[인터풋볼] Reporter Dae-sik Kim = The choice of manager Jurgen Klopp to sign Darwin Nunes is starting to come under criticism.
The British ‘Liverpool Echo’ reported on the 10th (Korean time), “Liverpool brought Nunes in the summer and is branded as the biggest mistake during Klopp’s tenure.”
Nuñez made his professional debut in 2017, then moved to Benfica in the summer of 2020 after moving to UD Almeria and set foot on the European stage. He has been performing well since the first season of his transfer. He Nunez has grown into a key striker for the team as he has contributed 14 goals and 10 assists in 40 appearances. Nuñez’s potential was completely unleashed last season. He began to attract the attention of the big clubs after an explosive performance of 32 goals and 4 assists in 37 appearances.
Nunes has been pursuing a move to the Premier League (EPL). Big clubs, including Manchester United, rushed in. Liverpool were the most active among them. Nuñez also chose Liverpool. Liverpool invested 100 million euros (about 139 billion won) in the club’s history, the highest transfer fee in the club’s history to bring Nuñez. Nunes was expected to quickly establish himself as Liverpool’s core and compete against Elling Haaland (Manchester City).
But Nunes is showing only disappointment. He didn’t fit into his team’s tactics quickly, and his position as a starting position was not well established. He has appeared in three EPL matches, one goal and one assist. It’s a shabby scorecard. In the second match against Crystal Palace, he was sent off for head-butting, which reminded him of Zinedine Zidane.
Regarding this, Liverpool Echo expressed disappointment in Klopp’s choice, saying, “Nunez is under pressure to meet expectations for the club’s highest transfer fee.” This is because Spain’s ‘El Pais’ recently revealed that Klopp had turned down Heung-Min Son, Richalison, and Roberto Lewandowski to bring Nuñez.
Heung-Min Son heated up fans with rumors of a Liverpool transfer before the transfer window started. At the time, ‘Football London’ reported that “Liverpool were considering a big offer for Son Heung-min this summer if Tottenham were not in the top four this season.” It drew more fans’ interest as Klopp once tried to sign Son Heung-min, but Liverpool withdrew Son Heung-min after Tottenham finished fourth.