Liverpool’s No 9 transfer options: Analysing Isak, Sesko, David and more

In mid-February, we invited requests from our subscribers for articles you might like to read on The Athletic as part of our latest Inspired By You series.

Gavin B. asked for a piece on Liverpool’s potential options for new No 9s.

So Andy Jones and Mark Carey took a look…

Liverpool’s No 9 problem has become a bigger talking point with every passing game this season.

For differing reasons Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota have failed to be the spearhead of head coach Arne Slot’s attack: Nunez has scored one goal in his last 13 matches while Jota is without a goal in his last 10.

It feels much longer than two months ago that the pair scored crucial goals in consecutive away matches to boost Liverpool’s title pursuit. Jota came off the bench to head in an equaliser against Nottingham Forest before Nunez netted twice in added time to seal a 2-0 win at Brentford, also as a substitute.

In both games, winger Luis Diaz led the line — maintaining a pattern of the Colombian being preferred as the No 9 due to Jota’s injury issues and Nunez’s inconsistency.

The latter was subject to interest from Saudi in January and a parting of ways may be best for all parties in the summer, while Jota’s injuries may now have caught up with him — although that fitness record also impacts his value.

A complete overhaul of the striker department would be radical, especially due to the ongoing contract situations around Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk potentially affecting budgets, and the fact that other areas of the squad need addressing in the summer.

But if Liverpool are in the market for a striker in the summer, then who and what profile should they be considering?

What does Slot want from a No 9?

At his former club, Feyenoord, Slot developed Santiago Gimenez, who has since moved to Milan, into a 20-goal-a-season striker. Below is the 23-year-old’s smarterscout profile for the 2023-24 season, playing under the Liverpool head coach.

Gimenez was the definition of a finisher. While he is capable of dropping in and linking the play for those ahead of him (providing eight assists in 2023-24), the instructions from his manager were clear — get in the box and shoot. He finished the campaign with 26 goals from 41 appearances.

Gimenez also worked hard out of possession (defending intensity; 67 out of 99) and scored highly in ball recoveries and interceptions (63 out of 99) for his team.

Work rate is a must, which helps explain Slot’s irritation at Nunez’s “behaviour” in substitute appearances against Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers in recent weeks.

On the ball, his comments in a news conference ahead of the FA Cup tie against Plymouth provide further insight. “In the end, the No 9 should be a facilitator, like a winger, but a winger and a No 9 should also score goals,“ Slot said.

A simple answer to why Liverpool’s No 9s have been unable to consistently produce is to point to Salah on the right wing and acknowledge that he is effectively the side’s No 9.

Slot has built a team to maximise Salah’s output and his numbers speak for themselves — 32 goals and 22 assists in 45 appearances in all competitions.

While not at the same level, Liverpool have also had plenty of production from left wing in Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz.

Creating primarily for the wide players was a Liverpool trait Slot observed in the early stages of the campaign and wanted to improve on. He recently suggested his side was beginning to create more for the striker.

“I think in general we used the No 9 better and better than we maybe did in the beginning of the season,” Slot said in February. “That is the positive of playing more games, training more together and having more meetings together. I think, in the beginning of the season, we were quite dependent on our wingers, but I see that we are starting to use our No 9 more and more in situations we have to use him.

“As a result of that, these players come in promising positions and they have just as much quality as our wingers. So, if you put Jota in a promising position or if Lucho (Diaz) plays there or Darwin, they will give you what we are all hoping for and that’s goals and assists.”

Recently, however, the eye test is not matching up to that assessment. Indeed, across the season Nunez and Jota’s attacking numbers have dropped compared to 2023-24.

Both players’ percentage of touches in central areas in the penalty box have increased which, logically, should translate to more output. However, they are both averaging fewer touches per 90 minutes and that is the case in the box, too. Nunez has dropped from 8.4 touches in the box to 5.6, while Jota’s decrease is smaller — 8.4 to 7.8.

Jota has seen a small decrease in some areas but he is shooting slightly more and generating a higher expected goals total per 90.

Notably, both are under-performing their expected goals — Jota by 1.2 xG and Nunez by 3.7 xG — but Liverpool’s shot map, when compared to their touches, shows that there is a lack of shots coming from central areas in the box.

Slot spoke very highly of Jota when he was returning to the team and the head coach may hope that this run of form is just a blip that can be forgotten the longer he stays fit.

Who should they be looking at?

Let’s start with the obvious – Alexander Isak. 

The Newcastle striker is set to be the most in-demand forward in Europe heading into the summer transfer window and the fee any side would have to pay to acquire him will reflect that. Liverpool like the player but would have to weigh up whether it is wise to prioritise an outlay well in excess of £100million ($129m) over addressing other areas of the squad. 

There is no doubt Isak is the complete package. He is the spearhead of Newcastle’s attack and provides a constant threat in the box (6.2 touches in the penalty area and three shots per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season), while also playing his part in build-up play. According to Fbref, the second and third most similar players who have played in the Premier League this season are Jota and Diaz, 

The chances of Liverpool being prepared to pay the kind of money it would need to secure Isak are remote, although that may change if Salah does not agree a new deal and leaves. In that case, Liverpool would surely have to over-index securing a player who could provide a similar level of goalscoring.

One player who has a similar profile to Gimenez, Slot’s former No 9 at Feyenoord, is RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko. The 21-year-old was subject to plenty of interest last summer, notably from Arsenal, but opted to stay in Germany. A move this summer looks more likely, with Leipzig having a gentleman’s agreement with the player that any offer over €70million would be enough to open talks. 

Sesko has 10 goals and five assists and is another who does his best work in the opposition penalty area while also linking play and being disruptive out of possession. His data does not jump off the page this season, but his potential, physique, age and goalscoring prowess are why he is sought after — which means other clubs will have had a head start on Liverpool.

Staying in Leipzig, Sesko’s striker partner Lois Openda is worthy of consideration. A return of eight goals and five assists this season is a marked drop-off from his previous two campaigns which saw him hit 20-plus league goals at Leipzig and Lens, but do not let that put you off.

In some ways, Openda is a hybrid of Nunez and Jota. He has the pace and direct running to stretch opposition back lines like the Uruguayan, while offering the poise and intelligent movement that Jota can provide in tight spaces. At 25 years old, Openda might not offer as much value in the market but the numbers speak for themselves — few players across Europe’s top four leagues have scored more than the Belgian international since the start of last season.

Openda does not have a release clause in his contract this summer but one does become active, for €80m, in the summer of 2026.

The wildcard to this discussion comes from the use of Diaz earlier in the campaign. His selection was partly forced due to Jota’s injury but the 28-year-old became part of Slot’s preferred front three midway through the campaign. It was an indication of the head coach’s ability to adapt his system to suit his players, while maintaining his core attacking principles.

Diaz was effective in a number of games at the end of 2024, but after the turn of the year it quickly became the opposite, with teams able to shut down his impact in central areas. 

Julian Alvarez is a name that has been linked to Liverpool in recent weeks. While Atletico have said he was not for sale since those rumours emerged, his influence and 23 goals in 44 matches make him an attractive candidate. 

Julian Alvarez fits the profile of attacker Liverpool need (Javier Soriano / AFP via Getty Images)

Alvarez has the versatility to play across the front three and has experience of playing a deeper role or as part of a front two when alongside Erling Haaland at Manchester City. This season, he has led Atletico’s attack next to Antoine Griezmann. Head coach Diego Simeone has occasionally used that duo almost as two false nines. Slot’s Liverpool looked similar when using Diaz. 

Arguably the biggest positive about Jonathan David is the fact he is a free agent in the summer. While a substantial signing-on fee would be required, the 25-year-old would provide a cheaper alternative to some of the other candidates. 

What stands out most about David is his unpredictability to shoot with either foot. Much like Jota, you cannot pin him to one side in particular — helping the Canadian international to pull the trigger no matter the situation.

“If you want to be a top striker, you have to be able to shoot and be very good with both feet so players can’t anticipate what foot you’re going to use,” David said in 2023. “So that’s why I’ve worked on both feet. I’d say my left foot is pretty good but I think I can still get better.”

Matheus Cunha demonstrated his talent at Anfield with a fine goal in the 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Brazilian has shown throughout the campaign that he could easily be playing for a team nearer the top of the table. 

While a lot of Wolves’ attacking real estate is funnelled towards Cunha, he does have the perfect skill set to act as a false nine within the right system. Dropping into pockets between the lines, feeding others ahead of him while offering a goalscoring threat himself — sound familiar? Liverpool fans will not need reminding of the last time they saw a Brazilian perform such actions from a centre-forward position in a red shirt.

If Salah were to stay, then a central forward who could stitch the attack together and find runners ahead of him might mean that Cunha should be worthy of more attention. His disciplinary record, however, is likely to work against him. 

The key word is multifunctional. Goalscoring is a must, but whoever Liverpool decide to target — should they need to replace any outgoing — needs more to their game than just a finishing instinct.

(Top photos: Alexander Isak, Benjamin Sesko, Lois Openda; Getty Images)