Darwin Nunez and Alexander Isak both completed club-record moves to the Premier League in 2022 - but one has fared a lot better in England than the other
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Liverpool look set to be in the market for a new centre-forward this summer, but they will not be the only ones. While Manchester City have Erling Haaland leading the line, it would not be a surprise to see the majority of the Premier League’s leading clubs look to enhance their own options come the end of the season.
Following mid-season interest from Saudi Arabia and AC Milan, Darwin Nunez’s Anfield future remains uncertain.
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The Uruguayan has failed to nail down a starting place under Arne Slot, with it suspected that the Reds will look to part ways with their record signing after three hit-and-miss seasons on Merseyside.
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Nunez has been limited to just seven goals so far this season under the Dutchman, and has started only 17 of his 40 appearances. With chances sparse in comparison to his first two campaigns, the 25-year-old has been ineffectual at best for the majority and was criticised publicly by his head coach last month.
Having been meant to emerge as their leading marksman for years to come after joining in 2022, this is not a situation Liverpool wished to find themselves so soon after signing Nunez for £85m in the first place.
It is telling that he finds himself back on the bench following Diogo Jota’s return from injury, while Luis Diaz filled the void after the Portuguese was struck down in the first place as Nunez continued to not convince.
Yet both his fellow forwards also face uncertain futures, with Jota’s injury woes well documented as he struggles for form following his latest return. Meanwhile, Diaz continues to be linked with the likes of Barcelona and clubs from Saudi Arabia.
Following the Reds’ dismal performance in their League Cup final defeat to Newcastle United, it was pointed out that the trio have scored between just two goals between them from their combined last 41 appearances.
Nunez has one goal from his last 13 games while Diaz has one strike from 18 outings. Meanwhile, Jota is now on a 10-match scoring drought. For a side that had been pursuing a potential treble only a week ago, clearly that is not good enough.
Yet Liverpool will face competition in any potential striker search this summer, with Arsenal’s failure to sign a prolific number nine severely undermining their Premier League title hopes.
Mikel Arteta has had to resort to playing midfielder Mikel Merino as a false nine after losing both Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus to season-ending injuries, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli also enduring lengthy lay-offs.
Chelsea and Manchester United will likely look to strengthen too, with Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee not delivering sufficiently in front of goal.
Arsenal tried and failed to sign Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa in January, while both the Gunners and the Reds continue to be linked with Newcastle’s Alexander Isak. Should either forward be on the move in the summer, it could lead to a knock-on effect with both clubs then also entering the market.
As Liverpool’s frontmen toiled at Wembley on Sunday, it was Isak who scored the would-be winner with a well-taken finish from Jacob Murphy’s knockdown. The 25-year-old now has 23 goals from 33 appearances for the Magpies this season, and 58 from 100 outings in all competitions since arriving on Tyneside.
Following the Reds’ League Cup final defeat to Newcastle, Fabrizio Romano claimed Liverpool had been in contact with people close to Isak as he confirmed the Swede was on the radar of both Slot’s men and Arsenal.
Earlier this month, the Athletic’s David Ornstein also reported that Isak was of interest to the Reds, and that they would consider making a move if he was genuinely available.
But would he actually be available in the summer? Newcastle will have little desire to sell their star player, with their position only being challenged if Isak pushes to leave or they need to raise funds to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules. Even then, their asking-price is tipped to be well in excess of £100m.
Ahead of the League Cup final, Isak insisted he was happy at Newcastle when asked about his future, while he has now helped the Magpies end a 70-year drought for a domestic trophy and qualify for Europe next season in the process. They could also still qualify for the Champions League, currently sitting just a point behind fifth-placed Man City and two points off fourth-placed Chelsea while boasting a game-in-hand on both.
Consequently, while Isak might be the leading number nine in English football this season and a wanted commodity as a result, there is no guarantee that he will even be on the move.
Regardless, Liverpool must already face their own questions when it comes to the player. After all, they signed Nunez for an initial £64m in a deal worth up to club-record fee up to £85m only weeks before Isak joined Newcastle for £63m.
Nunez, who is three months older than Isak, had enjoyed a remarkable 34-goal season in his final campaign with Benfica in 2021/22 to catch Jurgen Klopp’s eye and scored 48 goals in 85 appearances in total for the Portuguese giants.
In Isak’s three seasons with Sociedad, he returned a respectable 44 goals from 132 appearances. While not as eye-catching, they were still significant figures for a less-fancied side in a superior league.
Both strikers were on Liverpool’s radar at the time too, with Dr. Ian Graham, the Reds’ former director of research, admitting as much in an exclusive interview with the ECHO last year.
“Darwin Nunez looks really good in the data,” he said. “One of the best or just about the best under-24 centre forwards, if you exclude Haaland from the list, obviously!
“Haaland is a great example of transfer fee versus wages really. Really you need to look at the total financial outlay for each player. So even though the Nunez was fee higher, the total financial outlay for Nunez was not in the same ballpark as for Haaland.
“So Nunez looked really good. I think him and Isak were the two stand outs aside from Haaland.”
So why did Liverpool sign Nunez over fellow 'stand out' striker in Isak? It is a glaring question that no-one will be volunteering to answer, giving their contrasting fortunes over the past three years.
Only the Reds' recruitment team, who reportedly favoured Nkunku to Klopp’s preference of Nunez, will be able to explain exactly why it was the Uruguayan the club moved for back in 2022.
As Liverpool run out of patience with the striker, it's clear that the decision to sign him has not paid off. The Reds could right that ‘transfer mistake’ this summer if they can lure Isak away from Newcastle. But that is a big if. He will not come cheap, if at all.
And having already spent a club-record fee on Nunez three years ago, the summer of 2022 feels even more of a missed opportunity.
The Reds will return to the drawing board in pursuit of the answer to their centre-forward woes, while conscious of the fact that they are not the only ones.
While supporters might look back and query how Liverpool ended up with Nunez rather than Isak, the club's recruitment team are instead looking to next season, tasked with answering if the Uruguayan isn't the answer for the Reds upfront, then who is?