Peter Crouch has lauded Cody Gakpo for the way he has been transformed by Arne Slot this season.
Last season, Gakpo was by no means a poor performer but it’s very clear he has gone up a new level this season. The main change is that Arne Slot has arrived and it all comes down to his positioning.
Last season, Jurgen Klopp experimented with the Dutch forward at centre forward and even central midfield at times. The result was 16 goals and six assists for the Reds.
That’s still a wonderful return but this term, with Slot keeping his compatriot on the left wing almost exclusively, Gakpo has 15 goals and 5 assists with four months of the season still to go.
Ever since his PSV Eindhoven days, Gakpo has been an exciting attacker but is now threatening to become a truly top-class operator. At times, he seems predictable but defenders still battle to stop what they know is coming.
Peter Crouch has now praised the 25-year-old for his increased output.
Gakpo is “so good from the left-hand-side”
Speaking on TNT Sports, former Liverpool striker and fan favourite Peter Crouch has waxed lyrical about Gakpo and says the rapid forward is exactly what the Reds need on a weekly basis from their forwards.
Crouch said: “He’s so good from the left-hand-side. Diaz has quite often played out on the left with Gakpo playing through the middle and obviously this season Arne Slot has swapped them, and just looks so much better.
“Coming off the left in the summer for the Netherlands he was fantastic, and you need that kind of Gakpo week-in week-out at Liverpool, and that’s what we’re seeing this season, it’s been a breath of fresh air, he’s looking incredibly sharp.”
Cody Gakpo could be Liverpool’s next world-class star
Liverpool are world famous for almost perennially having an exciting and talent attacking lineup.
Under Brendan Rodgers, the Reds had Suarez, Sterling and Sturridge, and under Klopp they had the likes of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho not to mention Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah, who are still at the club.
Gakpo is now at the age (25) that FSG’s data analysts would have expected him to begin to truly come into his own and it could be a part of his growth into a world-class star.
There’s a lot that can be said about FSG’s time as owners but they have done a wonderful job of identifying gems to bring in before they hit their peaks and Gakpo is just another in a long procession of them.
Gakpo will be grateful to Slot for trusting him but he will also be thankful to Jurgen Klopp for bringing him to the club in the first place.