In a recent report, The Daily Express has mentioned that Liverpool are set to face competition from Leicester City, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in the race for Red Bull Salzburg striker Patson Daka this summer. It is understood that the Reds don’t have the luxury of offering the talented forward regular game time at Anfield which could give the Foxes an edge in the chase to land the Zambian frontman (via The Daily Express).
Daka’s Impressive Form In European Football Last Season
Daka enjoyed one of the best years of his playing career last season when he put in a series of productive displays as RB Salzburg’s primary centre-forward. The Zambia international was involved in 42 matches for the Austrian outfit in the previous campaign, finding the back of the net on 34 occasions and grabbing 12 assists in multiple competitions.
The 22-year-old caught the eye with his performances in Europe where he averaged 1.2 tackles, 2.5 shots and 1.2 key passes per game in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League last season. However, he was sloppy when distributing possession in the final third as he made just 65% of his attempted passes in European football (stats via whoscored).
Daka is blessed with terrific pace that makes him such a tricky presence for his marker to contend with in the attacking third. Hence, he could be an ideal replacement for someone like Divock Origi who has struggled to give a good account of himself at Liverpool over the past ten months.
Will Daka Be A Good Fit For The Reds This Summer?
Daka is a decent goal-getter in the final third and can also set up some inviting chances for others around him. He has managed to be a consistent striker in both domestic and European football last season but needs to work on improving his link-up play in the opposition half if he wants to taste success at the highest level.
The 22-time Zambia international has got a great leap in him that helps him win some 50-50 aerial duels for his side. He has also got a good work rate that makes him a great fit for Jurgen Klopp’s brand of football at Merseyside. He will add more goals and pace to the Liverpool frontline that has sometimes struggled to fire on all cylinders in the recently concluded Premier League campaign.
At 22, the future is quite bright for Daka, so he will be a decent signing for the Reds before the start of the new campaign. Klopp can use the Salzburg forward and Diogo Jota as rotational pieces to ease the workload off the shoulders of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah at Anfield next season.
