Your morning headlines for Thursday, February 16.
Liverpool have just replaced Sadio Mane in a way no-one saw coming
Cody Gakpo has provided more questions than answers since joining Liverpool last month, truth be told.
Why did the Reds opt to spend £37m on him rather than move for a much-needed midfielder? Why have they brought in yet another left-sided forward, when they already possess Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, and Darwin Nunez? And why, having spent an initial £64m on the Uruguayan, a traditional number nine, last summer, are they now playing him out wide with the Dutch winger instead utilised as their central attacker?
Each decision prompted head-scratching, with Liverpool’s form alongside the forward’s own limited impact during his opening weeks on Merseyside resulting in further raised eyebrows. Reds legend Jamie Carragher would even admit he was baffled at his former club’s signing of the Dutchman last week.
READ MORE: Cody Gakpo broke Jurgen Klopp 'golden rule' just before scoring his first Liverpool goal
READ MORE: 'All day' - Joe Cole and Owen Hargreaves agree on Jude Bellingham vs Enzo Fernandez verdict
Jurgen Klopp admittedly did warn Kopites that the 23-year-old would not replicate Diaz’s instant impact at Anfield from 12 months earlier, with Gakpo ultimately joining Liverpool at a much more difficult time than the Colombian. Yet that didn’t stop the German from lauding his new forward’s finishing ability soon after signing the Netherlands international.
Alas, with the Reds’ form going from bad to worse following Gakpo’s arrival, Kopites saw little evidence to support such a claim. Liverpool would score just four goals across his first six games, after all, with two of those coming on his debut against Wolves in the FA Cup, and a replay win at Molineux his only taste of victory.
From those half-a-dozen clashes, the 23-year-old understandably made a minimal impact and failed to return a goal or an assist. Boasting 13 shots across those six games, only four were on target while seven of them came in one match - the 0-0 draw with Chelsea.
Read the full story, here.
Jamie Carragher gives brilliant response after Jude Bellingham calls Liverpool legend out during interview
Jamie Carragher has admitted he is desperate to see Jude Bellingham at Liverpool in a hilarious exchange with the Borussia Dortmund midfielder.
The Reds have had a long-standing interest in the 19-year-old correlating with his meteoric rise in Germany where he continues to be linked with Jurgen Klopp's side. His performances for Edin Terzic's side have ignited the competition for his signature as Real Madrid and Manchester City are among the clubs vying for his services.
Carragher isn't the first Liverpool player to express his admiration and hope that the former Birmingham City midfielder swaps Signal Iduna Park. Former captain Steven Gerrard went as far as saying he would jump on a flight to Germany and said he's a "huge fan".
On Tuesday's edition of CBS Sports Golazo, Carragher tried his hand at turning cupid for pitchside reporter Nico Cantor as he angled for an on-air marriage proposal to his girlfriend watching at home, although he ultimately failed in his efforts.
Cantor was in Dortmund for their 1-0 win over Chelsea thanks to Karim Adeyemi's second-half solo effort and looked to Bellingham to rush to his defence, which he did sending a message to the ex-defender.
"When he was trying to get you to propose? Jamie, do better. Not on Valentine's Day, when she's there, come on," Bellingham joked. "I've got your [Nico Cantor] back there. You should've protected yourself a little bit more though... big names in the studio, crumbled a little bit, it's alright."
Read the full story, here.
READ NEXT:
- 'Not for me' - Cody Gakpo explains why he shunned Jurgen Klopp talks after Liverpool criticism
- Liverpool may quietly have got their most potent attacking weapons back
- Jurgen Klopp faces Fabinho decision as Liverpool consider defensive change
- Liverpool hint hidden behind scenes at Anfield makes future of midfield perfectly clear
Darwin Nunez is about to cause even more chaos after devastating Liverpool change
