Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock believes his old club will have more dangerous options in attack once they complete the signing of Cody Gakpo.
As reported by the ECHO on Monday night, Liverpool have agreed a deal with PSV for Gakpo. The Reds have beaten Manchester United in the race for the Holland forward.
Talks between Liverpool and PSV reached an advanced stage yesterday, having significantly stepped up in recent days. The ECHO understands the initial fee will be around the £37m figure with add-ons likely to take the deal well past the £40m mark.
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“I think the big thing is that Liverpool fans will be saying is it the position that we need,” Warnock told Sky Sports when asked about the transfer.
“I think more will be thinking they need central midfielders. There has been a lot of talk about [Enzo] Fernandez and [Jude] Bellingham, after and during the World Cup, and Amrabat as well.
“Now you think of the injuries to [Luis] Diaz and [Diogo] Jota, it has almost pushed them into the position where goals win matches and they need that.
“They probably think that [Stefan] Bajcetic, who has come on and scored, you have got him in the squad and now you have other players coming back.
“I’m not sure how far away Arthur is, but I don’t think he is too far off being away as well, they feel they have got enough players and cover in that midfield area to cover themselves.
“But it wouldn’t surprise me if they did something else in the midfield area. From Gakpo’s point of view, it's exciting.”
It was widely believed that United were leading the race for Gakpo, who has scored nine goals and produced 12 assists in 14 Eredivisie matches for PSV this season. But it appears Anfield will now be the Dutchman’s next destination, and Warnock believes Gapko must show he can cope playing for a club like Liverpool.
“You look at his stats, his numbers, in the Dutch Eredivisie, it is exceptional,” he said. “But the big question now is whether you can do that not just in the Premier League, but under the pressure of playing for Liverpool.”
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