"I think we should keep quality players," Virgil van Dijk said after Liverpool's 2-2 home draw with Nottingham Forest on August 29. He was talking about Cody Gakpo, and the winger has since given that view plenty of support with six goal contributions in six games, made up of two goals and four assists.
Van Dijk added: "He's a quality player." He also said it was "a no-brainer for us as a team and a club to keep him," which now reads as more than a captain backing a teammate. Liverpool had already knocked back an £80m bid from Manchester City, and Gakpo's form has made that call look even more justified.
Gakpo's start has been hard to ignore
Gakpo has four Premier League goal contributions in five appearances, and his league rating sits at 7.28. He has also produced in the League Cup, where he has one goal and one assist.
The appeal for Liverpool is not complicated. Gakpo is giving end product, and he is doing it from different areas of the attack. Three of his assists have come from his favoured left side, but he has also created from the right, which gives the club a flexible option at a time when the forward group is already stretched.
Liverpool's attacking depth
Hugo Ekitike is a long-term absentee with an Achilles injury, while Federico Chiesa has been sidelined since the end of pre-season. That is the context around Van Dijk's comments, and it helps explain why Liverpool were not minded to lose another forward.
Van Dijk said there were talks and added: "In my eyes, you can’t let him go and that’s why I said it." Liverpool return to club action against Manchester City on Sunday, October 11, with Gakpo now looking like one of the few attacking pieces they can least afford to lose.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
