In our view, Dietmar Hamann’s take regarding Cody Gakpo being an instant fit in midfield for Liverpool is wide off the mark.
Hamann reacted to the news surrounding the Dutch international joining Jurgen Klopp’s side (via PSV’s official website) for a £35 million fee (via David Ornstein) on talkSPORT, highlighting how his goal threat, engine and physicality would benefit the side from the middle of the park.
The ex-Reds star also went on to bizarrely compare Gakpo to Joelinton of all players.
Hamann is incorrect about Gakpo being a player to be used in the Liverpool midfield
It’s hard to see eye to eye with Dietmar Hamann on his view about Cody Gakpo being a midfield signing for Liverpool in the first place.
In the last three seasons for PSV Eindhoven, the 23-year-old has played as a No.10 in just one league game.
On the other hand, Gakpo has largely operated as a left-winger and on occasion, as a false nine.
And in the games where the Dutchman even played in the hole behind the No.9 at the World Cup against the USA and Argentina, he was far from his prolific best.
The Merseyside-based side, on the opposite end of the spectrum need a player who can bring silk and steel to the midfield, with Jordan Henderson and James Milner not boasting the same athleticism they once did.
To task a forward such as Cody Gakpo in the middle of the park for Liverpool instead of create and score goals up front would be a case of completely misunderstanding his profile, as Dietmar Hamann seems to have done.
The Gakpo-Joelinton comparison does not add up
Joelinton is a one of one case of a striker turning into a box-to-box midfielder and that’s that.
Liverpool’s brand-new signing Cody Gakpo simply does not possess the Brazilian’s engine, despite Didi Hamann’s belief.
If anything, Gakpo is closer to being a replacement for Sadio Mane, due to his superior output to Luis Diaz on the left flank than Joelinton of all players.
Simply put, the PSV hero is not one for the Liverpool midfield and instead, capable of either playing as a left-winger or up front.
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