Cody Gakpo: A Star for Netherlands, A Question Mark for Liverpool

Cody Gakpo had just torn through Sweden with two more World Cup goals when the question came. How does his role with the Netherlands compare to the one he has at Liverpool?

“A good question. Obviously it's a little bit different,” he replied. Then came the telling line. “It's different where the coach wants me to be, the freedom that I have,” he added, before stopping himself.

He didn’t need to say more. The contrast is already being drawn for him – by Liverpool’s transfer business as much as by his own performances.

A star for country, a question mark for club

Gakpo’s week has been a study in conflicting signals. On the one hand, he is the Netherlands’ spearhead, a trusted match-winner with a World Cup record that now stands at five goals in seven games. Against Sweden he showed the full range: a poacher’s finish at the back post, then the trademark move – glide in off the left and whip a right-footed shot home.

Those goals pushed him to 23 in 52 caps since his debut five years ago. Inside the Dutch camp, he is more than just a scorer. He is a leader of faith too.

“Cody is our pastor – he leads the prayers,” said Crysencio Summerville.

Virgil van Dijk, captain for both club and country, hardly needed persuading.

“He is an outstanding footballer,” Van Dijk said after the 5-1 win over Sweden. “He works so hard for the team, he's disciplined and his quality stands out – his crosses, his assists, his goals.”

For the Netherlands, Gakpo is central. Indispensable. At Liverpool, the picture is more complicated.

Liverpool reload the left

While Gakpo was lighting up the World Cup, Liverpool were busy signing another left-sided winger. Victor Munoz arrived from Osasuna for £34.5m, a direct addition in the very area Gakpo prefers to occupy.

At the same time, the club have pushed ahead with a move for Yan Diomande, the highly rated 19-year-old at RB Leipzig, with a proposed £86m package on the table. Diomande can play on either flank. Again, that territory overlaps with Gakpo’s.

All this comes in a summer when Liverpool are reshaping their attack after Mohamed Salah’s departure. At least one more forward is expected to come through the door. The pursuit of Diomande is gathering pace. Talented teenager Rio Ngumoha is due more minutes. Florian Wirtz, who spent spells off the left last season and is currently playing there for Germany at the World Cup, remains another option in that zone.

Suddenly, the left side looks crowded. And the question is obvious: where does that leave Cody Gakpo?

From title catalyst to crossroads

Under Arne Slot in the 2024-25 title-winning season, Gakpo looked like a pillar of Liverpool’s future. He finished with 18 goals and seven assists in 49 games across all competitions, numbers that underpinned a long-term deal at Anfield last summer. By all accounts, he was delighted to sign it.

The follow-up campaign told a different story. Liverpool laboured, and so did he. Despite playing three more matches, Gakpo’s return dropped to nine goals and six assists. He was far from the only player below his best, but he will know that those figures do not match the standards of a leading forward in a side with Liverpool’s ambitions.

His preferred station is that left channel, but 2025-26 exposed a flaw: his link-up with Milos Kerkez. The pair struggled at times to make the most of Kerkez’s aggressive overlapping runs. The timing was off, the angles not quite right. As the season wore on, their understanding improved, but it still felt like a partnership in development rather than a finished weapon.

Now Kerkez is back under his former Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, who has taken charge at Anfield. The expectation is clear: Kerkez’s game should kick on quickly. That, in turn, could transform the left flank.

And it could be exactly what Gakpo needs.

Still trusted, still versatile – but no longer untouchable

Strip away the noise and Liverpool’s view of Gakpo remains broadly positive. With 50 goals in 180 appearances, he is only the second Dutchman after Dirk Kuyt to reach a half-century for the club. When fit, he has usually been first choice.

Inside Anfield, they still see a proven Premier League attacker who can play in multiple roles. That flexibility matters even more with Hugo Ekitike facing a lengthy absence, potentially until 2027, after rupturing his Achilles. Gakpo’s ability to operate centrally offers Iraola a valuable option as he redesigns the forward line.

The real hinge point may be Wirtz. If Iraola decides the German is best used off the left, the squeeze on Gakpo tightens. If Wirtz is moved inside or to the right, a clearer lane opens up.

Competition, of course, has brought out the best in Gakpo before. When Luis Diaz was at Liverpool and the left side was heavily contested, Gakpo often rose to the challenge. The presence of Munoz, Diomande and an emerging Ngumoha could have a similar effect.

Yet, for the first time since he arrived from PSV Eindhoven in December 2022 for an initial £35m, a departure no longer feels unthinkable. Several clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur, are monitoring his situation. Any deal would not come cheap. Liverpool would expect upwards of £60m – a sizeable profit and a serious decision.

World Cup form, transfer tension

Gakpo’s performances at this World Cup have not just reminded the Netherlands of his importance; they have also sharpened the debate back on Merseyside.

His brace against Sweden, in a game where Liverpool team-mate Alexander Isak failed to score, underlined the contrast. One forward struggling to find his feet in his debut season at Anfield. Another delivering again on the biggest international stage.

Isak is not alone. Wirtz also endured a testing first year at Liverpool. Their relative struggles serve as a warning to anyone assuming that new signings will instantly eclipse an established player like Gakpo. The adaptation curve is real, and it can be steep.

For now, Gakpo has parked all of that. His focus is on the Netherlands, on leading a unified squad in which his influence off the pitch matches his threat on it. Liverpool can wait.

They might not want to wait too long. If he keeps scoring like this, the tug-of-war over Cody Gakpo’s future – between a club reshaping its attack and a forward proving, again, that he belongs at the very top – will only grow more intense as the summer unfolds.