Liverpool will already have plenty of transfer targets in mind ahead of what could be a summer of mass change at Anfield, with Mohamed Salah’s contract up at the end of the campaign alongside many other first-team faces.
Both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil Van Dijk are also nearing the end of their current Liverpool stays next year, as Arne Slot and Co go about tieing down these star players to extended deals if they can, amidst being top of the current Premier League pile.
Salah will arguably be the hardest to replace out of this star-studded bunch if he does seek out new pastures, but the Reds do have Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo in their sights as one potential successor to the Egyptian’s throne.
Liverpool looking at Bryan Mbeumo
According to Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas, Liverpool are on the hunt for various different Salah replacements in case the 32-year-old does leave the Reds behind, with Mbeumo ticking the boxes as a lethal finisher comfortable at playing down the wings or as a main striker.
The clinical Bees attacker has a mightily impressive eight goals from nine Premier League games this season, bettering Salah’s haul of seven in the process, and could now be ready for the step-up to Anfield after being on the Brentford books since 2019.
Far outperforming his xG for the campaign so far too, with only 3.79 xG accumulated despite bagging eight times, it does remain to be seen whether he could keep up this blistering form with the spotlight on him at a team competing for the top-flight title.
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Moreover, Liverpool might not feel a need to go after the Cameroonian forward with Cody Gakpo currently at their disposal, who has exploded into life in the last couple of games for Slot’s men, with the ex-PSV Eindhoven man firing home the winning goal last match versus Brighton and Hove Albion.
Liverpool's very own Mbeumo
Gakpo stepped up to the mark last time out to justify Slot’s faith in selecting him down the left wing in place of Luis Diaz, as the 25-year-old became the hero his team craved to score the winner against the Seagulls late on.
Although that was the Dutchman’s first goal of the top-flight season, in contrast to Mbeumo’s far heftier eight, there are many similarities between Gakpo and Mbeumo with the pairing listed as ‘similar players’ according to FBRef in last season’s Premier League.
Games played
35
25
Goals scored
8
9
Assists
5
6
Total shots*
3.60
2.30
Shot-creating actions*
3.98
3.77
Progressive passes*
4.53
4.04
Progressive carries*
2.35
3.40
Successful take-ons*
1.69
1.19
Touches in attacking penalty area*
5.84
5.10
Progressive passes received*
7.10
8.95
Looking at the table above, both the Reds attacker and the Bees forward put in very similar numbers for their respective sides in league action, but Gakpo did beat his counterpart in many areas including the number of shots and shot-creating actions registered per 90 minutes, on top of successful take-ons when darting forward for his side.
Once labelled as “unstoppable” when starring for the Netherlands by football statistician Statman Dave, plenty more will be expected of Gakpo this season, with Slot no doubt wanting the 25-year-old to be a rip-roaring success as they also share a nationality.
Fingers will be crossed on Merseyside that Gakpo can turn into an unbelievable talent for Liverpool, after showing flickers of his top quality since making the move to England from PSV in 2022.
If he does just that, and reaches new heights as a focal point in attack, purchasing new blood in the form of Mbeumo will no longer feel necessary.
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