15 Jun 2026 19:03:09
The Nunez links feel a little like pining for an ex who was great in bed but absolutely did your head in.
He struggled under pressure and is all brawn with little brain. He barely learned a word of English - something that isn't mentioned but he clearly struggled to communicate and take on tactical instructions.
However. with a Spanish speaking coach, a high pressing style that can suit him and as a short term contract on a free. I guess I could get back into that bed one more time.
15 Jun 2026 19:34:17
The way I see it, is we judged him against his status in the squad. If you cost £85m and were signed to be the main man, wearing the number 9 shirt, then the expectations are higher from the club and the fans.
However, we sold him for such a wedge that he damn near recouped most of what we paid. So to now get him back for free everything changes this time around. He is no longer the £85m main man.
He's no longer Liverpool's number 9, with pressure to replicate Torres, Rush, Fowler, Firmino, Liddell, St John etc.
He'd effectively be the new Origi, Babel, Maxi, Minamino, Shaqiri, Kuyt etc. A loveable cult hero squad player who has no huge price tag to pay back and will occasionally score important goals for us. It's perfect for him. He loves us. We love him. Bring him home.
15 Jun 2026 19:55:49
MK, not sure on the whole love in for Nunez, didn't he down tools to force through a move, and then pretty much fail to tear it up in Saudi?
Also, personally, I wouldn't list him as a cult hero because he didn't actually do anything? People seem to have forgotten how absolutely shocking he actually was as a footballer.
15 Jun 2026 20:14:56
Completely agree, MK, context is everything! We brought Chiesa in as cover, and the lad has done nothing of note, but has a banger of a tune and is loved by the fans. Nunez came in for a big fee and was supposed to put Haaland, if he is happy to come in and be a utility man in attack and doesn't cost a fortune in wages and signing on fee, then it's hard to argue with the signing.
Not 100% this rumour has legs, but I can see the logic for sure.
15 Jun 2026 20:19:09
Stuie, I get what you're saying but hasn't the whole team basically downed tools under Arne Slot, he mismanaged the squad so badly, he's made quite a few players want to leave, which definitely wasn't the case 18 or so months ago.
It was poor attitude to being used poorly and I think now on reflection, I can sympathise with him a little more. The move was definitely necessary, and this wouldn't even be a conversation if Ekitike and Isak weren't injury prone players that showed any level of consistency last season. They didn't, Isak is still yet to show any signs coming good for us whilst being injured for long spells and Ekitike, whilst impressive at times, is injured until the end of the year.
Are we then to rely on injury prone Isak that hasn't shown anything in a red shirt yet? Or, god forbid, Gakpo who is trash through the middle? Or do we shell out another £40mill on a back up striker who probably has the same stats if not worse than Nunez in the PL? I think it's a no brainer in terms of the transfer itself from a business stand point, so long as it's not us using that as an excuse not to bring in 2 wide forwards.
For arguments sake: Isak, Ekitike, Nunez, Rio, Diamonde and one of Bowen or Barcola
That's a very strong attack if you ask me, much better than what we started this past season with. Chiesa, Gakpo and Salah off the books.
15 Jun 2026 20:32:19
Scored some important goals in a league winning season, that's enough to make him a cult hero for me.
15 Jun 2026 20:56:06
Cult hero full stop.
15 Jun 2026 20:57:13
He is on a free transfer for a reason.
15 Jun 2026 22:01:11
MK, yes, the transfer makes sense from a business point of view: getting a player familiar with the city, club etc to act as cover, but I feel like there are a fair few rose tinted glasses on here at the min.
The Nunez I remember watching just ran around like a bit of a headless chicken, and just didn't seem to improve at all.
Maybe it was the weight of the expectation, who knows.
And to answer some of the others, I think Chiesa is a bit of a tongue in cheek cult hero because he just can't seem to get a game, whereas Nunez was just a bit rubbish.
15 Jun 2026 23:18:06
Nunez back heel goal v Madrid. He wasn't crap, he just never scored when expected. Unlucky, with a good few hitting woodwork or keeper saving. I'd rather watch him than what I had to endure last season.
16 Jun 2026 04:41:45
I don't think Nunez downed tools to force a move. If anything, he let his head droop a bit when he came on as a sub in one game. In hindsight, and given newer context from last season, I would be more inclined to blame that on Slot's poor man management skills than on Nunez's attitude, especially since that was very uncharacteristic of him.
I agree with MK that on a free transfer, it is a no brainer to bring him in, especially since we have other areas of the squad we need to prioritise. Nunez can cover both CF and LW and that's huge for us. Granted, I don't think he'd come back to us purely because of Edwards' ego.
16 Jun 2026 07:03:40
He was ineffective against Saudi last night, as said we are remembering what we remember through red tinted glasses. He's not good enough, bombed in the Saudi league for God's sake.
It's getting embarrassing people wanting this, Salah to stay, regretting Robbo going even though most said his legs have gone.
Quansah resigned, Kella bought back.
Can't we just move on and see who we get in who hasn't played for us before, let Andoni look at what he has.
16 Jun 2026 07:38:31
Now Darwin appearing to down tools in a game is Slot's fault too? Slot was perfectly right in publicly saying Darwin had to try harder off the ball in those two games.
Darwin is an emotional and a temperamental player. He would be difficult for anybody to manage. Let's hope that if he comes back to us somebody can help him with that side of the game.
16 Jun 2026 08:00:40
Klopp also dropped Nunez, so we can't just blame Slot and create the context for him not performing in his last season.
If he's available on a free and a relatively low salary, then someone else might offer him the chance to start regularly and a longer contract.
I hope they do, because he's not good enough for us and we don't need to fill the squad with cult heroes.
16 Jun 2026 10:28:38
Name me a better player we could get for free.
16 Jun 2026 12:27:11
Westwood666, that is the question no one or even any of Darwin's detractors wants to answer.
16 Jun 2026 15:38:27
I don't know who is available on free transfers, Westwood. Is the obsession with Nunez because he is free, then? Sorry, I don't get it. We got rid of him once, so what's changed?
Oh, I've thought of a player.
Mo Salah is available on a free, I would think.
16 Jun 2026 23:02:24
Slot got rid of him because he didn't fit the style of play, which was fair enough given Slot's status at the time. So what's changed is Slot isn't here anymore.
All I'm saying is, I don't think he is anywhere near, literally not even close, to the very poor player he is being made out to be.
Everyone says about his 40 goals in over 100 appearances, but many of those were sub appearances. His minutes per goal for large parts of his final season with Slot were actually pretty good.
But his main quality for me, other than the one game where he didn't look bothered (again being made out like he properly downed tools when he didn't), is that he never gave up, always harassing, always disrupting and pulling defenders all over the place.
I'd have given my left arm to watch a bit of that after last season's bore off.
He's rapid, strong, he's a target in the box, can play left and through the middle, he knows the club, he's freely available, most fans like him (there's a reason the fans in the stadium sing his name), and there's no risk. If it doesn't work out under a more attacking transitional approach, where he excelled before coming to us, then he can sell him again for more profit once Ekitike is back partway through next season.
So no, I'm not obsessed with the bloke. I simply see literally no downside to giving him another opportunity as second choice striker behind Isak while Eki is out.