Paul Merson believes Liverpool made an unnecessary decision of signing Cody Gakpo when they should have been focusing on their glaring midfield issues.
The club confirmed on Wednesday that they had signed Gakpo to a five-and-a-half-year contract.
The 23-year-arrival old’s demonstrates Jurgen Klopp’s desire to add attacking depth, with Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz both out for the foreseeable future, and Roberto Firmino dealing with a calf injury.
While a £40 million outlay must be considered, it should not prevent Liverpool from adding more players once the window opens, particularly in midfield, where Klopp has been exposed.
However, the track record of Liverpool’s owners’ willingness to spend has fans concerned.
Paul Joyce has also stated that ‘Liverpool’s transfer dealings are now complete for this window,’ unless a ‘unexpected opportunity’ arises.
And Paul Merson has shown his surprise over the Gakpo signing. In his column for Daily Star, he wrote:
“Liverpool are signing Cody Gakpo, but they should have signed some midfielders.”
“Will he even play? When everyone is fit I think he’ll be fifth choice for them in the forward areas. Liverpool have gone top-heavy up front but their midfield is short. They have so many attacking forwards but I don’t think their midfield is good enough.
“When they’re all fit, they have got Salah, Nunez, Diaz, Jota, Firmino and now Gakpo up front, but only three can of them can play. It feels like a “Stop Manchester United” signing really. United were trying to get him too and this stops them from doing that.
“But Liverpool need a central midfield player badly in my opinion. They don’t have enough quality in there and they don’t have enough legs either. They don’t dominate in the midfield areas the way they used to. When they do that, the full backs have the freedom to roam. Now they can’t.”