Cody Gakpo's World Cup Impact and Liverpool's Forward Dilemma
Cody Gakpo stood in the mixed zone with two World Cup goals behind him and one question in front of him: why does he look so liberated in orange compared with red?
“A good question. Obviously it's a little bit different,” he said, pausing just long enough for the cameras to lean in. “It's different where the coach wants me to be, the freedom that I have.” Then he stopped himself.
He didn’t need to say more. The subtext is already being written at Anfield.
A left wing getting crowded
Gakpo’s latest World Cup double for the Netherlands arrived in the same week Liverpool moved decisively in the market for wide forwards.
Victor Munoz has come in from Osasuna for £34.5m, another left-sided winger who likes that same corridor of grass Gakpo calls home. Liverpool are also pushing hard for Yan Diomande, the 19-year-old RB Leipzig forward valued at £86m, a livewire who can operate on both flanks.
Two players who can step into Gakpo’s territory. Two reminders that no starting spot in Andoni Iraola’s new Liverpool is guaranteed.
On paper, Gakpo’s case is strong. In Arne Slot’s title-winning 2024-25 campaign, he hit 18 goals and seven assists in 49 games across all competitions. Those numbers earned him a long-term contract last summer and the kind of security most forwards crave.
Then came last season. Three more appearances, but a sharp dip: nine goals, six assists. He was not alone in underperforming in a Liverpool side that laboured, yet he knows those figures do not belong to a nailed-on starter in a side with title ambitions.
Chemistry, Kerkez and a coach’s plan
Gakpo has always been clear: he prefers the left. That’s where he can open his body, drive inside, and whip shots and crosses with his right foot. But Liverpool’s 2025-26 campaign exposed a fault line – his understanding with Milos Kerkez down that flank.
Kerkez, an aggressive, overlapping full-back, often surged beyond him, but the timing and use of those runs were inconsistent. The patterns didn’t quite click. As the season wore on, the pair improved, yet it still felt like a work in progress rather than a polished partnership.
Now Kerkez is back under his old Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, this time at Anfield. The expectation is clear: his development has to accelerate. If the Hungary left-back becomes the dynamic outlet Iraola wants, that could transform the entire left side – and potentially unlock a sharper, more dangerous Gakpo.
Liverpool still see him as a proven Premier League attacker, a player who can shift roles and still function. With Hugo Ekitike potentially sidelined until 2027 with a ruptured Achilles, Gakpo’s ability to move inside and operate centrally carries real weight in the new head coach’s blueprint.
A proven scorer, but for how much longer?
Strip away the noise and his record stands up. Fifty goals in 180 games for Liverpool. Only Dirk Kuyt has reached a half-century among Dutchmen at Anfield. When fit, Gakpo has usually been first choice, a fixture rather than a rotation piece.
Yet this summer feels different.
Mohamed Salah has gone. At least one more attacking signing is expected. The Diomande chase is intensifying. Teenager Rio Ngumoha is being prepared for a bigger role. Florian Wirtz, who drifted off the left at times last season and is playing there for Germany at the World Cup, offers another option in that zone.
How Iraola chooses to use Wirtz could be pivotal. If the German is seen as a long-term left-sided creator, Gakpo’s pathway narrows. If Wirtz is moved centrally or to the right, the Dutchman’s prospects brighten.
Gakpo has responded to pressure before. When Luis Diaz arrived, he did not shrink; he sharpened. Extra competition has often brought the best out of him. But for the first time since he arrived from PSV Eindhoven in December 2022, the possibility of a move is real rather than hypothetical.
Several clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur, are monitoring his situation. Any deal would likely start at upwards of £60m, a hefty profit on the £35m Liverpool paid PSV after the 2022 World Cup. For a club constantly balancing renewal with financial discipline, that kind of figure demands attention.
The World Cup reminder
If Liverpool’s recruitment team needed a fresh data point, Sweden provided it.
In a 5-1 win, Alexander Isak – Gakpo’s club team-mate – failed to score. Gakpo, by contrast, delivered the kind of performance that has become familiar in Dutch colours.
The first goal was simple but telling: a back-post tap-in, arriving on time, reading the play, finishing without fuss. The second was pure Gakpo – cutting in from the left, shifting the ball onto his right, and drilling low and true. A trademark move, executed with the confidence of a man who knows this stage suits him.
His World Cup record now reads five goals in seven games across the 2022 and current tournaments. Overall, he has 23 goals in 52 caps since his debut five years ago. Those are not the numbers of a fringe international. They belong to a forward who consistently delivers when the stakes rise.
Inside the Dutch camp, he is more than a goalscorer. He plays a significant off-pitch role, especially among the Christians in the squad.
“Cody is our pastor – he leads the prayers,” said Crysencio Summerville.
On the pitch, Virgil van Dijk hardly needed the Sweden game to be convinced.
“He is an outstanding footballer,” the Netherlands and Liverpool captain said afterwards. “He works so hard for the team, he's disciplined and his quality stands out – his crosses, his assists, his goals.”
The conundrum on Iraola’s desk
Every strong World Cup performance nudges Liverpool’s decision-makers in the same direction: think twice before cashing in.
They have seen how hard it can be for new signings to adapt. Isak and Wirtz both endured uneven debut seasons at Anfield, reminders that talent alone does not guarantee a seamless transition into a demanding system and a restless stadium.
Gakpo, by contrast, is a known quantity. He understands the club, the league, the pressure. He has already scored big goals in big games. He can play left, he can play centrally, he can carry out instructions with discipline. For a coach like Iraola, who thrives on structure and intensity, that reliability has value.
Yet the squad is being reshaped. The attack that misfired last season will not be given the benefit of the doubt forever. Munoz is in, Diomande may follow, Ngumoha is rising, Wirtz is evolving. There is only so much room on the teamsheet and only so many minutes to share.
For now, Gakpo’s attention is fixed on the World Cup and on leading by example in a unified Netherlands squad. But when the tournament ends and the dust settles, Liverpool and Iraola will have a choice to make.
Is Cody Gakpo the versatile cornerstone of a new-look forward line – or the high-value asset whose sale funds the next wave of Anfield reinvention?
