Slot could end Nunez's big problem for Liverpool by signing the £26m wonder star

Liverpool ended Jurgen Klopp's tenure at Anfield last season with one major trophy in the cabinet, as they won the League Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley.

The Reds couldn't find the fairytale ending by winning a second Premier League title – finishing below Arsenal and Manchester City.

Poor finishing has been one of their biggest problems in the top flight as Klopp's players let him down at times with their lack of quality in front of goal.

Liverpool finished the Premier League season with 80 goals scored at 93.32 xG, meaning the players as a whole scored 13 goals less than expected based on the quality of chances created.

Perhaps it is not surprising that the worst of the players in this group is Darwin Nunez from Uruguay, who did not make good use of the opportunities he received in this section.

This is a big issue that new coach Arne Slot has to solve as the lack of this striker is hurting the Reds in the Premier League.

Darwin Nunez finishing problems

Having an unreliable midfielder in front of goal is hardly a good situation for the Dutch manager to be in, as he will have to find a consistent source of goals from elsewhere.

Nunez finished the 2023/24 Premier League season with 11 goals in 18 xG – an impressive seven-goal deficit. No other Liverpool player has worked below 5.04 xG.

Finishing problems are far from a new issue for the former Benfica man, however, as they have been a constant concern throughout his two-year stay at Anfield so far.

As you can see from the table above, Nunez missed 47 'big chances' and scored 20 goals in the last two Premier League seasons.

He is incredibly unreliable and doesn't take advantage of the quality opportunities his teammates create for him week in and week out.

Nunez, however, provides his brilliance as evidenced by his 22 'big chances' he has created in the last two top-flight campaigns, and has been awarded just 11 assists since then.

These stats suggest the forward still provides value as a constant threat to opposition defences, even if his finishing lets him down at times, as he can create for others to help make up for his shortcomings.

Slot, however, could solve his biggest problem with Nunez by signing a midfielder who can go forward to provide a reliable threat, to make up for what Liverpool have lost with a striker playing centrally in a number nine role.

Liverpool's interest in the Danish wizard

Liverpool have recently been linked with interest in Celtic wizard Matt O'Riley as they look to land an attacking midfielder.

TEAMtalk reported that other teams in the Premier League are also interested in the ex-MK Dons player, who has played for Italian club Atalanta.

A source said the Serie A side already had an offer of around £16m rejected by the Hoops for the midfielder.

It added that the Scottish Premiership champions will demand a club-record fee of £26m for the former Fulham player, which would be £1m more than their current biggest sales – Jota to Al Ittihad and Kieran Tierney to Arsenal.

However, it remains to be seen whether Atalanta are willing to pay more than £16m to take the Denmark international to Italy this summer.

It is not clear, at this point in time, whether Liverpool have a serious interest in the star or if he is just one of many players the club are eyeing for the position.

Regardless of their current position on O'Riley, Slott should aim for the Reds to complete a deal worth around £26m as he has the potential to solve Nunez's club woes next season and beyond.

Why Liverpool should sign O'Riley

Signing a Scottish player is a gamble, of course, as he is yet to prove himself in the Premier League or another major league but plenty of talent has emerged north of the border, including current Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk.

The 23-year-old star is a midfielder who could be a reliable and strong goalscorer for the Reds if he can convert his form from the Premiership to the top flight in England.

Nunez having a midfielder behind him who can drive forward to score goals regularly would take the pressure off his shoulders and give him a player to help make the most of the 'big chances' he can create. .

O'Riley, who has produced three goals and one assist in three pre-season games this summer, scored 18 goals in 37 league games for Celtic last season.

The left-footed whiz, described by manager Brendan Rodgers as “fantastic”, has the quality to score consistently in midfield.

As you can see in the table above, O'Riley scored more goals than Nunez while missing fewer 'big chances' and recording a higher conversion rate.

Along with his exceptional goal-scoring ability, the Danish maestro is also an excellent creator who can split open opposition defenses to create chances for his teammates.

This suggests that O'Riley could be a perfect and dangerous attacking weapon for Slot to use next season if Liverpool bring him in and can adapt to Premier League football.

His ability to consistently score goals from the eighth or tenth position could solve a major problem for Nunez's manager by giving him another reliable goal-scoring outlet, allowing the Uruguayan to become a nuisance without being relied upon as the team moves. – to a person with goals.