Cody Gakpo's World Cup Impact and Future at Liverpool

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

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 replied. Then came the telling line. “It's different where the coach wants me to be, the freedom that I have.” He stopped himself before saying more, but the point had already landed.

At a moment when his country leans heavily on him, his club is busy crowding the space around him.

A left side filling up fast

In the same week Gakpo punished Sweden with a tap-in and a trademark cut-in-and-finish from the left, Liverpool moved for another left-sided winger. Victor Munoz has arrived from Osasuna for £34.5m, a direct competitor in Gakpo’s favoured territory.

Liverpool have also pushed ahead with a proposed £86m package for RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande, a highly rated 19-year-old who can operate on either flank. Two potential signings. Both comfortable in Gakpo’s lane.

So what does that mean for a 27-year-old who, not long ago, looked embedded in Liverpool’s future?

Under Arne Slot in the 2024-25 title-winning season, Gakpo delivered: 18 goals, seven assists, 49 games in all competitions. Those numbers helped earn him a long-term contract at Anfield last summer, a deal he was understood to be delighted to sign.

Then came last season. Three more appearances, but a sharp dip: nine goals, six assists. A campaign when Liverpool as a whole laboured, when very few hit their peak. Gakpo was not alone, but he will know that return is not enough for a forward in his prime.

Chemistry on the flank – and a new boss

Gakpo has always been clear about where he feels most dangerous: off the left, driving infield. Yet the 2025-26 season exposed a fault line in his partnership with Milos Kerkez. The Hungarian left-back loves to surge past on the overlap; Gakpo’s timing and angles with him were often off, especially early in the campaign.

They improved as the months passed. The understanding grew. Now Kerkez is back with his old Bournemouth manager, Andoni Iraola, at Liverpool. That reunion is expected to fast-track the full-back’s development.

If Kerkez kicks on, it could unlock more from Gakpo. Better overlaps, cleaner rotations, more chaos for defenders. For a wide forward who thrives on options around him, that matters.

Liverpool still see Gakpo as a proven Premier League attacker, one who can adapt to different tactical demands. His numbers across his Anfield stay back that up: 50 goals in 180 appearances, making him only the second Dutchman after Dirk Kuyt to reach a half-century for the club. When fit, he has usually been first choice.

His ability to play centrally is another asset in Iraola’s plans, especially with Hugo Ekitike facing a lengthy absence that could run to 2027 after a ruptured Achilles. In a squad suddenly light through the middle, Gakpo’s flexibility carries weight.

Salah gone, Diomande looming

The context around him is shifting fast. Mohamed Salah has departed, and Liverpool expect to bring in at least one more attacker this summer. The chase for Diomande is intensifying, and his profile – young, explosive, able to play wide – points directly at the zones Gakpo currently occupies.

Inside the club, there is also excitement about Rio Ngumoha, the talented teenager tipped to take on a bigger role. Then there is Florian Wirtz. The German star operated off the left at times last season and is doing the same for his country at this World Cup.

How Iraola chooses to use Wirtz could define Gakpo’s pathway. If Wirtz becomes the preferred option off the left, Gakpo’s minutes there shrink. If Wirtz is pulled inside or to the right, the door stays open.

Competition has brought the best out of Gakpo before. When Luis Diaz was at Anfield and the left side felt crowded, Gakpo responded and forced his way into the picture. He may need that same edge again.

A market watching closely

For the first time since he arrived from PSV Eindhoven in December 2022, there is a realistic scenario in which Gakpo moves on. Several clubs are watching, with Tottenham Hotspur among those monitoring his situation.

Liverpool would not sell cheaply. Any deal is expected to start north of £60m, a hefty profit on the initial £35m they paid after his breakout 2022 World Cup.

Performances like the one against Sweden only strengthen their hand. His first goal, a simple back-post tap-in, showed his knack for arriving in the right place at the right time. The second, a familiar shuffle inside from the left and a drilled right-foot finish, was the kind of strike Liverpool fans have seen before and want to see more often.

Those close to the Dutch camp talk about a tight, united squad, and Gakpo has begun this tournament in that same vein – confident, decisive, central to everything. His World Cup record is formidable: five goals in seven games across the 2022 and current tournaments. Overall, he has 23 goals in 52 caps since his debut five years ago. That is elite international output.

His influence stretches beyond the pitch as well. Within the Netherlands squad, he plays a prominent off-field role, particularly among the group of Christian players.

“Cody is our pastor – he leads the prayers,” said Crysencio Summerville.

On the field, his biggest advocate is also his captain at both club and country, Virgil van Dijk.

“He is an outstanding footballer,” Van Dijk said after the 5-1 win over Sweden. “He works so hard for the team, he's disciplined and his quality stands out – his crosses, his assists, his goals.”

The Gakpo decision

Every goal he scores in this World Cup sharpens the question facing Liverpool. A dominant tournament would only reinforce the argument to keep him for at least another season, especially when recent big signings like Alexander Isak and Wirtz endured difficult debut campaigns at Anfield. Integrating new forwards is rarely smooth.

Iraola and Liverpool’s recruitment team are reshaping an attack that misfired too often last year. They want more speed, more aggression, more goals. They are also trying to balance that with experience and reliability.

Gakpo sits right at that crossroads – proven, versatile, entering his peak, but with challengers lining up for his spot.

For now, his attention is fixed on the orange shirt and another deep World Cup run. When the tournament ends and the dust settles, Liverpool must decide: is Cody Gakpo a cornerstone of the new era, or the big sale that funds it?