Liverpool booked their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Friday night with a 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers away from Anfield.
Goals from Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah, and Curtis Jones wrapped up all three points for the Reds, who started with Cody Gakpo in the centre-forward position.
With Alexander Isak injured, Arne Slot decided to rest Hugo Ekitike from the start and went with the Netherlands international as his main number nine.
Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo
Gakpo ended his time on the pitch with more offsides (two) than shots (one) and did not create any 'big chances' for his teammates or produce a shot on target, as he offered little threat at the top end of the pitch.
The 26-year-old forward does not look like he is ready to be the answer to Liverpool's number nine problems when Ekitike is unavailable to play.
Why Liverpool should sell Cody Gakpo this summer
Liverpool should cash in on the Dutch attacker when the summer transfer window opens for business later this year because he has been far too inconsistent with his play in the final third.
cody-gakpo-liverpool-1
A return of eight goals and four assists in 38 appearances in all competitions is hardly an impressive return for a player who starts regularly, and the Reds need more from their attacking players if they want to get back to competing for the Premier League title.
Gakpo has only scored six goals from 6.37 xG in the top-flight, missing five 'big chances', and has lost possession a whopping 300 times in 27 matches on his way to six goals. This means that he loses the ball 50 times per goal on average.
Liverpool, therefore, should look to part ways with the former PSV star, who has scored three goals in his last 20 matches, in the summer because of his inconsistency in front of goal.
|Gakpo's last 10 games|
|Opposition|Goals|Assists|
|---|
|Wolves (A)|0|0|
|Wolves (A)|0|0|
|West Ham (H)|1|0|
|Forest (A)|0|0|
|Brighton (H)|0|0|
|Sunderland (A)|0|0|
|Man City (H)|0|0|
|Newcastle (H)|0|0|
|Qarabag (H)|0|0|
|Bournemouth (A)|0|0|
Selling Gakpo would then open up a space in the squad for Slot to bring in another left winger who can compete with Rio Ngumoha for a starting spot next season.
It is now down to the club and his agent to find a team that is willing to pay enough money to take him away from Anfield when the summer window opens.
Liverpool already sold a big upgrade on Cody Gakpo
Whilst Liverpool may be in the market for a new winger to come in and replace Gakpo ahead of the 2026/27 campaign, the club sold an upgrade on the Dutchman for a small fee in 2021.
cody-gakpo-liverpool
Almost five years ago, the Reds decided to sell Wales international Harry Wilson to Fulham for a fee of just £12m, after he spent the previous season on loan at Cardiff in the Championship and delivered 12 assists in 37 games.
The left-footed star was an instant hit in the second tier for the Cottagers. He scored ten goals and provided 20 assists in 41 league games on Fulham's way to winning the Championship title.
harry-wilson-liverpool-premier-league
Wilson has gone on to rack up 35 goals and 45 assists in 178 appearances in all competitions for Fulham since his £12m switch from Anfield, and is currently thriving in the Premier League.
The Welsh star, who is out of contract in the summer, has scored nine goals and provided six assists in 27 appearances for the Cottagers in the top-flight so far this season.
Wilson, who was hailed as "incredible" by head coach Marco Silva, is now way better than current Liverpool forward Gakpo, on the evidence of the 2025/26 campaign.
25/26 PL Gakpo Wilson
Appearances 27 27
xG 6.37 4.65
Goals 6 9
Big chances missed 5 0
Assists 3 6
Cross accuracy 13% 26%
The Fulham star has scored three more goals than the Dutchman, despite having a lower xG, and has assisted twice as many goals in the Premier League.
His statistics at the top end of the pitch this season suggest that Wilson would currently offer far more to Liverpool than Gakpo, as both a scorer and a creator of goals from a wide position.
Fulham-Harry-Wilson
Liverpool, therefore, must rue selling him to Fulham for just £12m because he is now one of the most in-form wide players in the Premier League, sitting joint-ninth in the league for top goalscorers.
Hopefully, the Reds can cash in on Gakpo in the summer window and find a new winger who is even better than both the Dutchman and Wilson.
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