Kostas Tsimikas has been quoted praising in-form Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo amid the Dutchman’s best season yet as a Red.
The 25-year-old joined the club in January 2023 after a promising start to professional football with PSV Eindhoven and immediately impressed, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in 21 Premier League games.
In his second season, last season, Gakpo got 16 goals and six assists as he further vindicated Jurgen Klopp’s decision to bring him to the club midway through the season – something Liverpool only do rarely.
This season, with compatriot and manager Arne Slot trusting him on the left wing while Luis Diaz operates in the false nine, Gakpo is already on the brink of beating last season’s total contribution and it’s only February. He has 15 goals and five assists for the Reds and is rapidly becoming one of the best forwards in Europe.
Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s massive Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham, Tsimikas wasted no time in praising Gakpo for the form he has been in all season.
The left-back said: “He’s a great, great player. I think he showed from the time he came in how special he is and how he can put his body [in], very strong, very quick.
“Now with the many goals he puts in, I think he’s a top player for the team.
“He’s always a hard worker. Even in attack, even in defence, he’s always there to help the team to achieve our goals and, of course, to score goals for the team. I’m really, really happy for him.
“We are really close and I hope [for] more goals for him because he absolutely deserves it.”
Gakpo has made the left-wing his own this season
Gakpo has been so good this season, it’s really exciting to think about how many goals and assists he could end the campaign with.
And the best part is that he is so much more than just the end product.
He might have 20 goals and assists combined already but he contributes in so many ways on that left flank. Data from Fbref says Gakpo is now one of the best wingers in the world even if it may take some time for the common consensus to catch up.
He ranks in the 96th percentile for goals scored, 94th percentile for actions leading to a goal per 90 minutes and 99th percentile for successful take-ons.
Add in the fact that he’s rapid and stands at 6 foot 3, it’s no surprise defenders are quickly running out of ways to stop him.
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