Cody Gakpo's World Cup Impact and Liverpool Future

Cody Gakpo walked off the pitch with two more World Cup goals to his name and a question hanging in the air.

How does his role for the Netherlands compare with the one he has at Liverpool?

“A good question. Obviously it's a little bit different,” he said after the 5-1 win over Sweden, before hinting at tactical tweaks and “freedom” under his national coach, then cutting himself off before saying more. The pause said plenty.

Because while Gakpo is driving the Dutch through another World Cup with the authority of a leading man, Liverpool are quietly redrawing the map of their attack.

Anfield crowding on the left

In the same week Gakpo punished Sweden, Liverpool completed a £34.5m move for Victor Munoz from Osasuna, another winger whose natural habitat is the left flank. They have also pushed ahead with a proposal worth £86m to RB Leipzig for 19-year-old Yan Diomande, a highly rated forward comfortable on either wing.

Two potential arrivals, both able to operate in Gakpo’s favourite zone. The timing is impossible to ignore.

Under Arne Slot in the 2024-25 title-winning campaign, Gakpo looked like a cornerstone. Eighteen goals, seven assists, 49 appearances across all competitions. Those numbers secured him a long-term deal at Anfield last summer, a contract he was delighted to sign and one Liverpool were happy to hand out.

Then came last season. Three more games, but the output dropped: nine goals, six assists. He was not alone in underperforming in a campaign that sagged, yet he will know that return is not enough for a forward of his status at a club with Liverpool’s demands.

A partnership still under construction

Gakpo is most at home starting from the left, driving infield, opening the pitch with that familiar right-footed arc. But the 2025-26 season exposed a problem: his on-pitch connection with Milos Kerkez still needs sharpening.

Kerkez offers relentless overlapping runs from left-back. Too often, the timing between the pair stuttered, the angles not quite right, the space not fully exploited. As the season wore on, their understanding improved, the patterns of play becoming more natural.

Now Kerkez is back under Andoni Iraola, his former Bournemouth manager, and the expectation around the Hungary international is clear: kick on, quickly. If he does, that could transform the entire left side – and that is where things start to look brighter for Gakpo.

A more aggressive, assured Kerkez opens up new lanes for Gakpo to drift inside, combine, and attack central spaces. For a forward who thrives when the structure around him is coherent, that evolution matters.

Proven numbers, rising questions

Strip away the noise and the numbers still carry weight. Fifty goals in 180 games for Liverpool. Only Dirk Kuyt has previously reached a half-century among Dutch players at Anfield. When fit, Gakpo has generally been first choice.

Inside the club, he is still viewed as a proven Premier League attacker who can be used in multiple roles. That flexibility is suddenly more valuable than ever. With Hugo Ekitike potentially sidelined until 2027 by a ruptured Achilles, Iraola needs players who can shift centrally without the attack collapsing.

Mohamed Salah’s departure only deepens the need for firepower. At least one more attacker is expected to arrive this summer, with the Diomande pursuit gathering pace. Talented teenager Rio Ngumoha is primed for a bigger role. Florian Wirtz, who drifted off the left at times last season and is doing the same for Germany at this World Cup, adds another layer of complexity.

Where Iraola ultimately sees Wirtz – as a left-sided creator, a No 10, or something in between – could directly shape Gakpo’s future. If Wirtz becomes the preferred option drifting in off that flank, Gakpo’s minutes there tighten. If Wirtz is moved centrally, space opens again.

Competition or crossroads?

Gakpo has lived with competition before. When Luis Diaz arrived, he responded. The extra edge sharpened his game rather than dulled it. Liverpool will hope the same happens again.

This time, though, there is a twist. For the first time since he arrived from PSV Eindhoven in December 2022 for an initial £35m, a departure is no longer unthinkable. Several clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur, are watching his situation closely.

Any move would not come cheap. Liverpool would demand upwards of £60m – a hefty profit and a figure that reflects his age, contract length and track record.

And that track record keeps growing on the international stage.

World Cup stage, club dilemma

Against Sweden, Gakpo delivered the kind of performance that makes recruitment departments sit up. His first goal was a poacher’s reward, a simple back-post tap-in born from sharp movement. His second was pure Gakpo: cut in from the left, open the body, drill a right-footed finish with conviction.

He now has five goals in seven World Cup games across the 2022 and current tournaments. Twenty-three goals in 52 caps since his debut five years ago underline the same story: when he wears orange, he delivers.

Those around the Dutch camp talk of a unified squad and a player who has started this tournament with real authority after a testing club season. His influence is not limited to the pitch either. Within the group of Christian players in the squad, Gakpo plays a central role.

“Cody is our pastor – he leads the prayers,” said Crysencio Summerville, a small but telling glimpse into his standing in the dressing room.

On the pitch, Virgil van Dijk hardly needs convincing. After the Sweden win, the Netherlands and Liverpool captain was clear.

“He is an outstanding footballer. He works so hard for the team, he's disciplined and his quality stands out – his crosses, his assists, his goals.”

Performances like these cut both ways. They strengthen Liverpool’s hand if they choose to sell. They also strengthen the argument to keep him, at least for one more season, as Iraola rebuilds an attack that laboured last year.

New signings do not always ignite instantly. Isak and Wirtz both struggled in their first campaigns at Anfield, a reminder of how unforgiving the adaptation process can be, even for elite talents.

That is why Gakpo’s situation is so intriguing. He is both a known quantity and a moving piece in a bigger tactical puzzle.

For now, his mind is on the World Cup and the Netherlands. Liverpool can wait. But once the tournament ends and Iraola’s blueprint takes shape, the question will return with more force.

Is Cody Gakpo the man to lead Liverpool’s new-look frontline – or the asset that funds it?