Worth more than Salah: Liverpool must rue offloading their own Kvara for £0

On Saturday evening, those of a Liverpool persuasion were giddied by the growing sense that the Premier League title was theirs.

Bournemouth’s 12-match unbeaten run in the top flight was snapped by Mohamed Salah‘s brace, and Liverpool established a nine-point lead at the summit.

Then Arsenal thrashed Manchester City 5-1. Let’s not get it twisted, it was an incredible performance from an excellent side and a reminder that Arne Slot‘s troops have plenty of mountain still to scale.

Will Liverpool rue their decision to forgo January transfer spending? Not likely. The Reds have a deep and talented team that has showcased across so many months its ability to fire across multiple cylinders.

On that note, will Arsenal? The second-placed Gunners still haven’t addressed their centre-forward quandary despite Mikel Arteta’s desire to do so, bidding for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins last week.

Liverpool will wait until the summer, more than happy with their existing options. However, a marquee move almost materialised in the shape of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Liverpool’s interest in Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Liverpool’s squad is balanced and layered, but there are concerns across each point of the backline, something that FSG will need to rectify this summer – whatever the campaign’s outcome.

The decision to hold off on pursuing a winter deal boils down to the options available. Liverpool have good players and will only pounce if the perfect target emerges, something that took the shape of Kvaratskhelia one month ago.

Last month, Liverpool revealed that they harboured an interest in signing Napoli’s prized asset even though Paris Saint-Germain had begun negotiations to bring him to the City of Lights.

It seemed a tad strange. The line went that Liverpool were ready to pounce if Kvaratskhelia made his desire to leave Naples known, but after this happened they remained motionless.

It’s somewhat similar to last summer’s supposed intrigue in Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon, a player who was offered to the Anfield side but remained on Tyneside.

Remember when he was on Liverpool’s books?

When Liverpool lost Anthony Gordon

Kvaratskhelia’s not going to be plying his trade at Liverpool any time soon, but there’s still a chance that Gordon could. The 23-year-old Three Lions star was at the centre of a quasi-saga last year as Newcastle desperately fought to placate the Premier League’s PSR rules.

For his part, Gordon was only too excited about the thought of walking onto the Anfield grass in red, for he supported Liverpool as a child and actually played in their youth system before being released as an 11-year-old and orienting himself across the city, at Everton.

Speaking to Everton’s club website, Gordon said: “It was another chance for me to grow. But that was hard. It affected me mentally and dented my confidence. I had to pick myself up and go again. When I got to Everton, I never looked back.”

He won’t regret the way things went, but the fact that the England winger was touted at £75m when Liverpool were linked last summer speaks of the financial gains that FSG could have reaped from bringing him through the ranks.

Liverpool seemed to be unwilling to meet such a valuation, but it is evidence of Gordon’s growth to stand as one of the Premier League’s top wingers, even placing him above the mighty Salah, who Transfermarkt record has a £46m market value (not considering his soon-to-expire contract).

Gordon was crowned Newcastle’s Player of the Year for 2023/24 and he’s continued to thrive alongside Alexander Isak this year. With Luis Diaz routinely linked with a move to Barcelona and approaching the penultimate year of his contract, this is one to keep a loose eye on.

If Liverpool do sign Gordon at some stage, there’s no question that it’ll cost them a pretty.

Gordon is “one of the best players around”

Former Everton scout Ian Duke remarked that he thought Gordon is “one of the best players around” when quizzed on Liverpool’s ostensible interest last summer.

There’s no question that the boyhood Red boasts qualities apt for success in Slot’s system, but it wasn’t to be and was perhaps not the most necessary big-money acquisition when Diaz and Cody Gakpo, typically left-sided forwards, are doing so well for Liverpool this season.

He’s definitely the earmarked target to go for, should Liverpool need to invest. Just take a look at Gordon and Kvaratskhelia’s collated statistics in the Premier League and Serie A this season, with the Englishman outstripping his positional peer across most metrics.

Indeed, the player are noted to be similar talents among those in their position across Europe’s top five leagues, as per FBref.

Ultimately, Liverpool have a wonderful team brimming with players capable of contributing toward winning silverware, but there is always room for improvement, evolution, and Gordon could be the perfect option down the line, for now fostering his talents over at St. James’ Park.

However, Slot may have already been wielding the Scouse-born talent had Liverpool retained the ace’s services.

Whichever way you look at it, Gordon’s got the mettle to star under the Anfield lights.

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