15 Jun 2026 20:51:10
We are mulling Nunez’s return.
It’s not a cert, it’s not even being negotiated, but it’s very much an option.
Ta.
15 Jun 2026 21:33:03
He couldn't hit a barn door at times, but I could actually understand it as a depth option, especially if we sell Fede, for example.
@Carra, do you expect many incomings this summer?
I assume we are going by order of priority position, so first of all trying to sort out the wing option then moving depending on starting 11 order of priority?
Ken.
15 Jun 2026 21:36:06
If people had to choose out of signing one of these free signings, would it be Nunez or Vlahovic? Just curious.
15 Jun 2026 21:37:43
Get God to give him a crash course on finishing.
15 Jun 2026 21:42:30
A two year deal at his old wages of 140kpw is ideal imo. We haven't paid for him and make money if we sell him even if £10-15m.
15 Jun 2026 21:54:40
Iraola's Bournemouth played without a 20+ goals per year striker, but did have hard working high pressing strikers. Nunez fits this model.
15 Jun 2026 22:18:59
Mulling FC.
15 Jun 2026 22:22:30
Be interesting to see how he gets on with our new set up under Iraola.
At the very least, he's entertaining and we have been bored to death for too long.
15 Jun 2026 22:33:40
Love to bring him back. Less pressure, no transfer fee, Spanish coach, and can play left wing or back up striker.
15 Jun 2026 22:40:32
I'm not sure about this one. He was such a frustrating player. Klopp frequently picked others ahead of him and used to talk a lot about him needing to improve his pressing. He clearly has the physical tools to press like a monster. He just needs the other piece.
On the other hand, depending on the wages, on a free transfer, it could be a good option.
He would provide cover through the centre, but I think he could do well coming inside from left. He obviously has pace to burn and he's aggressive, which we lacked virtually all last season. If we could effectively swap him into the squad for Chiesa, that is an upgrade imo. I think I may have convinced myself in the process of writing this...
15 Jun 2026 22:54:15
Massive fan of him. Hope he comes back. He's a constant reminder of what damage stats do to the perception of players. I adored Kuyt when he played for us but I can't imagine the abuse the lad would have gotten in this day and age purely because he was simply average at finishing.
But what he brought in the rest of his game was immense. Darwin is energy and mayhem. Can't imagine any manager (apart from Slot) not seeing the value in him. Now, on the flipside, do think Salif Diao was an underrated gem that never got a real chance, so take everything I say with a grain of salt.
15 Jun 2026 23:11:39
Perfect opportunistic signing for Hughes. Sold him for 60, got him back for nothing.
15 Jun 2026 23:20:37
I agree with aoe. I'd love to see him come back.
15 Jun 2026 23:41:21
Sorry. I must be getting old, and my memory must be going... Nunez... a pressing monster??? I didn't see him that way. And saying he was not able to hit a barn door is actually incorrect. He was the absolute master at hitting woodwork.
Ps comparing Kuyt to him. Please... Kuyt could finish.
15 Jun 2026 23:55:26
I'm in the bring Nunez back camp, however, after watching the first half of their opening WC game, I'm not so sure!
15 Jun 2026 23:57:24
I'm watching him for Uruguay right now. No thanks. Has everyone lost their minds and forgotten how dreadful a finisher he was? Let alone how often he drifted offside. I'm sure there are far better options.
16 Jun 2026 00:23:03
NoMoreBoom, appreciate your memory but I have to disagree and say Kuyt was a dodgy finisher at best. I love the lad- but finishing was absolutely not his strongest trait in my very humble opinion. But that wasn't the point of my post. My point was, statistically he was distinctly average number-wise, but wow- as a player for a team he was outstanding. He brought more than just finishing. And while I do not think they are the same players at all, my point is that stats today frequently mar what a player can bring beyond numbers.
But look- I'm old and I still remember when football was good and World Cups were something to enjoy and not something to be endured like this absolute horror show on TV right now- so there's really little point in taking what I say with any merit. Again- I can't believe nobody even jumped on my Salif Diao quote.
16 Jun 2026 00:24:51
And Carra, mate, thank you so much for the updates. They are so very welcomed.
16 Jun 2026 01:10:37
Nunez return? We must be mad. Utter s****.
15 Jun 2026 22:43:21
Madmax
You need a crash course in how to support your team. Nunez missed chances, all strikers do, but he was nowhere near as bad as you're trying to make out. 40 goals in 143 appearances is not bad, considering he didn't play the full game in a lot of them.
One thing I do know us that we haven't replaced what Nunez brought to the team, in his pressing, occupying defenders and creating space for others, Salah in particular.
16 Jun 2026 06:39:34
Statistically, he wasn't the best at finishing, but the guy actually hit a lot of goal posts and had some ridiculous saves made against him. I always felt he was unlucky to not get more. Besides that issue, he created a lot of chaos through his pace, energy and physicality, and was one of the few players we had that could change up a game.
I'd happily take him back as a backup striker/left wing over Gakpo and Chiesa.
16 Jun 2026 07:02:20
The return of Captain Chaos makes a lot of sense in the context of what the new manager may be looking for - "...if I have to choose between those two elements, organisation and chaos, I choose the chaos over the organisation."
16 Jun 2026 09:00:00
I get all the stress over Nunez's potential return, he gave me the horrors in the end too! But, for me, it's all about sorting your priorities.
We're talking about a temporary 2nd choice (soon to be 3rd choice) striker once Ekitike is fit. He's an international striker with a compatible style and work rate that potentially compliments the new manager's style.
If signing Darwin on a free leaves us with enough cash to be able to afford other more important additions like Diomande, Barcola, Wharton etc, then I'm right behind it.
Start looking elsewhere for a stand in striker, and you are potentially cutting your budget by at least £20-30m.
16 Jun 2026 09:10:10
Nunez was rubbish. He hasn't changed. Just nonsense to reemploy him.
16 Jun 2026 10:05:10
Salif Diao was terrible.
Carragher even encouraged him to sign for Everton!
16 Jun 2026 12:18:40
@aoe, So if you had a choice, peak Kuyt or Nunez, who would you pick? My point is not about Kuyt, it's about the fact that Nunez, for 90% of the time for us, was brutal. From very early days, I called him 'barn door'. After we sold him, he was so bad, in a poor league, that he got dropped from the entire squad. Last night was his first start for club and country in 4 months, and the entire team played better when he was hooked.
If that is not enough to convince you all that this would be a waste of money on wages, then think how lucky he was not to get a ban after he went into the crowd and started fighting people. Nunez to Liverpool? Seriously..... the best thing for us was the fee we got when we sold him. Need to pray this doesn't happen.
16 Jun 2026 19:14:33
90% is kind of a stretch.
16 Jun 2026 20:05:48
Nomoreboom, you talk utter s***. He never got dropped by Al Hilal because he was so bad, he was dropped because they had the opportunity to sign Benzema and the rules regarding foreign player quotas. If you're going to knock a player at least keep it factual