Former Liverpool director of analysis Ian Graham, a person who performed an enormous position in switch choices between 2012 and 2023, has shared considerations he had about signing Darwin Nunez.
Liverpool followers are but to see the most effective of Nunez, whose arrival from Benfica was sealed in 2022 for £64m, probably rising to £85m if all add-ons are triggered. However the Uruguayan, from scoring 34 targets in 41 appearances in his closing season with Portugal, has 33 in 96 for the Reds.
Though there have been excellent moments, he has struggled with consistency.
Nunez famously performed nicely towards Liverpool within the Champions League for Benfica, scoring in each legs of a Champions League quarter-final tie to impress Jurgen Klopp. Graham has revealed in an interview with The Athletic that Liverpool’s seize of Nunez was much less pushed by information and analysis.
“Nunez performed brilliantly towards Liverpool and that has an impact on folks. It did not do him any hurt in changing into a Liverpool participant,” Graham defined.
Finally, the problem has been making an attempt to exchange a participant like Roberto Firmino, who had a really specific model of play, with another person who did not mechanically match the system.
“The problem with Nunez was that he was a really totally different kind of participant to Firmino. My questions had been: ‘Are we going to vary our model or formation for him?’ Is he a ok participant that it may be price making these adjustments?’. It was one thing we had resisted for a few years,” Graham stated.
“We went via the identical information course of for Nunez as with different gamers. I wished to be sure that everybody knew what an enormous change it could be with Nunez. It was extra, ‘Are we certain we’ll make the most effective use of him?’
“We at all times had an inventory of ‘nice gamers however not for Liverpool‘. Defensive full-backs, goal males, crossing wingers — we simply did not play in that model. It was clear that Nunez was a No.9.
“I would not say that the info stated no to Nunez. It is extra ‘if we signal this participant we now have to grasp that is the position we have seen him be efficient in and is there at the moment a slot for him in our squad?’. And should you’re spending a big amount of cash on a participant then he has to start out. The worst factor you are able to do is purchase a squad participant and spend cash that may very well be on the market on the pitch.”
Nunez was left on the bench by new coach Arne Slot for Liverpool’s opening Premier League sport of the season towards newly promoted Ipswich City. The Dutchman as a substitute began with Diogo Jota up entrance, flanked by Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz, and later turned to Cody Gakpo.
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