Liverpool turned down Chelsea approach for enigma who's just lost his biggest supporter
When Liverpool signed Darwin Nunez from Benfica in the summer of 2022, it was their belief they had beaten at least one major domestic rival to his signature, said to be Manchester United.
While United were also in for the Uruguay international at the same time, the Reds were made to forcibly nudge ahead of Atletico Madrid once it became clear Sadio Mane would be leaving and that Nunez had been decided as the best man to replace the then Bayern Munich-bound attacker.
The now 24-year-old first landed on Liverpool's radar in the spring of that year with their manager Jurgen Klopp said to have "fallen in love" with the powerful striker during analysis meetings ahead of a Champions League quarter-final tie with Benfica.
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During the tie itself, Nunez wasted little time proving Klopp's points, pouncing on a mistake at the back before clinically finishing past Alisson Becker in a game the Reds won 3-1 in Lisbon.
It was in the return leg at Anfield where Nunez really started to announce himself to the Liverpool fanbase, however. First came the delicate dink over Alisson that was ruled for offside before a smart finish around the goalkeeper made it 3-3 on the night. In what was an end-to-end match, he also forced his future team-mate into a superb save with a stunning volley as Benfica pushed all the way for a semi-final spot.
in the fifth minute of stoppage time, and for a third time in the game, Nunez slid another past Alisson before the flag was again raised. And, while the marginal decisions were ultimately correct, his performance suggested that he had an eye for goal that could take him to Europe's biggest clubs. It was maybe here where Liverpool added their name alongside United and Atletico to the list of interested parties.
"An extremely good looking boy, huh?" Klopp said after the game. "And a decent player as well. Really good, really good. I knew before, of course, but he played pretty much in front of me with his tough battles with Ibrahima Konate (in the first leg). He was physically strong, quick, and calm around his finish. Good, really good. I always say in these situations if he is healthy, it’s a big career ahead of him."
Two years on and having made his big-money move to a European giant in Liverpool themselves, Nunez stands at something of a crossroads with Klopp, the manager who pushed so hard for him in the weeks and months after that particular tie, now set to leave Anfield.
Surely no player has been discussed as much as Nunez in his two seasons on Merseyside but that is because he remains such an enigma, capable of the sublime and the slapdash in equal measure.
Eighteen goals and 13 assists this term is proof he has contributed significantly to a Reds team who took an unlikely charge at a quadruple into mid-March before seeing their Premier League and Europa League hopes fall away in April, but progress made this term has been undermined at times by the same failings that were apparent in his first year in English football.
The loose touches, the rough edges and the ragged finishing have remained and Nunez's goal tally, while respectable, should be much higher based on the quality of chances missed this term.
An inability to stay onside has also been a problem and while strikes at Bournemouth in the League Cup and braces at Sparta Prague and Newcastle United showed a striker capable of genuine moments of brilliance, there have been too many gilt-edge opportunities that have gone begging. In recent weeks, it has been a real issue, in particular.
That arguably his best performance of the campaign - in an outstanding all-round performance against Chelsea in January - was also a match where he missed a penalty and hit the woodwork three times encapsulates Nunez in 90 exciting, occasionally baffling minutes.
Michael Owen came under fire for his analysis of the No.9's piece of genius at Brentford in mid-February when he ignored the chance to pass to Diogo Jota for a tap-in in favour of an impudent dink over on-rushing goalkeeper Mark Flekken. The former Reds striker claimed: “That finish from Darwin Nunez yesterday was insane. I can’t stop watching it. And I can’t begin to explain how difficult a skill that is.
“Moving at pace, the ball running away from you, being inside the box with no room for error. Incredible. BUT, it is also further proof that if he is to get closer to becoming the great player many people think he can be, he has to adapt his way of thinking. I mean, to even consider that finish is madness. It’s a 1 in 10, 2 in 10 finish at best. Learning to slot, dink or go round the GK is a far more productive way to score and will increase his chances to 4 or 5 in 10, thus massively increasing his end return."
The manner of Owen's 2004 departure from Liverpool, his subsequent move to Manchester United in 2009 and his reputation - fairly or not - as a somewhat dour pundit meant the criticism was largely dismissed by Liverpool's fanbase at the time, but few are as qualified to talk about top-level finishing as the one-time Ballon d'Or holder. It was, in hindsight, a fair critique of Nunez, even if admonishing a goal of such beauty is not why supporters love football in general.
That being said, it was a remarkable insight into the thought process of Nunez, who chose the most difficult option of several and executed it, that time at least, to perfection. A goal contribution every 77 minutes in the Premier League, prior to Saturday's 10-minute cameo at West Ham United, is a heartening statistic for those who champion his ability, and there is little doubt that his pace and power are raw materials that can be worked with.
The question now, however, is with Nunez about to lose his biggest supporter at the club in Klopp, what will be in store for the Reds star when a bold new era begins under sporting director Richard Hughes and new 'head coach' Arne Slot?
The fact Liverpool also turned down a reported approach from Chelsea last summer was further indication that they see Nunez as a long-term project but sizable improvements can still be made. Like several others in the squad, a strong end to the campaign is needed.
By the summer Nunez will be a third into his six-year deal and with his appearance-based add-ons having now cost Liverpool a club-record-equalling sum of £75m, there will still be ample appetite for him to succeed. But for Slot and a new-look backroom staff, there is as much to work on as there is work with.
