Can Liverpool turn Cody Gakpo into Sadio Mane 2.0? | OneFootball

When Liverpool signed Cody Gakpo in December 2022, they acquired the reigning Eredivisie Player of the Year and a man who had captained PSV Eindhoven.

The versatile forward netted 21 goals across his last full season in Dutch football and had 13 to his name by the time that a move to Anfield was made in the winter. The Reds appeared to have found the perfect successor to Sadio Mane, who had joined Bayern Munich a matter of months earlier.

Gakpo has enjoyed success during his time in England, although questions have been asked of whether Liverpool are seeing the best version of him, with Danny Murphy calling for him to be dropped in favour of Federico Chiesa.

Liverpool looking to land honours at home and abroad

Gakpo made a positive start to the 2025/26 campaign, netting in the season-opening win over Bournemouth while posting a couple of assists through his first two outings. That contribution helped to earn Liverpool early favour in betting odds which have the Reds priced at 11/4 to successfully defend their Premier League title.

A quick look at the opinion and tips in any sports betting blog suggested that Arne Slot’s side are well placed to stage another bid for tangible success across multiple competitions, with silverware up for grabs at home and abroad.

Changes were made over the summer to the squad which restored domestic dominance in 2024/25 (at considerable expense), while some familiar faces were allowed to move on for pastures new. Departures created opportunities for others to step up and fill any gaps in the line-up.

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

With Luis Diaz heading in the same direction as Mane before him as he traded Merseyside for Munich, somebody was once again required to make the left-wing berth their own. Gakpo saw that opportunity fall into his lap.

His bright start boded well, but – similarly to many of those around him – a spark was never truly found and consistency proved elusive, although time is very much on the side of everyone at Anfield.

Gakpo continues to demand high standards of himself, with the plan being to post personal bests year on year. He said of his individual targets after committing to a new contract: “For me personally, I think I’d like to keep on developing, so every year has to be a better year than the year before. That’s what we’re aiming for.”

He also said of the progress that he has made across two-and-a-half years with Liverpool: “I think I developed a lot. Obviously [I] played different positions as well, which eventually helped me to grow as a player, in my opinion.”

Questions remain over Cody Gakpo’s best position

In truth, never truly settling on a preferred position hasn’t done Gakpo’s cause any favours. Few knew quite what he was when joining the Reds, with the Netherlands international having operated out wide and as a central striker.

Many of those questions remain, with it still not entirely clear how to bring the best out of a forward who boasts the physical and technical qualities to suggest that the many challenges posed by Premier League competition can be mastered.

Gakpo did find the target 18 times last season, his highest return with the Reds in a single campaign, but can he go on and break the 20-goal barrier on a regular basis? Liverpool once boasted a Senegalese winger who did just that, but can they turn the flying Dutchman into Mane 2.0?