Assessing Liverpool’s Potential Number Nine Options | OneFootball

By Joe Durrans

Despite Liverpool flying high in their first season under Arne Slot, there is one glaringly obvious missing piece: the striker.

Arne Slot has always played with a focal point in his team, which is renowned for its goal-scoring. The difference with Liverpool is that they have Mo Salah, who scores and creates goals; however, age is not on his side, so there is definitely a need for a new centre-forward.

At Feyenoord, the Dutch manager had Santiago Gimenez as his striker, a very well-rounded player. For Slot’s Feyenoord side, the Mexican only lost 1 defensive challenge per 4 games, which displays his intensity and work rate. This compares to Darwin Nunez and his famed tenacity; however, the difference is the fact that Gimenez is in the 93rd percentile of non-penalty goals, whereas Nunez is in the 43rd percentile. This shows that Slot is in need of a clinical ‘bagsman’ to take this Liverpool team to the next level. The Mexican forward ranks quite low among forwards when it comes to involvement in the creation and general play, which would be why he was so successful in Slot’s system: he was able to be the man who was there to finish off the moves.

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A man who compares very similarly to Gimenez is Mateo Retegui from Atalanta. The Italian forward has reached 30 goals and assists in 39 games this season in his second season in Serie A. The vast majority of his shots happen from inside the box, particularly in and around the six-yard box. This will allow Liverpool to push teams deeper and cause the centre-backs more issues. The Italian forward has a total xG of 16.79 and 0.93 expected goals per 90 from an average of 4 shots per game. He holds a very high xG rate per shot since all his goals were scored from close range, which would benefit Slot and Liverpool as it would free space up for Salah and allow for the box-crashing midfielders like Szoboszlai to create more chances. Retegui has an immense work rate, with his touch map covering the entirety of the opposition half and still maintaining more than 10 touches in the opposition box per 90, which would allow Liverpool to be more fluid and interchangeable. However, this could still hold the same issue that they have with Nunez: the striker would veer away from the centre. He has been very clinical this season, scoring 3 non-penalty goals from an xG of 2.92. Retegui is a player who is not afraid of linking up with his teammates and getting in front of a defender. He is known for short passes and playing pass-and-move football, and he is a very quick player who definitely utilises all of his assets to a good level.

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Next up is a more familiar name Liam Delap. The Englishman burst into the Premier League this season, taking many by surprise. The Ipswich forward is a traditional number 9, with strong hold-up play and relentless pressing. This would make him a good player for Slot, as it would allow him to bring his teammates into the game more frequently, whilst also maintaining the high-intensity football they love to play. He really comes into his own in transitions, which is a massive part of Arne Slot’s system. He loves to use his physicality and pace to outpace centre-backs under pressure and stretch defences. However, the most important attribute of all is that the young striker is clinical. In his first top-flight season, he has managed to get 10 goals from an xG of 10, highlighting that he plays for a team that has been battling relegation and struggles to create chances. Delap seems like a more similar profile to Santiago Gimenez than Retegui. This would allow Slot to use him as the man to hold the line whilst also preventing the sides from playing out from the back by using his incredible work rate. The only thing that would potentially set him apart from a Slot team is that his technical ability at times is not always as swift and neat as it would need to be. He is often seen slowing down attacks to integrate teammates rather than playing quick football to keep the move going.

Hugo Ekitike is the next man to be tested against Slot’s system. The young centre-forward was lauded as one of the most promising attackers in France when he broke through at Reims in 2021/22. The Frenchman made his big move to PSG, but sadly for him, he could not manage to escape the shadow of Kylian Mbappe, which has inevitably led to him ending up at Frankfurt this season. Ekitike has the weakest finishing stats so far, racking up 13 goals from a total xG of 18.14. However, what he lacks in finishing, he makes up for in his general play. The 22-year-old is always involved in the build-up to goals, averaging 23 passes per 90, which places him in the 75th percentile for attackers. He also ranks in the 90th percentile or higher for progressive carries, successful take-ons, touches in the opposition box, and progressive passes. The Frenchman would bring something to this Liverpool side that they don’t have right now up front: comfortability in possession. His impeccable ball control and quick decision-making allow him to negotiate his way out of tight spaces and keep attacks flowing. He has also displayed his ability to function in a fluid front three at both PSG and Frankfurt. This is because at times Mbappe would drift off the left into central areas, which would mean Ekitike would have to drop deeper or wider to ensure that moves keep ticking over. This would work brilliantly with Luis Diaz’s darting runs and Salah’s underlaps. Therefore, Ekitike would be a great option for the Reds as he is a player who makes his teammates better. However, there is obviously a slight downside to his £80 million transfer value.

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Finally, we have Benjamin Sesko, the man that Arsenal have been chasing for two seasons, and now Liverpool are emerging as a possible target. The Slovenian centre forward stands at 6’4” and has been compared to Haaland’s time at Dortmund by many in Germany. He is a very raw talent who negotiates chances extremely well and is an absolute killer in front of goal. He has managed to outperform his xG this season, scoring 10 goals from an expected 7.2. He is a player who will definitely be able to cope with the physical demands of the Premier League, as the 21-year-old has defenders in the Bundesliga scrambling to deal with his mammoth stature in the front line. This is also by far the riskiest signing of the lot since he very rarely gets involved with the build-up play, which would essentially mean Slot’s team would be a man down until they reached the final third. This doesn’t exactly help when they are such a fluid team in transition. The Slovenian only averages a 66.3% pass completion rate per 90, which could label him as a liability in this Liverpool team, as the speed of these wingers requires the ball to be accurate and played early. However, creativity does not seem to be part of Sesko’s game. It is not all negative because if the aim is to directly upgrade Darwin Nunez, the Leipzig forward could work. This is because his pressing and defensive attributes directly transfer to that of the Uruguayan, with the added bonus of him being an absolute killer in front of goal as well.