side have qualified for the Champions League in the Premier League's surprise package of the season. That said, with Michael Edwards looking to make a statement, Liverpool could yet sign the ultimate replacement for Nunez to get the Slot era underway with a bang this summer.
"Amazing" Watkins can be exactly what Liverpool need
Since Liverpool have gone down the route of an out-and-out striker in Nunez, something has been missing in their attack. It's lacked the sharpness and fluidity that it was once famous for with Roberto Firmino leading the line. And whilst Watkins isn't the same type of player as Firmino, he can link play to a far better level than Nunez, as well as carrying the traits of a clinical goalscorer.
Goals
19
11
Assists
13
8
Expected Goals
16.8
16.3
Key Passes
45
33
On paper, Nunez should be matching Watkins for goals, but the Villa man was just clinical where the Liverpool forward was wasteful in front of goal, with one outperforming their expected goals by just over two and the other significantly underperforming by over five goals.
It's the type of form that saw Watkins earn the praise of Villa boss Emery earlier this season. He told TNT Sports: "He’s amazing. Because he’s a really hard worker and his commitment to work every day is amazing.
"When he is scoring goals, it's the main objective he can have. Where he is assisting as well, he's contributing to help the team. But even when he's not doing both, he's working for the team."