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Gakpo to Liverpool thanks to Van Dijk's advice

After joining Liverpool on December 28, striker Cody Gakpo revealed that he had talked to and received advice from his compatriot Virgil van Dijk.
Christian Steward
By: Christian Steward

"We spoke a lot over the phone in the last days," Gakpo told Liverpool's official website. "What he told me was that this is the right move for me to make and for me to develop and to become a better player, that the club is a really big and massive club but also like a real family – I think that's also very important for me because I'm a family guy. He said only good things."

Gakpo and Van Dijk at AXA Training Center.

Gakpo claimed that Van Dijk, a 31-year-old defender who serves as the captain of the Netherlands squad, had a significant impact on his choice to sign with Liverpool. The pair started all five of the Netherlands' games at the 2022 World Cup, including three of the tournament's group games, a 3-1 victory over the US in the round of 16 and a 1-0 loss to Argentina in the quarterfinal on penalties. "Van Dijk is our captain, he's a great personality, he's a great player. What I said, he can help me a lot with some stuff. But the club itself is also a really big club and [it's a] really nice achievement for me personally that there was interest from the club and, at the end, that I'm here." Gakpo added.

Van Dijk was one of the main factors in Gakpo's transfer.

From the summer of 2022 on, Gakpo is the top target of coach Erik ten Hag, who was also impressed with his performance at the 2022 World Cup. Liverpool, though, has stepped up the negotiations to secure Gakpo's services. After three consecutive days of negotiations, Liverpool sporting director Julian Ward completed a deal with PSV on December 26. Gakpo joined his new team at the AXA Training Center two days after agreeing to personal conditions and passing the medical examination. His contract with Liverpool will be valid until the summer of 2028.

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Anfield owner must pay a $ 45 million transfer fee plus an additional $ 15 million fee in order to sign Gakpo. With a total cost of $60 million, Gakpo is the most expensive player that PSV has ever sold.

Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, and Roberto Firmino were all highly rated members of Liverpool's offensive line prior to the arrival of Gakpo. However, the 23-year-old striker is not afraid to compete for positions, is eager to work with Salah and coach Jurgen Klopp, and considers Liverpool to be a great destination.

Gakpo is a quality player to strengthen Liverpool's attack.

When asked about his ambitions at his new club, Liverpool, Gakpo said “Obviously to win as many prizes as we can as a team, to perform well, to show the world what we can do as a team and what I can do as a player. And personally, just to keep developing and become a better player every season.”

Gakpo also met and hugged coach Klopp on December 28. The German coach thinks that the recruitment of Gakpo is good news and can help Liverpool attack after the long-term injuries of Diaz and Jota. He also said that Liverpool had made a strong impression when following Gakpo for a long time, and he believed that the Dutch striker had a "really bright future with the club."

"There's a lot to like about Gakpo," Klopp said of the new signing. "He was the captain of PSV, he was the Player of the Year in Holland last season and, as a lot of people have just seen, he also had a great World Cup with his national team.”

Coach Klopp is happy after successfully signing Gakpo.

“There is a lot to like about Cody. He is still only 23 years old but he already has a lot of experience. And he has the potential to become even better. Offensively, he is very versatile and on top of this we know he is a smart footballer and also a smart person, so we are really excited to be able to work with him."

Gakpo will officially become a Liverpool player when the transfer window opens on January 1, 2023, and can make his debut against Brentford in the Premier League on January 2 or against Wolves in the third round of the FA Cup on January 7.

Growing up in the PSV training academy, Gakpo made great progress last season when he scored 21 and assisted on 15 goals to help the home team finish second in the Dutch league, two points behind the champion Ajax. In the first 24 matches of the 2022-2023 season, Gakpo has scored 13 goals and provided 18 assists. In total, he has 55 goals and 50 assists in 159 games for PSV.

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Christian Steward
Written by: Christian Steward
Christian Steward is an Exclusive Reporter for Betimate with over 10 years of experience in conducting reseach and analyzing data in order to provide approriate statistics for Betimate's Board of Experts.

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