Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool ‘cannot afford’ to see Darwin Nunez be a flop. The Reds hero says his former side do not have the power like Manchester City to roll the dice again.
The Anfield natives bankrolled a £64m move to bring Nunez to the Premier League in June. His transfer from Benfica can end up costing the Merseyside outfit £85m after all potential add-ons, as well. Nunez also put pen to paper on a six-year contract worth £179k-a-week.
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In the same window, Manchester City triggered a £51m release clause in Erling Haaland’s contract at Borussia Dortmund. The defending champions also awarded the Norwegian a five-year contract, which the Daily Mail reports sees him earn in excess of £850k-a-week.
Haaland has proven to be a sensational striker for Manchester City with 15 goals and three assists in 10 Premier League games. He has also hit five goals in three Champions League games. While his top-flight haul features three hat-tricks and he has only not scored twice.
Nunez has enjoyed less success since he moved to England with three goals over his seven top-flight outings. He also only has one Champions League goal to his name. While his only assist came on the opening day of the Premier League campaign as a substitute at Fulham.
Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool ‘cannot afford’ for Darwin Nunez to be a flop
Carragher feels Liverpool now need Nunez to build on his goals against Arsenal and West Ham United in recent weeks. The Reds hero believes his former side needs to see the 23-year-old prove his value as the Anfield natives cannot fund another striker next summer.
That would not be the case at Manchester City if Haaland had not worked out, though, for Carragher. He has penned in a column for The Telegraph a belief that only the Citizens can go again whenever it is needed as they have the short-term capital others cannot achieve.
“City will always be in [the] running when the next Haaland is on the market,” he wrote. “If, for some reason, their signing of the Norwegian did not work, they would use their resources to sign another striker next summer, continuing to invest to protect their status.
“Long-term, the stakes are not as high for them when compared to the majority who know if they get it wrong it may take years to rebuild.
“That is why clubs embarking on a slow and steady build – like Liverpool and Arsenal – are hailed as a more realistic and sustainable template for everyone else. Liverpool cannot afford to buy another £85million striker next summer if the Darwin Nunez deal fails.”
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