The noise around Rio Ngumoha is getting louder and louder. The Liverpool teenager entered the field late on against Nottingham Forest last weekend and left the City Ground to a chorus of praise.
He had, it was said, outperformed Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah despite only playing through the dying embers of the contest. However, it's unlikely that Arne Slot will hand the 17-year-old a starring role for the remaining months of the season.
Cody Gakpo & Rio Ngumoha vs Nott'm Forest
Stats
Minutes played
Goals
Assists
Touches
Shots (on target)
Accurate passes
Chances created
Crosses
Dribbles
Ball recoveries
Tackles
Duels won
Slot argues that Ngumoha is playing a lot of football, more than anyone else in his age bracket across the English top flight. This is true, but Gakpo is also flattering to deceive on the left wing and has scored two times in the Premier League since late October, more than four months ago.
Why Slot needs to drop Gakpo
There's no question that Liverpool have become too predictable this season. When Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp in 2024, opponents were blown away by the Dutch coach's intelligent tactics, and it secured Anfield the Premier League title.
cody-gakpo-liverpool
Gakpo isn't just struggling to score but create too. While he remains a steady playmaking presence down the left wing, the Netherlands international has only created one assist in the Premier League since the 3-2 win over Newcastle United at St. James' Park. That was the second fixture of the campaign, midway through August.
That isn't good enough, and it points towards the Reds' lack of fluency and connectivity across the frontline this term. In this, Slot has to make a change, and maybe he does indeed need to start handing Ngumoha further opportunities to shine.
However, Slot's hesitation is understandable (to a point). Ngumoha is young and needs to be eased into a future focal role.
There is actually an alternative solution, seeing one of Liverpool's senior stars make the leap over to the wing.
Slot could play Liverpool superstar in fresh role
When Liverpool broke ahead in the race to sign Florian Wirtz, Merseyside went into meltdown. The Reds were euphoric. After winning the Premier League, they were signing one of the world's most coveted playmakers for a £116m fee.
Liverpool's Florian Wirtz
Wirtz, of course, didn't hit the ground running. He looked blunt and uncertain during those first few months, but rival hopes of the 22-year-old falling into the 'flop' category have been disappointed, with him being one of the club's brightest sparks since the festive period.
After blanking across his first 12 matches in the English top flight, Wirtz has since posted four goals and three assists, with a host more across different fronts.
Earlier in the campaign, Wirtz failed to take control across a smattering of appearances out wide. But Wirtz was weak back then, and there has been an emphasis placed on the German's progress in bulking up over the past several months.
Florian Wirtz - Career Stats by Position
Position
Attacking midfield
Left wing
Right wing
Centre-forward
Central midfield
There is a direct correlation between Wirtz's physical gains and his improved form over the past few months, now becoming one of Liverpool's most important attacking parts, hailed as a "cross between Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho" by Phil Thompson.
Slot has singled out Wirtz's improvements both physically and through his off-the-ball work, and he's drawn a lot of praise in recent weeks.
Florian Wirtz and Noah Sadiki
Injured in the warm-up ahead of Liverpool's narrow win over Nottingham Forest, small wonder that the Reds looked so sterile from a creative standpoint.
His output still needs some work, but the former Bayer Leverkusen man has created 11 chances in the Premier League since the start of the calendar year and has the fleet-footedness to prove a dynamic upgrade on Gakpo down the wing, especially now that Milos Kerkez has grown into his skin.
With Jeremie Frimpong nearing a return from injury, Dominik Szoboszlai can return to his berth in attacking midfield. That would allow Wirtz to shift out wide, and this time, it might just pay dividends as Slot looks to secure some success for the club before a crucial summer transfer window.
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