A year ago
Chelsea with new owners has seen huge profits when selling a number of players .
The necessity of their squad and the fact that they can sell these players well in the transfer market still confuses many.
Players who don't want to join to play or settle down for his club are often expected to garner low transfer fees, especially players whose contracts are nearing the end.
But that has not been the case for Chelsea in the current summer transfer window so far.
The permanent departures of the likes of Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Edouard Mendy, Christian Pulisic have seen them generate profits that can be channeled into other club projects.
Havertz and Mason Mount's move with their transfer fees still surprises many as these players are considered finished while others feel they have no potential left at the club.
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Darwin Núñez has shown explosive potential at Liverpool, and his coaches believe a slight change in his technique could be the key to unlocking him next season.
Darwin Núñez scored 14 goals in his first season at Liverpool after arriving for a fee of up to $109m (£85m/100m) including bonuses, the exact figure he achieved in his first campaign at Benfica.
For some, this can be a positive omen, as the number of Núñez has skyrocketed in its second year at the Estadio da Luz. It was 34 goals in 41 games that put him on the radar of Europe's top teams and led to his potential club record at Anfield.
Now, after a disappointing start to Merseyside, Liverpool staff are said to be optimistic that Núñez is about to reach the same heights he has achieved in Portugal (via This is Anfield), and he He was right when he said that the data backs up this belief. The headlines are obviously the most important thing, but the underlying numbers are nonetheless a source of excitement.
Núñez led the entire Premier League in contribution to attack last season with a total of 5.93 free-kicks and openings created per 90 minutes (via The Analyst).
He also finished first by a substantial margin, with Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes as his closest opponents with 5.1 and West Ham's Said Benrahma in third with 5.04.
Liverpool's second representative is Mohamed Salah (5.0), Manchester United's Anthony is fourth (4.96) and Manchester City record-holder striker Erling Haaland is only 10th (4.73).
It shows that Núñez has explosive potential, not only in terms of goals but also in terms of assists (last year he had only 4 assists in all competitions). Of course, it's important to improve his finishing. The striker has been painfully wasted in the 2022/23 season, third in the rankings for the number of great missed opportunities (20), despite starting only half of Liverpool's 38 games.
Fortunately, Jürgen Klopp's coaching staff may have discovered a small but potentially hugely rewarding tweak. According to journalist Neil Jones, they would advise him to keep his feet further away from the ball when shooting, addressing the recurring theme of his poorer misses.
Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez could advance for second season
Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez could advance for second season
Another area where Núñez could improve is his 'targeter' game. Some might have automatically awarded him that title when he arrived at Liverpool due to his stature, but even if it's not really his game, he can certainly become more efficient in that respect.
Liverpool played more long balls than any other team in the league last season at 3,283 (they were in fact the only team over 3,000, with Brentford in second with 2,947), and even though they didn't make all the way. Passing to number 9, we have seen the Reds play against Núñez quite often.
He was effective when running behind, but less effective when playing with his back to goal and trying to maintain attacks by winning.
Núñez has won 38.8 percent of the air in the league and Champions League, which puts him in just 40 percent of his peers in the big five.
The 34 strikers (with at least nine appearances) won by a higher percentage than the Uruguayan last season, including January's addition Cody Gakpo (52%). But Núñez can rise to the top with tweaks to his playstyle. Whatever the answer, it looks like a dominant tactic in Liverpool could be
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