© IMAGO – Richard Hughes Arne Slot Liverpool
Liverpool may now possess the world’s top winger.
Last summer marked an unsuccessful attempt to sign a new wide player at Anfield, a pursuit led by Richard Hughes since he took over the club.
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Anthony Gordon was a target in the summer of 2024, followed by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in January 2025.
During the previous summer, Liverpool had a shortlist that included names like Bradley Barcola, Malick Fofana, and Antoine Semenyo.
Ultimately, none of these transfers materialized, and the club ended up promoting only 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha to the first team.
While Liverpool may still need another winger for the long haul, they could already have one of the game’s best players on their roster, someone deserving of greater recognition from supporters.
Cody Gakpo often frustrates Liverpool fans, but his contributions can’t be denied. He currently shares the highest goal contributions in the Premier League with four, alongside Mo Salah and Hugo Ekitike.
Last season, only Salah surpassed Gakpo’s total contributions across all competitions for Slot’s squad.
He consistently makes an impact in the final third for his team.
Beyond his output, Gakpo excels at carrying the ball forward.
Some might question this assertion, but sports analytics company Gradient has provided data to showcase just how impressive the Dutch winger’s performance is.
© Gradient – Gradient Cody Gakpo ball carrying
This season, Gakpo has one of the highest volumes of ball carries among wingers in the Premier League, with only a handful of players surpassing his total.
However, it’s not just the volume that’s remarkable, but the quality. Gradient’s analysis rates Gakpo’s ball-carrying as the best among his positional counterparts, which is extraordinary.
If he can further increase his volume, Liverpool could be looking at one of the best wingers in the league and potentially the world.
A winger capable of progressing the ball with Gakpo’s quality, while also contributing goals and assists, certainly ranks among the elite.
Given his performance thus far, one might even assert that he isn’t merely a strong contender for the best title—he already is the best.
Another statistic that emphasizes this claim is that Gakpo has recorded eight goal contributions for both club and country in the 2025/26 season—only one other Premier League winger, Antoine Semenyo, has more.
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