20-year-old forward told not to join Liverpool | OneFootball

Mika Godts to Liverpool? Valentijn Driessen’s Warning Puts Gakpo Comparison in Focus

Rising Talent Mika Godts Faces Big Decision

Transfer talk has a habit of inflating promise into inevitability, yet sometimes a young footballer’s greatest challenge is not the next club, but timing. Mika Godts, Ajax’s gifted winger and one of the most talked-about attacking prospects in Europe, has been linked with Liverpool in recent weeks. Predictably, excitement followed.

Yet, amid the speculation, Dutch journalist Valentijn Driessen has delivered a dose of realism. Speaking on his Kick-off podcast, Driessen urged caution for the Belgian forward, saying: “He’s Ajax’s best player right now… Where is his ceiling? Far above the Eredivisie, but he needs to make progress.”

It is advice born not of cynicism, but experience. Players who leap too quickly from nurturing environments into football’s harshest spotlight often find themselves swallowed whole. Godts, still only 20, must weigh ambition against development.

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Valentijn Driessen’s Warning Carries Weight

Driessen’s argument was blunt and rooted in current Liverpool realities. “You shouldn’t put him at Liverpool now. That won’t help. Cody Gakpo is struggling there, and you don’t need to put him in that position now. He’s not going to play much better than Gakpo.”

It is an uncomfortable truth. Liverpool, even in transition, remain one of Europe’s most demanding clubs. Competition is relentless, scrutiny unforgiving. Gakpo, a proven international with experience in the Eredivisie and World Cup football, has faced spells of inconsistency while adapting to English football’s pace and physicality.

For Mika Godts, stepping into that environment prematurely could stall progress. Talent alone is insufficient. Rhythm, minutes and patience are required. Ajax, historically Europe’s finishing school, offers all three.

Gakpo Comparison Reveals Liverpool Reality

Comparisons with Gakpo are inevitable. Both are left-sided attackers, both emerged from Dutch football, and both possess that combination of technique and direct running that Liverpool value. Yet context matters.

At a similar age, Gakpo had not amassed the same level of first-team exposure as Godts, who is nearing a century of appearances before turning 21. This season alone, Godts has produced 13 goals and 10 assists, impressive numbers for a player still learning his trade.

But statistics can flatter. None of those goals came in the Champions League, despite more than 500 minutes played. Against elite opposition, progress remains unfinished. Liverpool’s system, with its relentless pressing and positional demands, offers no shelter for half-formed potential.

Driessen’s comparison with Gakpo is not criticism of either player. It is a reminder that development curves differ, and that Liverpool is not a finishing school but an examination hall.

Path Forward for Mika Godts Beyond Anfield Links

There is a sensible path forward. A move to a top-half Bundesliga side or a competitive Premier League club outside the Champions League places Godts in an environment where mistakes are survivable. Minutes would be plentiful, expectations manageable, growth measurable.

Liverpool’s interest, if genuine, is testament to Godts’ explosive talent. Scouts admire his creativity, his confidence in one-against-one situations, and his willingness to attack defenders without hesitation. Yet timing is everything.

Original reporting from Empire of the Kop highlighted Driessen’s comments and the context around Liverpool’s links, making clear that admiration from Anfield does not equal immediate readiness.

In football, careers are often defined by choices made too soon. For Mika Godts, patience could prove more valuable than prestige. Let Ajax refine him, let the next step challenge him, and perhaps in two or three seasons, Liverpool’s door will open again.

Until then, the smartest move might be standing still.