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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Josh Williams

Darwin Nunez must already have answered key Liverpool question before transfer bid

Darwin Nunez has just experienced his best campaign as a professional footballer when it comes to finding the net. The Benfica striker scored a total of 22 non-penalty goals from 24 starts in the Portuguese top-flight.

He netted a non-penalty goal every 90 minutes, so it is perhaps no surprise that plenty of clubs from across Europe are tracking his services. From Manchester United to Barcelona to Arsenal and now Liverpool, a whole host of destinations have opened up for Nunez to explore this summer.

Jurgen Klopp is searching for a replacement for Sadio Mane, who seems destined to join Bayern Munich in the coming months. Nunez is a player Reds boss Klopp is interested in, although the numbers attached to his momentous season are interesting and can be interpreted in different ways.

READ MORE: Liverpool 'prepared to smash transfer record' for Darwin Nunez as price tag set

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Attacking players are often judged - rightly or wrongly - according to how clinical they are when presented with opportunities in front of goal. Some of Liverpool's forwards have been criticised over the years for requiring too many chances in order to score.

Based on Nunez's season, he does not suffer from that issue. He converted 27.2% of his shots into goals, which placed him top of his division once compared with every other player to have posted at least 55 attempts on goal.

In fact, no player across Europe's top five leagues converted their shots into goals to a more efficient level than Nunez. He's proved to be a ruthless marksman over the course of the past year, capable of seizing moments whenever they emerge.

For context, Mane posted a conversion rate in the Premier League of around 18% this season, and Mohamed Salah averaged marginally less. Diogo Jota converted roughly 17% of his shots, which truly emphasises Nunez's 27.2%.

The large majority of offensive players tend to convert around 15% to 20% of their shots into goals. Even the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane tend to follow the theme.

That rule of thumb poses a delicate question to Liverpool's scouting team. On one hand, there is evidence to suggest than Nunez is a top finisher, but on the other hand, the law of averages suggests that he'll probably revert back closer toward the mean in the future.

The Uruguayan could have profited from a hot streak - and those don't continue forever. In order to navigate the potential problem, the Reds will have to determine whether his scoring is sustainable and whether his overall game - beyond his goals - is enough for a transfer to be worthwhile.

Players such as Mane and Salah are effective on the pitch even when they do not score, and Nunez must offer similar advantages to be worthy of leading the line for Klopp at Anfield.

So if Liverpool do go for Nunez, as it looks, they will do so because they are convinced of what he'll offer in red, even beyond goals.

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