New signings raise the stakes for Gakpo
Cody Gakpo’s place at Liverpool is under pressure after a difficult season, and the club’s summer plans could sharpen the competition for attacking minutes. Victor Munoz has arrived from Osasuna for £34.5 million, while Liverpool are pursuing RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande. Those moves point to a squad being reshaped around new options on the flanks. If the Diomande deal goes through, Gakpo will have more to prove to secure regular minutes, even with his record and experience at the club.
The 27-year-old managed seven goals in 36 Premier League appearances last season. That return fell short of what Liverpool needed as they tried to defend the title won under Arne Slot, though a goal total alone can’t describe a forward’s full contribution. The key question for Gakpo is whether he can make his influence more consistent in a team whose options are changing. Slot has since lost his job, and new manager Andoni Iraola is reshaping the squad; that change gives Gakpo a fresh tactical setting, but it also means he’ll have to show how he fits the new manager’s plans.
Gakpo offered a timely reminder of his ability on Saturday, scoring twice as the Netherlands beat Sweden 5-1 in a World Cup Group F match. His second goal was familiar: cutting in from the left and finishing with his right foot. That’s a move that can be difficult to stop when the timing and execution are right, but repetition can also give defenders a clear cue about what’s coming. A strong international performance doesn’t settle his Liverpool future. It does show why he remains part of the conversation.
Van der Vaart’s advice: vary the attack
Former Netherlands international Rafael van der Vaart thinks Gakpo should stay at Anfield and remain a key player. His advice comes with a pointed caveat: Gakpo needs to become less predictable. That distinction matters. Backing a player’s value doesn’t mean ignoring the weaknesses opponents can target, especially when competition for places is increasing.
Speaking to AceOdds.com after the Sweden match, Van der Vaart said Gakpo could be the difference between the Netherlands reaching a semi-final or final and going out earlier. He described him as the team’s best weapon on a good day, while noting that opponents often double up on him. That assessment captures both sides of Gakpo’s threat: defenders pay him close attention because he can hurt them, and that attention can also limit his room to act. The challenge is to make those extra defenders costly for the opposition.
Van der Vaart wants Gakpo to make more runs in behind without the ball and to attack the outside as well as cutting inside. He pointed to the Japan match as an example of how easily defenders can anticipate Gakpo when he always takes the same route. The critique is specific, and it matters at club level too: a winger who can threaten both ways is harder to mark. If you’re working in this space, the lesson is familiar: a strong preferred move helps establish a player’s identity, but a second credible option can create room for the first. Gakpo doesn’t need to abandon his trademark finish; he needs to make defenders hesitate before they commit to stopping it.
A long contract, but minutes still matter
Van der Vaart’s case for staying isn’t a guarantee that Gakpo will accept a reduced role. “It doesn’t make sense for him to sit on the bench,” he said, arguing that a player who wants to play will naturally consider leaving if the minutes don’t come. His preference is for Gakpo to stay and fight for his place next season. That’s a straightforward view of the choice, but the decision will depend on how much playing time Liverpool can offer and whether Gakpo sees a clear route to regular involvement. Competition can sharpen a player’s performance; it can also make the role too uncertain to accept.
Gakpo signed a new five-year contract on August 30, 2025, running through the summer of 2030. Since joining Liverpool from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023, he has made 180 appearances and scored 50 goals. Those figures show a substantial body of work at the club, and the contract gives Liverpool security over a player with proven scoring ability. It doesn’t answer the more immediate question of how much he’ll play. A long deal sets the terms of the relationship, while weekly selection will determine how satisfying that relationship feels to the player.
What the competition means for Liverpool
This is more significant than it looks: the issue isn’t simply whether Gakpo remains at Liverpool, but what kind of attacker the club wants him to become. New signings can raise the standard in training and give a manager more choices, yet they also put pressure on established players to show why they belong in the starting side. For Gakpo, that case rests on more than his ability to cut inside and score. He’ll need to offer different routes to goal and make his contribution harder to plan against.
And yet, one international performance can’t tell us how that competition will play out at club level. The Netherlands win is evidence that Gakpo can still produce a decisive display, while Van der Vaart’s comments identify a clear area for improvement. Neither settles how Iraola will use him or how the summer pursuit of Diomande will develop. Here’s the thing: Liverpool have a player with a strong record and a long contract, but the value of both will be judged against his role in the team. A demanding season ahead. For Gakpo, consistency and variation may matter as much as the next highlight.
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Read more: Jamie Carragher wades in on Liverpool’s pursuit of Yan Diomande with £450m warning and Yan Diomande, Jurgen Klopp, a legal dispute and Leipzig axe: inside Liverpool’s complicated transfer pursuit.