{"id":1478145,"date":"2026-08-11T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1478145"},"modified":"2026-08-11T08:54:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T07:54:43","slug":"tactical-analysis-tottenham-liverpool-cody-gakpo","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-tottenham-liverpool-cody-gakpo\/","title":{"rendered":"Tottenham&#8217;s Cody Gakpo transfer interest explained: Why Roberto De Zerbi wants the Liverpool forward"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/tottenham-hotspur\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tottenham Hotspur<\/a> need to act. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/premier-league\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Premier League<\/a> season kicks off in less than two weeks<\/strong>,<strong> but Spurs are yet to strengthen in attack.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spurs fans were treated to a \u2018bomba\u2019 or two earlier in the window. The north London side beat <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/manchester-united\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Manchester United<\/a> to the signing of Mateus Fernandes. The Portuguese star was their club-record signing for a few days before Sandro Tonali completed his monster-move to the capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They have brought in Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/brighton-hove-albion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Brighton and Hove Albion<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/liverpool\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Liverpool<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/afc-bournemouth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bournemouth<\/a>, respectively. Martin Dubravka joined as backup for Antonin Kinsky, who recently penned a new contract. Pedro Porro also extended his deal prior to winning the 2026 World Cup, while Micky van de Ven is set to follow suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, the defence and midfield are covered. Yet with a little over a month until the summer window closes, the forward line has been neglected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>In this article, we&#8217;ll cover:<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-tottenham-keen-on-gakpo\" data-level=\"2\">Tottenham keen on Gakpo<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-versatility-key\" data-level=\"2\">Versatility key<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-gakpo-s-effective-linkup-play\" data-level=\"2\">Gakpo&#8217;s effective linkup play<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-tottenham-keen-on-gakpo\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tottenham keen on Gakpo<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, it could be that Tottenham are making moves behind the scenes. Operating in the shadows to identify the right player to take Spurs to the next level. One thing\u2019s for sure &#8211; it won\u2019t be the ongoing pursuit of Cody Gakpo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Dutchman has emerged as a top target for head coach Roberto De Zerbi. Liverpool won\u2019t let the Netherlands international leave on the cheap, of course. This comes despite the signing of Victor Munoz, the impending arrival of Bradley Barcola combined with Gakpo\u2019s sub-par season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gakpo managed 12 direct goal involvements in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/premier-league\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Premier League<\/a> last season, scoring seven times. It wasn\u2019t a great return for Liverpool in their direct title defence. Then again, few at Anfield <em>really<\/em> covered themselves in glory in Arne Slot\u2019s second, and final, season on Merseyside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, Gakpo was asked to play a similar role to Luis Diaz from the left. It didn\u2019t suit the 27-year-old\u2019s style. The former PSV forward may be quick off the mark, but he can\u2019t sustain that level in the same mould as his ex-Colombian teammate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-versatility-key\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Versatility key<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then again, Gakpo is a multi-faceted forward who is capable of carrying out multiple roles on the frontline. Andoni Iraola is a fan of these versatile operators. The Spaniard turned Antoine Semenyo into one of the Premier League\u2019s best forwards. Granted, both Gakpo and Semenyo are different profiles entirely, but you get the point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s this ability to play a handful of roles that appeals to De Zerbi. The Italian favours a 4-2-3-1 setup. He wants his wingers to cut inside and his full-backs to overlap. What\u2019s more, he wants his leading striker to do more than put the ball in the back of the net. Rather, the forward is there to also link up with teammates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Danny Welbeck worked well under De Zerbi. Mason Greenwood did, too, at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/olympique-marseille\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Marseille<\/a>, for the reason they do more than come alive inside the opposition box. It\u2019s for that reason that De Zerbi has shown an interest in Gakpo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Liverpool man is a highly technical operator who works well in tight areas. He\u2019s not going to surge down the flanks in the same vein as Diaz or potential new Tottenham teammate Mohammed Kudus. Rather, he\u2019s better suited in the thick of the action, maximising his commendable close control to help hold off markers and bring others into play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-gakpo-s-effective-linkup-play\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gakpo&#8217;s effective linkup play<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The willingness to drop deeper drags a defender out of position, opening up space for the wingers to exploit. Considering De Zerbi\u2019s desire to have the wideman cut infield, Gakpo\u2019s style suits the Italian\u2019s demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Factor in Gakpo\u2019s efforts to provide for teammates, and the interest in the Reds man is understandable. Indeed, Gakpo created a respectable 1.8 chances per 90 minutes in the Premier League last season. Only Florian Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah fared better for Liverpool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Compared to De Zerbi\u2019s current striker options, Richarlison and Dominic Solanke, Gakpo also ranked higher for touches in the opposition box per 90 (6.2). Admittedly, Gakpo played in a more forward-thinking Liverpool side. Richarlison and Solanke, for the most part, featured under the reactive Thomas Frank.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class='vccm vccm-compare'data-compare=\"ZRPB-wo4CMQLX9dtPgT5_\" data-show-sponsor=\"false\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even so, Gakpo performed better despite featuring predominately from the left flank. On the face of it, interest in Gakpo hardly sets the pulses racing. Links with Omar Marmoush and Victor Osimhen are more appealing to supporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, Gakpo is a multi-positional forward who can not only operate from the left and up front, but as a second striker and in the number 10 role. The ability to play as a nine-and-a-half is precisely why De Zerbi is keen on the Liverpool man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Factor in his defensive value, and the reasoning behind Tottenham\u2019s interest in Gakpo is sound. If Tottenham and Liverpool can agree a fee for the Dutchman, then he\u2019ll be a handy pick up by De Zerbi\u2019s. Most importantly, he\u2019ll be an upgrade on the current attacking options at the 47-year-old\u2019s disposal.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football betting tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tottenham Hotspur need to act. The Premier League season kicks off in less than two weeks, but Spurs are yet to strengthen in attack. Spurs fans were treated to a \u2018bomba\u2019 or two earlier in the window. The north London side beat Manchester United to the signing of Mateus Fernandes. The Portuguese star was their&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3564,"featured_media":1478153,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Cody Gakpo","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Spurs are targeting Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo, with De Zerbi keen on his versatility, creativity and ability to play across the attack.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1478145","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Tottenham&#039;s Cody Gakpo transfer interest explained: Why Roberto De Zerbi wants the Liverpool forward | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Spurs are targeting Liverpool 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Cody Gakpo of Liverpool (R) is challenged by Lamine Camara of Monaco during the Liverpool vs AS Monaco Pre Season Friendly match at Anfield, Liverpool. 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