'This stops them' - Paul Merson questions Liverpool's…

'This stops them' - Paul Merson questions Liverpool's Cody Gakpo transfer decision

Paul Merson believes Liverpool have overloaded the forward positions with the signing of Cody Gakpo instead of focussing on glaring midfield issues - despite the January window not officially opening yet.

Wednesday saw confirmation from the club that they had signed Gakpo on a five-and-a-half-year deal, with developments moving swiftly since news broke on Boxing Day that talks had been ramped up. While the official fee has not been disclosed, the ECHO understands that Liverpool will pay an initial £37million, which could rise to above £40million.

The 23-year-old's arrival is proof of Jurgen Klopp's desire to add attacking depth, with both Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz sidelined for the foreseeable future, while Roberto Firmino is also managing a calf injury. Monday's 3-1 win against Aston Villa saw Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain make his first Premier League start of the season.

And while a £40million outlay will have to be taken into account, it by no means blocks Liverpool from adding further once the window opens - particularly in midfield, where Klopp has been left vulnerable. But former Arsenal midfielder Merson has somewhat bizarrely linked the two by claiming they should have signed a midfielder instead of Gakpo, who will be 'fifth choice' forward when all are fit.

"Liverpool are signing Cody Gakpo, but they should have signed some midfielders," Merson wrote in his Daily Star column. "Will he even play? When everyone is fit I think he’ll be fifth choice for them in the forward areas. Liverpool have gone top-heavy up front but their midfield is short. They have so many attacking forwards but I don’t think their midfield is good enough.

"When they’re all fit, they have got Salah, Nunez, Diaz, Jota, Firmino and now Gakpo up front, but only three can of them can play. It feels like a “Stop Manchester United” signing really. United were trying to get him too and this stops them from doing that.

"But Liverpool need a central midfield player badly in my opinion. They don’t have enough quality in there and they don’t have enough legs either. They don’t dominate in the midfield areas the way they used to. When they do that, the full backs have the freedom to roam. Now they can’t."

With the January window yet to officially open, Liverpool will no doubt have plenty of time and money to invest in the middle of the park, should they see fit. The club have been very specific about signing the correct players since Klopp's arrival in 2015, with the moves for the likes of Ibrahima Konate delayed in order to ensure they get their man.

Should that man in midfield be Jude Bellingham, then summer seems pencilled in for a transfer saga, while Benfica's insistence via statement that they aim to keep Enzo Fernandez for the rest of the season means any move for him will also have to wait until June.

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