Slot has hit gold on Liverpool “superstar” who’s worth more than Gakpo

Liverpool have the perfect mix of personalities on the field. Youth and experience blend together; playmakers and goalscorers operate in flux and, crucially, the midfield operates as one cohesive system. A beating heart.

Arne Slot has inherited a talented and dynamic team to be sure, but he deserves all the plaudits for pumping his own tactical energy into Jurgen Klopp’s creation and pushing it toward the biggest prizes that the 2024/25 campaign has to offer.

With everything to play for, the Anfield side have likely been the best team in Europe this year. Mohamed Salah leads the charge, but Cody Gakpo is quickly shaping into one of the Reds’ most important players.

Cody Gakpo’s improvements under Slot

Gakpo has come on leaps and bounds under Slot’s leadership, with his well-taken goal against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday evening taking his tally to 16 for the season – matching last year’s total just one week into February.

Below, you can see Gakpo’s improvements under Slot’s wing this season, deployed almost exclusively from the left flank after being utilised across numerous different zones by Klopp.

While many of the Netherlands ace’s metrics don’t differ all that much across this top-flight season and the last, there are subtle improvements across the board that highlight Slot’s finely worked tinkering, shifting his clinical countryman into a more structured left-wing role after he played across myriad positions for Klopp last term.

It’s no surprise that Gakpo, who was signed for £35m in January 2023, has seen his market value skyrocket, with Transfermarkt recording the Dutchman’s price at £50m.

There are some members of the squad, however, who Slot has scarcely needed to touch to get them up to speed within his tactical set-up.

Slot has hit the jackpot on Alexis Mac Allister

Like Gakpo, Liverpool signed Alexis Mac Allister for an eye-catching £35m fee. Like Gakpo, the Argentinian has been a bona fide success on Merseyside.

The 2022 World Cup winner has thrived across his two campaigns in a Liverpool shirt, playing different roles in the middle of the park and invariably impressing with his combative nature, technical quality and driven work ethic.

He’s more than capable of a fine strike, but Mac Allister is not a player who is defined by his numbers in front of goal, with pundit Joe Cole hailing the 26-year-old as a “superstar” who “can play anywhere” – such is his level.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 11% of Premier League midfielders this season for shot-creating actions, the top 13% for progressive passes and the top 15% for tackles per 90, perfectly illustrating his completeness and athleticism.

Is it any surprise that Transfermarkt have recorded Mac Allister’s hike in market value at a whopping £33m rise, currently priced at £68m? Gakpo is enjoying some campaign and will see his own price rise and rise as he continues to make headway, but whether he’d catch his influential midfield partner is another question.

There are few teams – if any – across the globe that wouldn’t be able to make good use of the South American’s qualities, and it’s clear to see that Slot has well and truly hit the jackpot with this one.