Jürgen Klopp should solve Liverpool conundrum for just £9m with transfer to help Darwin Núñez
Liverpool allowed Divock Origi to leave for Serie A this summer. But Jürgen Klopp need not look far to find a belated replacement, who could help Darwin Núñez.
Emmet Gates
It was in the 75th minute of a fairly drab game that one of Serie A's most in-form strikers came to the fore. Udinese were away to Sassuolo and the home side were 1-0 up thanks to an early goal from Davide Frattesi.
The game seemed to be petering out to a defeat for the north-eastern Italian outfit. That was until Roberto Pereyra — formerly of Watford, where he took on Liverpool six times — ran into space down Sassuolo's left-hand side and managed to dig out a cross near the byline.
Pereyra's teasing cross was gobbled up by Beto, and the powerful Portuguese striker headed the ball home to bring parity to the game. Fifteen minutes later, Beto raced through to get his second of the game, and Udinese's third, after being played through by midfielder Sandi Lovric, and the number nine showed the composure to plant the ball into the middle of the goal.
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It was his fourth goal in six games, and the Udinese striker is soon likely to be a man in demand.
The 24-year-old arrived in Udine just over a year ago, signing from Portuguese outfit Portimonense on a season-long loan. He scored his debut goal for the Zebrette on his second start for the club, in a 1-1 draw against Sampdoria last October, and has gone from strength to strength.
He finished his first season in Italy with 11 goals from 28 games. A mix of speed, height and good technical ability, Beto in many ways is slightly reminiscent of the now-departed former cult hero Divock Origi. The Belgian has just left Liverpool for Serie A, departing the club after eight years.
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And with Liverpool yet to replace Origi, signing only Darwin Núñez to replace the output of three attackers, should they look to the place where the 27-year-old departed to in order to find his substitute?
Beto is unquestionably a striker that is going places. It's very early in the season, but Udinese are presently sitting in the top four, something we haven't seen since the days of Antonio Di Natale and Alexis Sánchez back at the start of the 2010s.
Coach Andrea Sottil, who only arrived at the club in June, has already moulded Udinese into a team that are difficult to beat. They've beaten teams with bigger budgets, like Fiorentina and Roma, and gave champions Milan a fright at San Siro on the opening day.
Beto has played a big part in that, and will only continue to develop this season. Even with the presence of Núñez, Liverpool and Jürgen Klopp could do with another physical striker in the squad, and Beto could be the answer to the hole left by Origi.
Valued at just £9m by website Transfermarkt, that figure is likely to swell if Beto keeps his current form going. But with Roberto Firmino likely to leave next summer, Beto could be one of the attackers brought into the club by Klopp to freshen up the forward line. It would lift the pressure on Núñez, and provide a more viable option off the bench.
He's definitely someone Liverpool should be keeping an eye on as the season progresses, as he could be the perfect Origi replacement.
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