‘Don’t write him off yet’ – Fowler tells Liverpool fans to be patient with Gakpo despite ‘tough’ start

Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler thinks January signing Cody Gakpo needs a “little bit of luck” to end his “tough” start to life at Anfield.

Before moving to the Premier League for a transfer fee between €40m and €50m, the Netherlands international contributed nine goals and 12 assists in 14 Eredivisie matches this season.

However, he has failed to help Liverpool with a goal or assist in his four starts since arriving this month with lots of pressure on the team to deliver after a disappointing campaign.

Fowler thinks Gakpo will soon acclimatise to life at Liverpool with the former PSV Eindhoven star still finding “his feet” in the Premier League.

“Look it’s been a bit tough for him,” Fowler told the Liverpool Echo. “He’s come in and he’s still trying to find his feet and in terms of playing out of position, he’s played in a few already.

“But if you look at where he’s played recently and at the World Cup he’s played in a number of positions anyway, so he’s done remarkably well. In terms of the Premier League, it’s a big thing. The speed and the pressure of playing in the Premier League is totally different to anywhere else.

“Add that to the pressure playing for Liverpool as well and not every player can adapt [immediately] to playing for Liverpool because you talk about the mental side of the game and the mentality of a Liverpool player has to be spot on.

“For the life of me I am not questioning his mentality to play for Liverpool but they are a team that have had the very best people coming into the club and they have done so much due diligence in bringing him in, so you don’t write him off yet, you don’t write any player off.”

Fowler added: “You give him a little bit of time to settle and get used to a new environment, a new league, a new country and I am sure he’ll be a player that we all want to see, scoring goals.

“I am a striker and I think at one particular point something will bounce in for him. Whether that is off his backside, or off his knee and I know that is an incredibly cliched answer but sometimes you need a bit of luck. That’s not just him but that’s the club as whole, they could all use a little bit of luck at the moment.

“So it is not on Gakpo, there are others as well. Maybe he has found it tough but there’s no doubt that the work behind the scenes will be continuing.”

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