Jurgen Klopp's final farewell is but a few days away and Liverpool are in an exciting position to continue his legacy and fight for the shiniest silverware over the coming years.
A new structure is in place and Feyenoord manager Arne Slot is soon to be announced as Anfield's new head coach, picked from a crowd of contenders by the unerring Michael Edwards.
Plenty of promise, plenty to do. Liverpool will hold eternal gratitude for Klopp's historic tenure on Merseyside. In essence, he refashioned a dilapidated Anfield into a palatial centrepiece of success once more, winning the Premier League, winning the Champions League.
But Liverpool are a team in transition and must now ensure that the summer transfer activity endeavours to close in on Arsenal and Manchester City, also putting the outfit in a good position to impress in the Champions League next season.
Much noise has been made recently around Liverpool's forwards, with Mohamed Salah out of contract in 13 months and Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez both linked with moves to Barcelona.
Diogo Jota's going nowhere: the Portuguese boasts the best goal-per-minute rate (114) of any Liverpool player to have featured more than five times this season.
And Cody Gakpo has had his detractors since signing from PSV Eindhoven in a £35m transfer in January 2023 but he's hit a rich vein of form at the perfect time, proving his worth ahead of Slot's arrival.
Cody Gakpo's season in numbers
Gakpo's stock increased significantly after a standout campaign at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, scoring three goals for the Netherlands in the group stage before losing to eventual winners Argentina on penalties in the last 16. Fabrizio Romano hailed him as "something special" following his globe-stomping escapades.
Manchester United were the favourites to sign the dynamic forward but Liverpool acted with subterranean stealth to secure Gakpo's signature, six months before the legendary Roberto Firmino left Anfield at the end of his contract.
He entered Merseyside at a testing time, with Liverpool engulfed in a dramatic decline, but Gakpo still managed to produce a return of seven goals and three assists from 17 starting appearances in the English top flight.
This season, in all competitions, Gakpo has played 52 times, scoring 16 goals and adding seven assists to play a central role in Liverpool's Carabao Cup triumph and overall resurgence. Only Salah and Nunez have outscored him this term.
He has been criticised for his performances throughout the campaign but there has been plenty to be impressed by, with the Dutchman discernibly more potent since December.
First 19 fixtures
17
9
2
1
Last 18 fixtures
17
7
6
4
Gakpo's improvements in front of goal have been a testament to his hard work and unflappable mentality, but Liverpool supporters can rest assured that the underlying numbers have always bespoke his high-level quality.
Indeed, as per FBref, Gakpo ranks among the top 18% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 8% for shot-creating actions, the top 16% for pass completion, the top 5% for progressive passes, the top 16% for progressive carries, the top 8% for successful take-ons and the top 6% for tackles per 90.
While the 6 foot 1 star has caught the eye with his crisp finishing ability of late, it is the diversified approach to his football that has been the real kernel of his improvement in recent months, maintaining his skill set and now enjoying the fruits of his labour.
Gakpo's compatriot Slot has enjoyed several trophy-laden years at Feyenoord but the real reason that Edwards and co sought to appoint him comes down to the organised style, purposeful press and inborn interpersonal qualities that make him the perfect man to succeed Klopp.
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He’s one for the future.
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Gakpo offers a dynamic and varied blend of qualities, and with Slot headed toward Anfield, there's every chance that he will continue to flourish after firing himself into form at the perfect time.
Cody Gakpo's market value in 2024
According to Football Transfers, Gakpo has now risen to a prominent position among his team's most valuable players, with only a select few stars boasting a higher valuation at the time of writing.
1.
Dominik Szoboszlai
£51m
2.
Alexis Mac Allister
£46m
3.
Mohamed Salah
£45m
3.
Darwin Nunez
£45m
5.
Cody Gakpo
£43m
6.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
£42m
6.
Luis Diaz
£42m
While, based on Football Transfers' system of appraisal, Gakpo hasn't enjoyed a meteoric rise in the fee that was paid to bring him to Liverpool, these are modest fees and this is reflected through Dominik Szoboszlai being the club's cream of the financial crop at £51m.
Still, Gakpo has almost doubled his £27m market value at the time of his transfer from PSV and this highlights the growth that Slot will no doubt be eager to shape and guide toward the next level.
Interestingly, Gakpo is worth more than both Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Marginally so, yes, but it still places credit in the Netherland star's rise, with Diaz winning Liverpool's Player of the Month award for April and the club's vice-captain one of the most influential players in world football – Jamie Carragher remarked that "it's like having Kevin De Bruyne playing at right-back," when discussing Alexander-Arnold's ability.
Liverpool have enjoyed a promising campaign with portions of success and plenty more hinted down the line. There is plenty to do but with Gakpo going through the gears, Slot could find a talisman yet to reach his Anfield potential.