UNEXPECTED: £140k-a-Week Liverpool Star Needs to Find a New Club in January

After being offered just three minutes of game time in Liverpool’s clash with Tottenham, Darwin Nunez’s future in Merseyside is uncertain, and he must look to depart for more consistent opportunities next month.

The Uruguayan has endured a largely unstable three-season stretch since joining Liverpool in the summer of 2022 for a club-record transfer package worth up to £85 million. Despite delivering some decent goal tallies in that period, Nunez has often been criticized for his efficiency and ruthlessness in front of goal, or lack of rather. Under Arne Slot this season, he has evidently fallen down the pecking order in the centre-forward position, with Luis Diaz recently leading the line instead. With opportunities limited, it seems Nunez’s Liverpool tenure is going stale, and he would be wise to consider a move away from the Reds soon.

Nunez Gradually Falling Out of Favor at Liverpool

Slot only offered the 25-year-old a three-minute cameo against Spurs

In 22 appearances across all competitions, Nunez has managed to notch just four goals and three assists. With just six starts in the league, Slot is clearly yet to be convinced by the forward, and the Dutch custodian has instead looked towards alternatives. Diogo Jota is the other striker in the squad, and the statistics suggest the Portugal international is more clinical in front of goal, but fitness concerns have often marred his progress.

Darwin Nunez’s 2024/25 Premier League statistics

Appearances

12

Minutes played

645

Goals

2

Assists

2

Shots on target per 90

0.97

Key passes per 90

0.83

Recently, Slot has launched a new experiment with Luis Diaz as a striker, an idea which has paid dividends thus far. The Colombian netted a brace at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, which will only further damage Nunez’s chances of breaking into the first-team again. Earlier in November, when Jota’s injury first surfaced, it was thought that this would pose an opportunity for Nunez to prove his abilities in the striker role, but it seems Diaz has beat him to it.

With opportunities sparse at Anfield, Nunez, who earns £140k-a-week, should instead look to switch clubs if he is serious about garnering more game time for his development, and he likely won’t be short of suitors either. Reports last summer linked the striker’s name to Premier League rivals, Arsenal, and Spanish behemoths, Real Madrid, indicating that there could be plenty of prospects for the 25-year-old, were he to depart for greener pastures