Liverpool have some clear immediate priorities to look at before they tend to the forward line.
However, it’s becoming increasingly apparent in the Arne Slot era that Darwin Nunez is struggling to find his place.
That could all very well change deeper into the season – and, for the record, we certainly hope it does – but the signs so far in the 2024/25 campaign have been far from reassuring. As such, it’s entirely unsurprising to see reports crop up of talks being held between manager and player over the lattter’s performance levels.
The Uruguayan international has registered eight goal contributions in 26 games (across all competitions) this term, at a rate of one goal or assist every 164.75 minutes (at the time of writing).
Quite the collapse from his 2023/24 numbers of one goal contribution every 97.61 minutes.
Is it the end of the line for Darwin Nunez at Liverpool?
(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)Robbie Fowler appears to now be of the mind that Nunez has shown Liverpool everything he has to offer – and it’s not enough to survive in the famous red shirt.
The Scouser stopped short of suggesting we should be looking to offload the former Benfica and Penarol hitman, but made it clear that the striker is ‘not a Liverpool player’.
“We’re saying the same things now that we were saying two or three years ago, that he’s raw, he’s this, he’s that,” the former Red spoke on ITV’s coverage.
“We can’t keep saying that. So, for me, the more I see him, the more I think he’s not a Liverpool player. People might have a go at me for saying this [because] he works hard.
“But you’re not bringing a player in because he works hard – that should be a prerequisite anyway. You’ve got to come in, you’ve got to score goals.”
Fowler went on to add: “I don’t think he’s quick enough in his thought in terms of how he should be finishing. He’s quick over the ground – we know how quick he is – but when you’re a striker, your speed of thought has got to be quicker than anyone else.
“When he has time to think about it, he sort of struggles. When he sort of instinctively… sometimes he looks a bit better, but we still probably want a little bit more.”
"The more I see him [Nunez], the more I think he's NOT a Liverpool player."
"He's not quick enough in his thought."
Robbie Fowler on Darwin Nunez… #ITVFootball | #FACup | @Robbie9Fowler | #LFC pic.twitter.com/kVI7NkVEAU
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) January 11, 2025
Empire of the Kop’s verdict on Nunez’s future
We’re not necessarily prepared to see our 2022 summer signing offloaded in the January transfer window – certainly not without a stellar signing set to follow in the opposite direction.
As ever with Liverpool, of course, opportunism will more than likely decide our course of action over the coming months.
Without a significant improvement from Nunez under Arne Slot’s watch, however, we’re struggling to see a world in which the forward will play a key part in the 2025/26 campaign.
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The post Robbie Fowler hints Slot star needs to be sold as ‘he’s not a Liverpool player’ appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.
