Liverpool might have another Luis Suárez for Jürgen Klopp and Alexis Sánchez point proves it

Earlier this week, Thierry Henry, the seventh-highest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League and arguably the greatest player ever to grace the competition, was asked by Jamie Carragher for his verdict on new Liverpool signing Darwin Núñez. “I don’t think he’s a finisher like Robbie Fowler,” he said, via The Evening Standard. “Not a lot of people are finishers like Robbie Fowler in all fairness, but he has goals in him.

“He’s a bit more of a handful. Sometimes he will rush a bit like Alexis Sánchez or a young Luis Suárez when you felt like things were bouncing off of him and stuff like that.”Comparisons between Suárez and Núñez were simply inevitable. They might be different in build — Núñez is 6ft 1in, tall and slender, whereas Suárez is 5ft 9in and stocky — but aside from that, the similarities abound.

First and foremost, they’re both Uruguayan, of course, but more interesting than that, they arrived at Anfield at a similar stage of their careers. Suárez was 24 when he signed for Liverpool, while Núñez turned 23 in late June. Perhaps more importantly, both came from outside the big five leagues. Núñez hit 34 for Benfica in 2021/22, while Suárez bagged 49 for Ajax in 2009/10, yet there were still perhaps question marks over whether that form would translate to the Premier League. 

Núñez’s £85m price tag appears to dwarf that of Suárez (£22.7m), but according to The Athletic, the fee for El Pistolero would be equivalent to £57.9m in the current market. Both were also tasked with replacing a superstar — Sadio Mané in the case of Núñez, and Fernando Torres in the case of Suárez, though the latter was supposed to have help from Andy Carroll. If you enjoyed this piece, you'll love our latest project here on Liverpool.com

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Our newsletter subscribers get a rundown Monday to Friday from one of the best Liverpool FC writers — straight to your inbox, and completely for free.And they also both found themselves walking into dysfunctional sides, even if Núñez didn’t expect that after watching Liverpool push for a quadruple the season before he arrived. The list goes on, but does the comparison hold up to statistical scrutiny?

Well, if we take Suárez’s first 13 Premier League appearances for Liverpool following his January move in 2011, and Núñez’s eight to date, we can see that there are some standout differences. Suárez was far more involved in the game than Núñez, averaging nearly twice as many touches per 90 (64 vs 32.9, according to Premier League data) and playing more than double the number of passes (35.9 vs 16.7).He was also a far more frequent dribbler, attempting 7.5 per 90 compared to Núñez’s 1.7.

Can Liverpool See Another Player  Like Suárez

Suárez has a reputation for erratic finishing in the early stages of his Anfield career but in actual fact, he only missed one ‘big chance’ in his first half-season, while Núñez has already squandered seven. The former Benfica man is also shooting at a considerably higher volume (6.4 shots per 90 vs 4.5).However, there are some intriguing areas of overlap. While Suárez managed five assists in his first 13 and Núñez only has one so far,

 They’re both creating the same number chances (1.9) per 90.As for Henry’s point about the ball ‘bouncing off’ both players, Suárez was guilty of 4.2 unsuccessful first touches per 90, even more than Núñez (2.1), who has been mocked for supposed technical deficiencies. The two players are closely matched for passing accuracy, but the figures — 73 per cent for Suárez and 72.5 per cent for Núñez — leave plenty of room for improvement. In short, they were both rough around the edges.

And that extends to their attitude too. After Núñez earned himself a red card on his home debut against Crystal Palace for a foolish headbut on Joachim Andersen, Suárez warned him about rising to defenders’ deliberate provocations.“Luis told me that these things in the Premier League are going to happen in all the games, that they are going to come looking for me, that they are going to hit me, and that I must become strong and I must not repeat the s*** he sent me,” he revealed (via talkSPORT).

“Listen to an a**hole like me,” pleaded Suárez .Clearly, the veteran recognises that his compatriot possesses explosive potential, and doesn’t want to see him squander it by succumbing to his worst impulses.Like Suárez, he’s made a steady but solid start in terms of goal-scoring, and the foundation is there for him to rival the numbers of his legendary striking predecessors.