Jurgen Klopp explained what position Cody Gakpo could take up for Liverpool. The Dutchman joined the Reds this week.
Liverpool surprised everyone by wrapping up Cody Gakpo this week. The forward joins from PSV Eindhoven as the Reds’ first winter transfer.
Now the questions surround how Jurgen Klopp is going to use Gakpo. He’s primarily been a left-winger for PSV, thriving there as the Dutch Footballer of the Year.
But Louis van Gaal used him as a striker at the World Cup to great results. Given the wealth of forward options already at Klopp’s disposal, it’s unclear exactly what Gakpo will play.
The Liverpool boss faced the question on Thursday in his press conference and gave a detailed answer. Where could Gakpo play? Pretty much anywhere.
“The position he played most often is on the left but he can play different positions,” Klopp explained. “He played for Holland in a different position, he played for Eindhoven in different positions, so that’s fine.
“He can play all four positions up front. Whatever you play, if you play a 4-2-3-1 he can play all four positions, in a 4-3-3 he can be the winger, if you play 4-4-2 he can play the wing and the striker positions.
“So there are so many things he can play.”
Cody Gakpo position
That’s kind of how it has to be with Liverpool. In all truth, every forward must command two positions if they’re all going to fit together.
Fortunately, that’s very much the case. Even Mohamed Salah, who has the right-hand side locked down, can also play at striker.
Gakpo is fairly unique, though. He can hold his own across the forward line as Diogo Jota largely can – though, Gakpo will likely operate better from the right, we imagine.
Klopp clearly views his versatility as a fantastic strength and it should guarantee that Gakpo fits into this squad. We can’t wait to see exactly how the boss makes the most of him.
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