There should be one or two Liverpool players in the running for the Premier League’s annual awards this summer.
Having missed out following a disappointing campaign last year, the Reds are likely to have a couple of contenders again this season.
One who perhaps stands out above his teammates is Virgil van Dijk. There have even been claims that Van Dijk is actually the best player on the entire planet at the moment and he could be a prime contender for the division’s player of the season gong.
Mohamed Salah may also be in the running. Although he’s missed an unusually large amount of game time through injury, Salah is still troubling the league’s top scorers and assisters.
Another player away from Liverpool who joins Mo at the top of both the goals and assists charts is Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins. With 16 goals and 10 assists, Watkins is one of the country’s most in-form players. However, data experts Squawka claim that the Reds have a forward who’s been statistically better than Watkins this year, and it isn’t Salah.
Ollie Watkins forced into second place
It really has been an impressive season from Watkins. Now a regular in the England squad, the 28-year-old has shown his capabilities as a creator as well as a finisher. Click here to read why Robbie Fowler previously wanted him at Liverpool.
Although he’s started nine more Premier League games than Salah, Watkins’ one goal and assist more than the Egyptian shows the kind of company he’s now keeping.
Nevertheless, as per as report in ESPN Argentina, Squawka have concluded that Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez is actually outranking the Villa man.
The data analysts have ranked a number of key forward metrics to name Nunez as the Premier League’s top striker of 2024.
The areas they’ve measured include basic things like goals and assists and also more detailed statistics like possession won in the defensive quarter, shot placement, percentage of shots that end in goal and touches in the opponent’s area.
Putting it all together, Darwin came out on top with a best in class rating of 78%. This was 2% clear of Watkins, with Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund a further percentage point behind in third.
Darwin Nunez – Premier League striker of 2024
It perhaps shouldn’t be a surprise to see Nunez rank so highly in these slightly more obscure metrics. The 24-year-old is a very complete forward. He showed that earlier this month, being described as ‘really special’ for his display against Sparta Prague in the Europa League.
The one thing he doesn’t do as well as the likes of Watkins is stick the ball in the net. However, he’s certainly improving in that regard, as his 10 Premier League goals this season attests.
Still with his best years ahead of him, the expectation is that Darwin will get even more clinical as the seasons pass. Watkins meanwhile is currently right there at his peak. He’ll never be better than he is now.
It all goes to show just what Nunez offers to Liverpool. Even if he isn’t quite the finished article in front of goal, the all-round package more than makes up for that. What a player.
