Liverpool enjoyed a much-needed rest last weekend, sitting out as FA ties were contested after battling through a gruelling run of five Premier League games in just 15 days.
Arne Slot’s side endured, claimed 11 points from 15. It’s seen Liverpool stretch their dominant lead over second-place Arsenal to 13 points, albeit with the Gunners holding a game in hand.
Jurgen Klopp has done the rounds on social media after stressing the Reds will be fine “and maybe even more” on the recently-released ‘Doubters to Believers’ Amazon documentary, a portent that rings true given Slot’s side have gone from strength to strength in 2024/25.
Though contractual concerns rumble like thunder in the background, the Merseysiders are hardly playing like a squad affected by the noise. Indeed, while there’s plenty of football still to play, Liverpool are presently chasing down a treble.
The stumbling blocks for Liverpool's treble-chasing side
Anfield would reject any notion that their title charge has turned into a procession with a quarter of the Premier League season still to be played, but it would take an almighty collapse for Liverpool to cede top spot to injury-hit Arsenal.
Having emerged from ostensibly the toughest run of fixtures the second half of the campaign has to offer, Liverpool are expected by most to lift the title come May, but if they wish to compete on the other illustrious front, a juggling act will be required and wits must be about these Redmen.
Indeed, March is upon us and Liverpool are preparing for a gripping two-legged Champions League contest against Paris Saint-Germain, who are undefeated at the top of Ligue 1.
PSG might have lost Kylian Mbappe last summer but look a coherent and balanced outfit, with Ousmane Dembele unshackled and in the form of his career, 26 goals from 33 matches this season.
The road to the final is laden with potential foes such as Arsenal and, unfortunately, Real Madrid, so it won’t be easy and proper treble-winning talk is premature at this stage. Hitches abound.
However, Liverpool are within touching distance of retaining the Carabao Cup, having reached the final after blitzing past Tottenham Hotspur last month. Newcastle United await.
Expect a better version of Eddie Howe’s side than the one that meekly lost at Anfield last week. For one thing, Alexander Isak won’t be sidelined.
That said, Anthony Gordon will be after getting himself sent off in the Magpies’ FA Cup defeat against Brighton last weekend. It’s a big blow for United, who lose their 2023/24 Player of the Year and fierce attacking outlet, once a member of Liverpool’s academy.
Liverpool were actually interested in signing Gordon last summer but were ultimately deterred by Newcastle’s £75m asking price, who managed to circumvent PSR issues through less damaging means.
Though Slot needs every member to be on their a-game to beat Newcastle and challenge across the other fronts, change will be afoot at the end of the season.
In fact, there’s a member of Liverpool’s frontline who must be sold this summer – and he’s worth even more than that man Gordon.
Liverpool must sell big-money star
Klopp left Liverpool in an enviable position when departing at the end of the 2023/24 campaign. Slot has inherited an elite-level squad. However, crucially, he’s made it his own.
Whatever the club achieves in the coming months, Slot is here to stay and will want to place his stamp onto the team with impactful signings, and that means FSG must prepare to cash in on several lucrative stars.
Top scorers in the Premier League, the Anfield side are loving life, but while Liverpool’s frontline is a thing to be feared, there’s no question the output has been disproportionate since things kicked off in August.
In particular, Darwin Nunez has been disappointing and must now be sold.
Mohamed Salah
39 (37)
30
22
Cody Gakpo
38 (25)
16
5
Luis Diaz
38 (28)
13
4
Diogo Jota
25 (15)
8
3
Darwin Nunez
36 (16)
6
5
Federico Chiesa
10 (3)
1
2
With only six goals scored across all competitions this season, the 25-year-old is looking likely to be playing out the final few months of his Liverpool career, with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano even saying “Nunez’s exit in the summer is a concrete possibility.”
Klopp oversaw Liverpool’s club-record purchase of the Uruguayan in 2022, bringing him in from Benfica in a deal rising to £85m, but it hasn’t worked out at all.
Wasteful and out of sync in the frontline. Nunez has only scored 24 goals across the entirety of his Premier League career, missing a whopping 51 big chances. Moreover, his lack of fluency in possession has alienated him from Slot’s reckoning, completing an average of 5.4 passes per game in 2024/25 at a success rate of 69%.
Harking back to Gordon, a talented young forward worth £75m, the fact that Nunez is still worth more than him bears testament to his natural ability but also underlines the gravity of the misfire. This should be a centre-forward at the top of their game.
According to CIES Football Observatory, the world’s leading football statisticians, the Uruguayan is valued at £82m, and given Al-Nassr were in talks to sign him in January for £70m, it doesn’t feel ludicrous that such a move could be engineered by Richard Hughes this summer.
He’s a committed player, well-liked in the Liverpool sphere, but this would be too good to turn down.
Nunez has huffed and puffed, but it hasn’t happened at Anfield. Liverpool never really experienced that enigmatic attacking machine who posted 34 goals from 41 matches in his last term at Benfica, scoring twice against Klopp’s side, and with his stock still high, it makes perfect sense to cash in.
While he’s capable of “incredible” moments, as pundit Michael Owen noted when he bagged a stunning late brace to win at Brentford in January, such high points have been few and far between.
Liverpool have been linked with an ambitious move for Newcastle’s Isak, who Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher called “the best striker in the Premier League” back in December, but without such a sale, FSG simply don’t have the minerals to pull something like that off.
Luckily, Nunez is slated for a sale, and with the riches of the Saudi Pro League shaping up to be a landing pad for Slot’s soon-to-be-jettisoned number nine, it could be a harsh move to spark further growth at Liverpool.
Such a chain of events may even see Slot’s team become even better next season.
Slot's "special" 19-year-old superstar could end Nunez's Liverpool career
Liverpool can cut Nunez minutes next season by unleashing their “special” star
1 ByConnor HoldenMar 3, 2025