RONALD KOEMAN reckons Cody Gakpo signed for the WRONG club at the WRONG time – and the stats back him up.
Gakpo joined Liverpool from PSV for an initial £37million last month after they pipped Manchester United to his signing.
But the Dutch forward, 23, has failed to score a goal or deliver an assist in his six appearances so far for Klopp’s faltering side.
Of those matches, the Reds have won just ONE.
Before his arrival, Gakpo hit 13 goals in 24 games for PSV with 17 assists, along with three at the World Cup for Holland.
But at Liverpool he is averaging just four touches per game in the opposition box.
Ex-Everton boss Koeman, now back in charge of Holland, said: “You can see that he has ended up in a team that is not doing well. Then it becomes more difficult for him, as a new signing.
“You are tested right away and if you don’t score or you’re not important and you don’t win any matches, it’s very difficult, especially for a young player.
“If that was someone aged 28 with experience, it would be different.
“Also, the level in England is higher than in the Netherlands but they are also young boys.”
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Koeman’s comments are bound to rile Jurgen Klopp, facing his first crisis in seven and a half years at Anfield.
Klopp was forced to fast-track Gakpo into the side because of injuries to fellow frontmen Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino.
Yet the striker could have been working alongside Erik ten Hag, with his fellow countryman reigniting United as a force.
Gakpo is understood to have agreed personal terms months before Klopp ambushed the move.
And PSV boss Ruud van Nistelrooy has since blasted his former star for not waiting until summer for the Red Devils.
But Gakpo explained: “I had another style of playing back in Holland so in terms of putting pressure on and running back, I’m learning about that.
“I’m learning a lot and I’m eager to learn even more, so I’m really enjoying it.
“Everybody has a lot of quality here and we have a really great squad. I want to play with and against the best players as this is only good for my game, to improve as a player.
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“It’s always different when you come into a team that was maybe first and winning every game but it’s now in a little bit of a difficult situation.
“So for me it is to come in and show what I can do. If we were in first I have to do that and now we are in another place, I have to do that also — I just try to show my best side.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
