Gakpo to Liverpool: Is he the ideal replacement for Luis Díaz?

For so long, it looked as though Cody Gakpo’s transfer to England was all but imminent. The famous red shirt would be worn in a presentation photo, the huge, iconic stadium waiting patiently for its new arrival to step off the plane in the north-west of England. Manchester United fans had the breakout star of the World Cup at their fingertips.

But it is not the red of Old Trafford that the Dutchman will wear in England, but that of Liverpool, their arch rivals. Jurgen Klopp’s men swooped in like thieves in the night, swiping Gakpo from the hands of the Manchester faithful in the darkness, coming out on the other side victorious, with the prize everybody wanted. After his performances in Qatar, Gakpo had been linked with every team from Barcelona to Bayern Munich via Juventus and beyond. But it is Merseyside where he will now call home.

The cheers from around Anfield could be heard as the new shiny toy’s arrival was confirmed. But thoughts quickly moved to the practicalities of having such a huge gift on their doorstep. Where will he fit in? How will Jurgen Klopp rearrange his living room to squeeze Gakpo on the sofa that already contains Salah, Darwin and Luis Diaz? Will one of them have to go?

How does Gakpo compare to Díaz?

Simply put, there is no comparison. Gakpo’s stats are so high this season that a transfer to his own division all by himself would have made sense in some strange way. He is the top goalscorer in the league this year for PSV, as well as the highest assist provider. He has created more chances than God created stars in the sky and shoots like a old Western Cowboy.

13 goals to the four that Díaz currently has is not perhaps an entirely fair comparison, given the Colombian’s injury, but budging Gakpo out of the eleven if he can transfer his form across the leagues is going to be a Herculean task for Díaz.

If you somehow manage to stop Gakpo from scoring against you, then he simply works to create a goal for a teammate; it’s like outrunning someone only to be chased down by their pet dog. And boy, does he run. If we take a look at the heat maps then they appear quite similar, but paired with the creation stats, they tell two tales. Almost 3.5 key passes for Gakpo against Díaz’s 0.83 shows a huge disparity in the two players, with Gakpo showing that he has almost become too good for the Dutch first division.

Looking at things like this, it seems scary for Díaz, who might as well pack his bags now. However, things all depend on how Jurgen Klopp sets up his team, with Gakpo excelling in central areas for the Netherlands under Louis van Gaal. Will he play in behind Salah, Darwin and Núñez, instead of in place of the Colombian? If that is the case, then it is not Díaz who should be scared, but the rest of the Premier League.