Darwin Nunez is no clinical finisher – Arsenal already have enough players that are nervous in front of goal.
That’s the view of ex-Watford striker Troy Deeney, who still believes the 25-year-old has what is takes to succeed at Liverpool.
Now in his third season at Anfield since joining from Benfica in 2022 in a deal rising to £85million, Nunez has struggled for consistency.
He has scored 39 goals in 131 games in all competitions, but is yet to score more than 11 in a single Premier League season.
From his 86 top-flight appearances, he has missed a whopping 51 big chances – the latest being away at Aston Villa in the thrilling 2-2 draw.
The Uruguay international has come under intense criticism after missing an open goal from six yards – failing to get his effort on target.
With many Reds fans starting to become frustrated by their leading man, it has led to questions as to whether he could be moved in this summer.
And with Arsenal in the market for a new centre-forward, pundits have speculated whether they could turn their attention to Nunez.
But Deeney has insisted the Gunners, who were toothless in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to West Ham, have to bring in a proven goal machine instead.
Pressed as to whether a move to Arsenal would work for both parties, Deeney told talkSPORT.com: “No. I don’t see that.
“Because what Arsenal need is a killer, somebody like [Alexander] Isak or [Erling] Haaland, because you need somebody on the end of it.
“I’ve worked on so many Arsenal games [for talkSPORT commentary] this season.
“When [Gabriel] Martinelli goes through, or Raheem [Stering] and even [Kai] Havertz, there’s never a feeling of, ‘Goal’.
“It’s always like you’re on the edge of your seat, you’re not sure [if they will score].
“And I think Arsenal just need that killer.
“And I don’t believe he’s [Nunez] that killer at this moment in time.”
While Deeney is of the belief that Nunez doesn’t improve Arsenal, he maintains that he still has a future in Merseyside and must be kept on beyond the summer – insisting he is the perfect teammate.
Asked whether Liverpool should keep Nunez for at least another season, the 36-year-old remarked: “It all depends on what do you want from him?
AlamyNunez hasn’t scored since his double away at Brentford on January 18[/caption]
“Are you expecting him to be a 25-30 goal-a-season [striker]? If that’s the case then absolutely [he should be sold], I can’t defend him in that route.
“But I’m saying as a teammate, he works hard, he does everything for the team, his link-up play is decent, he just misses big chances.
“And if you’re looking at the landscape of number nine’s, purely No. 9s at the moment, how many of them are there that are real goalscorers?
“Not many anymore, everyone does a little bit of everything, I just think you’ve got to work with him.
“And all you’ve got to work on with him is his finishing and his mental approach to it, in terms of when you miss a shot, don’t worry you can do it again.
“He’s just had a bit of a stinker of a year, he keeps missing big chances, but he’s popped up with big goals.”
Nunez hasn’t found the back of the net since his late heroics away at Brentford on January 18 where his double secured a crucial 2-0 victory.
And he will be gunning to return to form in Sunday’s clash away at Manchester City on Sunday as Liverpool look to tighten their grip on the Premier League title.
Arsenal could have cut their lead to five points should they have emerged victorious over the Hammers.
But the Reds can now go 11 points clear at the top should they win at the Etihad in the top-flight for the first time since 2019.
