- Nunez joined Liverpool in the summer of 2022 but has struggled for form since
- Klopp won the disagreement with the recruitment team and signed the forward
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Liverpool‘s recruitment team would have preferred to sign a different Premier League star ahead of Darwin Nunez two years ago, according to a report.
Nunez joined Liverpool from Benfica in the summer of 2022 in a deal worth £85million, but has struggled to live up to the expectations he arrived with so far.
The Uruguayan has netted 33 times in 92 appearances in his Reds career so far, but has been criticised for his finishing in recent times, with his lack of cutting edge in front of goal on show again on Wednesday in his side’s 2-0 loss to rivals Everton.
He missed a guilt-edge chance in the first half of the game, firing straight at Jordan Pickford with the score at 1-0 in the game.
According to The Times, Liverpool’s recruitment team weren’t keen on signing Nunez when he joined the club, but Jurgen Klopp managed to persuade the club to move for his services instead of Chelsea‘s Christopher Nkunku.
Jurgen Klopp (right) disagreed with Liverpool’s recruitment team over the signing of Darwin Nunez two years ago
The forward has struggled for form in front of goal and missed a good chance against Everton on Wednesday evening
Klopp wanted to sign the £85million Nunez, with the recruitment team eyeing up a different Premier League star
Nkunku joined Chelsea for £53m in the summer, and there were high hopes for his performances before he picked up a serious injury in pre-season.
That kept him out for around three months, but he has been dealing with hip and hamstring injuries since and could miss the remainder of the season with the Blues.
Prior to his issues, however, he was a lethal forward lighting up the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig and on the radar of most of Europe’s top teams.
That included Liverpool, with the recruitment team identifying him as the long-term Roberto Firmino replacement a year for the Brazilian’s departure.
He scored a total of 70 goals in 172 appearances for…