Eighty-nine minutes in. 35 shots. Only six on target. Zero goals. This was the state of the struggling Liverpool in their clash against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium. Then, in came a hero that many had already written off. Twice. Earlier that week, reports surfaced of Liverpool rejecting a bid from Saudi giants Al-Hilal of around $87 million for Darwin Nuñez, much to fans’ dismay. Many claim his career at Liverpool to be over, not living up to his $100 million fee in his first three seasons at Anfield, and with Dutch manager Arne Slot preferring the likes of Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz as center-forward. That said, his cameo in the 2-0 win against Brentford reminds the Kop of why he may be an essential part of this Liverpool title bid.
Nuñez’s chaotic — almost Dionysian — presence on the pitch offers an electric energy in the final third that no other Premier League striker is able to offer. In a constantly evolving sport such as football, goals and assists cannot be the sole metric for determining the competency of a player. Look at Eden Hazard, for instance — his statistics constantly misrepresent him, yet he is indubitably one of the greatest players to grace a Premier League pitch. He offers a lot off the ball, both offensively and defensively, as he often regains possession from the opposition and helps build up the attack. If Slot loses confidence in him as a striker, he could also try moving him to the midfield, similar to Joelinton’s conversion to center-midfielder for Eddie Howe’s Newcastle. On the plus side, Nuñez can also occasionally bail his team out. He currently holds the record for the most away injury-time winners in the history of the Premier League, scoring against Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest including now Brentford. With Diogo Jota barely able to maintain fitness and the Luis Diaz false nine experiment proving to be unsustainable, Nuñez may be Liverpool’s best striker at the moment.
Nonetheless, his efficacy as a striker for a title-contending team has been questioned, and rightfully so. For a striker, his finishing has proven to be phenomenally sub-par at times, and he cannot convert tap-ins or chances with high expected goals at crucial times. His game IQ is often criticized due to his inability to stay onside, having been offside eight times already in his limited game time this season. Rumors of his departure circulated the summer before this season, with Nuñez removing all Liverpool-related posts from his social media and receiving criticism for his lackluster performances in the prior season. As he has often cost Liverpool, many feel that the Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the multinational sports holding conglomerate, should recoup the majority of his transfer fee by selling him to the wealthy Saudi League, with options such as forwards Alexander Isak and Dušan Vlahović available in the upcoming summer. Plus, the funds they will obtain from his sale could become a massive contribution to contract renewals, with star players like Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contracts which are set to expire this summer, while deals with players such as Ibrahima Konaté also needing to be renewed promptly.
Overall, Darwin Nuñez is without a doubt one of the most perplexing signings in Premier League history. To answer the question of whether he is a hit or a flop, the answer would probably be neither. It is hard to put a label on Nuñez’s time at the Merseyside club, and it is just as difficult to decide whether Liverpool should cut their losses on the Uruguayan attacker or keep him at the club, with both decisions certainly having a high level of risk. That being said, he does give his all for Liverpool every single match, and he must be backed by the fans and the club until the end of the season at least.