It started with a goal to clinch the Community Shield against Manchester City on his Liverpool debut and a red card for a head-butt on his Anfield debut. There were glaring misses, falling-outs and some telling contributions in between, before it ended with Liverpool taking a rare financial hit on a one-time club record signing. Darwin Núñez never reached the heights Jürgen Klopp predicted he would, but it was an eventful three-year ride that ensures the striker is poised to depart in the affections of many at Liverpool.
Klopp led the signing of Núñez before and especially after his two appearances for Benfica against Liverpool in the 2021-22 Champions League. But he was not the only Liverpool manager to be sold on the Uruguay international’s talents, become frustrated by attempts to accommodate the forward and ultimately sideline him. Arne Slot followed an identical path with the mercurial 26-year-old.
Núñez was out of favour long before Klopp left Anfield in May 2024, starting just one of the former Liverpool manager’s last seven games and cutting a disillusioned figure throughout. There was talk of Liverpool cutting their losses 12 months ago.
Instead, one of Slots first acts as Liverpool head coach was to have a video call with Núñez while he was on Copa América duty with Uruguay. The striker was flourishing under Marcelo Bielsa and Slot hoped he could also unlock the player’s explosive qualities on a more consistent basis. Getting to work on Núñez’s fragile confidence, Slot outlined how the forward would be central to his plans – literally – operating as Liverpool’s No 9 and not out on the left, where he was sometimes deployed by Klopp.
Six months later, if not before, and Liverpool’s head coach had reached the same conclusions as his predecessor. It was not a simple case of Núñez’s erratic finishing driving Slot to distraction and falling short of the standards of a team chasing the Premier League and Champions League titles, although the latter point is undoubtedly true. It was also, as Slot was happy to outline in public, a question of style. The explanation he offered in January provides an insight into what Liverpool have sought to address and will continue to do so in this transfer window, with a replacement for Núñez wanted and a £110m offer for Alexander Isak remaining on Newcastle’s table. Slot wants more flexibility and Núñez was not able to provide it.
“Darwin is a striker we have to use in a certain way,” said Slot, “and we were not able yet to bring the best out of him this season. He has a lot of pace but, unfortunately for him, most teams sit back a lot against us. We are still working on getting him in the best possible positions against a low block. That involves the right timings, the right crosses, the right position to start from and making the right run.”
Twenty-four hours after Slot’s admission, Núñez came off the bench to score two stoppage time goals in a 2-0 victory at Brentford that gave Liverpool their first league win of 2025. After a faltering start to the calendar year, it was an important step on the road to the club’s 20th league title. An outrageous chipped finish in the corresponding fixture the season before was another reminder of his ability. But it was not showcased consistently enough. After the double at Brentford there would be only one more goal from Núñez in his final 20 appearances for Liverpool, the equaliser that turned the tide against bottom-of-the-table Southampton. He could also have been sent off in that game.
Núñez’s injury-time rescue act against Brentford and Slot’s honest assessment of the striker’s problems came in the same month the striker pushed to leave Liverpool. He and his representatives wanted Liverpool to accept a £60m offer from Al-Nassr, not reject it as the club prioritised winning the Premier League over cashing in. The same message was relayed to Liverpool this summer.
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Slot criticised Núñez’s work rate – a key factor in retaining the goodwill of many Liverpool supporters – against Wolves and Aston Villa in February. Slot denied dropping the player from the squad against West Ham in April as a result of a training ground row with a member of his coaching staff. There has been no faulting the forward’s application and effort this pre-season. Núñez returned in excellent shape and has looked sharp in friendlies, though it was clearly time for all parties to move on.
Liverpool are likely to lose in excess of £20m on Núñez. The Anfield club paid a guaranteed £65m for his services in 2022 with a further £20m in add-ons. Several bonus payments, however, such as for winning the Champions League and after a specified number of starts, were never activated. Al-Hilal have agreed to pay £46.3m plus add-ons and give a striker in the prime of his career a three-year contract. A lucrative move for Núñez and a statement signing for the Saudi Pro League, no doubt, but also a waste of a headline-grabbing act.
