Emile Heskey tells Liverpool to ‘consider selling’ first-teamer with ‘significant market value’ | OneFootball

Emile Heskey has advised Liverpool to consider selling one of their regular starters from last season who’d boast a ‘significant market value’.

Earlier this summer, Fabrizio Romano claimed that Tottenham Hotspur had taken an interest in Cody Gakpo, who started 41 matches for the Reds in 2025/26 and played the sixth-most minutes of anyone in the squad (3,596).

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Lewis Steele later remarked that he’d be ‘surprised’ if the Dutch forward were to leave Anfield in this transfer window, although one former LFC striker believes the club should be willing to entertain offers for the 27-year-old.

Heskey: Liverpool should ‘consider selling’ Gakpo this summer

Speaking to 10bet (via Metro), Heskey implored Andoni Iraola to be pragmatic in his assessment of the squad that he’s inherited from Arne Slot and consider the financial benefits of cashing on a player who’s in his prime footballing years.

The 48-year-old said: “I would consider selling Cody if a decent offer was on the table. When you’re coming in as a new manager, you have to cold-headedly look at your assets. He is an asset who holds significant market value that you could cash in on to fund your own vision.”

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Selling Gakpo wouldn’t make sense for Liverpool

Even Gakpo’s most ardent backers would admit that he was nowhere near his best last season, with his goal output of nine down by 50% from the previous campaign, and his play in the final third was often lamented as ‘predictable‘.

Both Transfermarkt and Football Transfers cite his market value in the region of €60m (£51.3m), which’d back up Heskey’s argument about the Dutchman being a potentially lucrative asset on whom to cash in if Liverpool were that way inclined.

However, with Iraola openly stating that the Reds need to sign another winger, he’d surely be repulsed by the idea of selling one who’s basically been a fixture on the team sheet over the past few seasons.

Also, the new head coach would surely want to assess Gakpo in training before deciding how big of a part he’ll have to play at Anfield in 2026/27, and the forward is currently having some downtime after his involvement for Netherlands at the World Cup, in which he scored three goals.

We take Heskey’s point about Liverpool needing to take sentiment out of the equation when it comes to transfer decisions, but right now it’d make little sense to hang a ‘for sale’ sign on our number 18, who’ll hopefully come back from his well-earned break reinvigorated and ready to excel for the Reds again.