Tim Vickery has claimed that Liverpool’s new signing, Darwin Nunez, ‘fascinates me’ because he is a player that ‘changes the template’ at Anfield.
The South American football expert added that Nunez, who sealed an initial £64 million transfer to Liverpool from Benfica on Tuesday, is a striker that has ‘managed to jump through every hoop that has been placed in front of him’.
After Liverpool lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid, the rumours started to grow that Sadio Mane wanted to head for the exit door and join Bayern Munich.
With fears growing that one of Liverpool’s star men wanted to leave, the club had to look for possible replacements or at least bulk up their forward line, especially with Mo Salah also out-of-contract next summer.
The Merseyside giants turned to a man they know very well in Nunez, who scored against them in the Champions League knockout stages this season and a player that left an impression on Virgil van Dijk.
Now, rather than locking horns with one of the world’s best defenders, Nunez will play alongside the ice-cool Dutchman, as Vickery shared an insight into Liverpool’s new signing, as he told Sky Sports News (14/06/22 at 6:35 pm).
“What fascinates me about this move is this is the player who changes the template a little bit,” said Vickery. “The obvious comparison is the last South American that Liverpool brought in, Luis Diaz.
“Darwin Nunez changes the template a little bit because he’s a very mobile striker. He can work the channels. But he is a centre-forward. That’s something Liverpool quite haven’t had in their mix, so Jurgen Klopp is obviously willing to spend big, in order to bring in something a bit different from what he already has.
On Nunez coping with the big transfer fee: “Well, he is so far in his career. He has managed to jump through every hoop that has been placed in front of him. Uruguay is such a small population, so it can’t hope to hold onto its promising players.
“He effectively had a year in the Uruguayan first division, the Spanish second division where he jumped with Almeria, he did that very nicely and then two excellent seasons at Benfica. So far, what has been put in front of him, he has dealt with very, very impressively.
“This is a bigger step up, it’s a much, much stronger league. But he would seem to have the quality, from a technical standpoint, to succeed – he is a hugely important footballer for the future of Uruguay. He struggles to get into the first-team with Uruguay because there is Mr Luis Suarez and Mr Edinson Cavani ahead of him. But he will have a part to play at the World Cup, if only off the subs bench. But, after the World Cup, he becomes the main man for Uruguay, so the pressure is coming for club and country.”
ONE ARRIVES, ANOTHER LEAVES
It’s how Liverpool operates and it’s why they have run the club in such a strong fashion under Jurgen Klopp’s stewardship.
Whilst Nunez’s signing is being celebrated, a club legend, one of their greatest ever players in Mane looks to be on his way out.
German champions and Bayern Munich will be the new chapter for the African Cup of Nations winning star, who was probably Liverpool’s best player during the second half of the 2021/22 campaign.
Mane’s departure puts more pressure on Nunez to deliver the goals, alongside Salah next season, whilst the expectations will also rise with Diaz, who has had an outstanding start to his career in the Premier League.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
