Despite a dismal start to the season, rumors claim that Liverpool still has faith in Darwin Nunez, a high-profile summer acquisition.
Since the start of the Premier League season after the World Cup break, the forward has drawn attention for his poor finishing, with his performance against Aston Villa, in which he missed four significant opportunities and only completed four passes, serving as a notable example.
Fabrizio Romano, however, is of the opinion that Jurgen Klopp still supports the summer signing despite the January signing of PSV Eindhoven star Cody Gakpo.
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It hasn’t been Darwin Nunez’s smoothest start at Liverpool, but all the clues I get from both Liverpool and the player’s side are clear: they are certain it’s simply a phase, Romano wrote in his column for Caught Offside.
He is content at Liverpool, and Klopp is behind him. Nobody has any reservations about the team or the players. I believe they will continue to defend Nunez.
Nunez, 23, moved to Anfield for €80 million in 2022, but if certain bonus add-ons are reached, the price might go up.
Therefore, Liverpool made a significant investment that hasn’t exactly paid off thus far.
Even though he has played far fewer minutes than the much-lorded Gabriel Jesus, the Uruguayan international still has five Premier League goals to his credit. However, his overall play hasn’t been up to par.
Nunez has entered difficult situations with his strength and quickness, but he lacks the poise to add to his strike total.
Nunez has missed 15, three more than club teammates Mohamed Salah and Ivan Toney, the most significant opportunities of any player in the division this season, according to the official Premier League website.
In addition, things have turned around since his massive xG overperformance at Benfica last season, when he scored 10 goals more than xG thinks he should have.
Nunez has underperformed his xG by 4.5 goals this season, which is the worst performance of any player in one of the top five leagues in Europe. Nunez has also failed to score from 16 shots worth 3.5 xG since arriving in Liverpool from Qatar.
But according to reports, Klopp still has faith in his man, and Liverpool will need him to regain his form as they compete with the other top four teams for a berth in the Champions League.