THERE wasn’t much sign of Liverpool being part of the race to sign Cody Gakpo until it was announced late on Boxing Day that a deal had been completed to take the Netherlands attacker to Anfield. So much time was spent discussing how Gakpo would fit in at Manchester United – the 23-year-old’s perceived likely destination – that very little consideration had been given to how he would suit Jurgen Klopp’s team.

In the immediate term, the value of Gakpo’s signing to Liverpool is clear – injuries to Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota have left the Reds short of options on the left wing which Gakpo’s addition will address. However, the Dutch international’s arrival on Merseyside hints at how Klopp is rebuilding his attack in the long-term.

While Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah formed the most devastating frontline in Europe for a number of seasons, Klopp is now evolving his attack. Salah recently signed a new contract to stay at Liverpool until 2025, but Mane departed for Bayern Munich last summer and Firmino is expected to leave at the end of his current contract next summer.

Diaz made an instant impact upon signing from Porto nearly 12 months ago while Darwin Nunez is looking more comfortable in a Liverpool shirt with every match he plays. Gakpo’s addition will only add to the adaptability of the Reds’ new-look attack. Klopp clearly wants Liverpool to be as fluid as possible in the final third.

Gakpo is capable of playing in every position across the Liverpool frontline. Louis Van Gaal used the 23-year-old as a centre forward for the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup while it was most common to see him on the left wing for PSV Eindhoven. Between Diaz, Nunez and Gakpo, there is great potential for Liverpool’s attackers all to interchange and dovetail with each other.

“He has only been playing for PSV for two or three years and has always played on the left side,” explained van Gaal during the 2022 World Cup. “He didn’t want to play at centre or at number 10 and now he does want to play there and thinks I’m a great coach. He has the personality to become a star here.”

In terms of his technical and physical attributes, Gakpo has everything he needs to be a success in the Premier League. The 23-year-old demonstrated his dribbling ability for the Netherlands at the World Cup with Gakpo quick to expose any space between the lines – see Gakpo’s goals against Ecuador and Qatar.

Aerially, Gakpo will give Liverpool another dimension with the Dutch international strong at attacking crosses into the box. In a creative sense, Gakpo also has plenty to offer with his chance creation statistics the strongest in the Eredivisie this season. The 23-year-old has the makings of an elite level modern forward and will have an even greater platform for his talent in England.

Whether or not the signing of another attacker should have been a priority for Liverpool is open to debate, but the decision makers at Anfield might argue they simply couldn’t afford to miss out on such a sparkling talent for such a reasonable price (reported to be somewhere between €40m and €50m).

Klopp is rebuilding his Liverpool team. There are areas of the squad that still require attention – see central midfield – but the signing of Gakpo points at the direction Klopp would wants to take Liverpool. The Dutch attacker would have been a good signing for Manchester United and he might be an even better signing for their rivals.