The story of Chelsea successfully beating Liverpool to the punch to secure two players last summer is well documented, with both Moisés Caicedo and Roméo Lavia ending up at Stamford Bridge rather than Anfield.
Far less heralded, however, is how the London club endured a spot of transfer frustration of their own during that same window at the hands of their rivals.
There was speculation within the football industry that Liverpool were considering offloading Darwin Núñez after only one entertaining, if inefficient, season. The gossip suggested that the club were mulling over a loan-swap deal for João Félix, who was still at Atletico Madrid at the time. The noise made it to Paul Winstanley, Chelsea’s co-sporting director.
Winstanley was a long-term admirer of Núñez, having first run checks on the striker during his time at Brighton & Hove Albion, when he featured at the top of their data charts. The sporting director would not have been doing his job, therefore, had he not checked out the validity of the suggestion that the Uruguay striker was being made available.
As it turned out, the rumour was wrong: Liverpool did not entertain the inquiry and the rest, as they say, is history.
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That much of the worry this week on Merseyside, in readiness for Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Mauricio Pochettino’s side, has focused on the fitness of Núñez, and whether the muscle issue he felt after scoring a sumptuous goal against Brentford on Saturday will preclude his involvement at Wembley, speaks volumes.
He is one of the players being assessed “day by day”, having missed Wednesday’s 4-1 victory against Luton Town. The problem could not have come at a more inopportune moment given the 24-year-old is in his joint-best run of form at Liverpool, with five goals and three assists in eight appearances.
The most recent of his goals, a chip over Brentford’s Mark Flekken, was so audacious that it prompted Michael Owen to post on social media that the forward should be looking to make life easier for himself.
Yet the moment reflects Núñez’s confidence, and his statistics this season justify Jürgen Klopp’s commitment to polishing the rough edges that mean he is far from a robotic destroyer, as Erling Haaland is, but that, equally, keep you on the edge of your seat in a way the Manchester City man does not always do.
There has been a clear improvement that will serve Liverpool well regardless of whether he is back at the weekend or not. Núñez has already equalled his Premier League goals tally for last season (nine), he has seven assists (compared with three) and is creating more chances and winning more possession in the final third, which is important given Klopp said at the end of the last campaign that defending was a “ticket” into the team.
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His “big chance” conversion rate is down but the backing he has received from the coaching staff, his team-mates and supporters means he is in an environment in which his talent can grow.
It is intriguing to think what might have happened with Núñez at Chelsea given they were already committed to the signing of Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig for about £52 million. Nicolas Jackson also arrived, from Villarreal for £32 million, on July 1.
Nkunku, the France forward, was a player who had attracted interest from Liverpool and his statistics in the 2021-22 season at Leipzig serve as an interesting comparison with the numbers Núñez was posting in his final year at Benfica before a £75 million switch to Anfield. Nkunku scored 20 and contributed 13 assists for Leipzig on the way to being named Bundesliga player of the season, while Núñez managed 26 goals for Benfica, and four assists.
Touches in the opposition box — Nkunku 218, Núñez 203 — were strikingly similar, as were total shots, 82 versus 85. Nkunku’s versatility was shown by the fact that he played in six different positions for Leipzig (centre forward, second striker, left wing, right wing, attacking midfield, right midfield) and he created twice as many chances for team-mates as Núñez (64 against 30), having played about 750 more minutes.
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They were both attuned to the defensive demands of the game. Nkunku’s statistics were more impressive, with possession won in 34 appearances standing at a whopping 103.
Chelsea were well ahead on Nkunku, who agreed a pre-contract with them in October 2022 to join the following summer, plus Klopp and his assistant, Pepijn Lijnders, were never entirely sold on him.
Still, Liverpool would have admired the close control shown by Nkunku as he pirouetted away from Alexis Mac Allister and Virgil van Dijk before finding the corner of the net with a left-foot shot despite attention from Ibrahima Konaté in last month’s Premier League game at Anfield.
By the time that the 26-year-old — who missed the first four months of the season with a knee injury — struck, Chelsea were trailing 3-0. They went on to lose 4-1.
Although not on the scoresheet, Núñez wreaked havoc, hitting the post four times, including once from the penalty spot, though he did tee up Luis Díaz. His was a cameo which demonstrated that last summer was not all about Chelsea getting what they wanted at Liverpool’s expense.
Carabao Cup final
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Chelsea v Liverpool
Sunday, kick-off 3pm
TV Sky Sports Main Event
