Unwanted Cody Gakpo becomes Liverpool undroppable and Prem’s third-best player
Motivation takes many forms, but few methods are as fast-acting or hard-hitting as the Tottenham Hotspur Effect.
Cody Gakpo is the latest player to benefit from the uptick in form that inevitably follows a summer spent stewing over the prospect of being packed off to Spurs.
Things at Liverpool looked bleak for the Netherlands winger. The Reds were willing to sell him – just not to a club they consider a genuine threat.
Liverpool were also clear in their intent to replace Gakpo; they signed two wingers for a possible combined total of £158million and would have liked another.
The writing was on the Anfield wall for Gakpo. But rather than sulk, the 27-year-old has knuckled down to prove his worth.
Not only has Gakpo been Liverpool’s best player this season, he’s been one of the Premier League’s most-impressive performers.
Granted, the season is only three games old and a wider body of work is required to show how long-lasting the Tottenham Hotspur Effect can be. But Gakpo’s form, so far, vindicates Liverpool’s reluctance to move decisively for another winger to follow Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz through the door while the window was closing.
“I had no doubt with Cody. He has been very, very good,” said Andoni Iraola after the win over Ipswich. We’re not swallowing the first sentence but no one can argue with the second.
The Reds boss continued: “All pre-season, and he has started very well this season, producing numbers.”
Indeed. The simplest, most important being one goal and three assists in three games.
Gakpo’s start is even more impressive given the numbers and the context offered by our friends at Gradient Sports. They rank the forward as Liverpool’s best player this season and third-best among the 362 players to have played in the Premier League this term.
Let us explain: Gradient’s dynamic player rankings combine two key indicators: Overall Grade and Impact Score. Overall Grade indicates how well a player executes the skills most important to their position; Impact Score tells us how frequently a player delivers the outcomes most important to their position.
So while Virgil van Dijk is graded slightly above Gakpo, the forward’s impact score puts him ahead of the captain on the Liverpool list.
Liverpool player rankings – Premier League 2026/27
1. Cody Gakpo
Overall Grade: 82.7 Impact Score: 8.6 Premier League ranking: 3/362
2. Virgil van Dijk
Overall Grade: 83.0 Impact Score: 7.2 Premier League ranking: 25/362
3. Dominik Szoboszlai
Overall Grade: 71.2 Impact Score: 7.9 Premier League ranking: 29/362
4. Alexander Isak
Overall Grade: 62.3 Impact Score: 8.1 Premier League ranking: 58/362
5. Florian Wirtz
Overall Grade: 73.9 Impact Score: 7.3 Premier League ranking: 83/362
Gakpo’s Impact Score of 8.6 is not only the best at Liverpool – it is the highest across the Premier League.
Jack Hinselwood, Bruno Fernandes and Florian Wirtz are in a three-way tie for second narrowly behind Gakpo on 8.5, with Martin Odegaard, Erling Haaland and Morgan Rogers just trail them on 8.4.
Gakpo’s Premier League-high of three assists will be a major factor in the forward’s Impact Score.
Looking at his grades for how Gakpo has executed the skills most important to his position, the forward is in the Premier League top 10 for crossing (fifth among forwards overall), ball carrying (second overall) and shooting (10th overall).
The close attention that comes from playing on Liverpool’s flank doesn’t concern Gakpo. Among Premier League forwards, he ranks top for pressured crossing and sixth for pressured shooting.
Gakpo misses out on the top 10 forwards for passing and 50/50 duels – but only just. He ranks 11th for both.
The overall Premier League rankings highlight the key performers in the strong starts made by Manchester City and Arsenal…
Premier League player rankings – top 10: 2026/27
1. Rayan Cherki (Man City)
Overall Grade: 84.3 (7th overall in PL) Impact Score: 8.5 (3rd overall in PL)
2. Joao Pedro (Chelsea)
Overall Grade: 88.9 (2nd) Impact Score: 8.2 (8th)
3. Cody Gakpo (Liverpool)
Overall Grade: 82.7 (12th) Impact Score: 8.6 (1st)
4. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Overall Grade: 87.1 (4th) Impact Score: 8.1 (10th)
5. Marc Guehi (Man City)
Overall Grade: 88.8 (3rd) Impact Score: 7.8 (28th)
6. Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
Overall Grade: 82.5 (14th) Impact Score: 8.3 (6th)
7. Erling Haaland (Man City)
Overall Grade: 81.1 (22nd) Impact Score: 8.3 (7th)
8. Josh King (Fulham)
Overall Grade: 85.1 (6th) Impact Score: 7.9 (22nd)
9. Elliot Anderson (Man City)
Overall Grade: 91.0 (1st) Impact Score: 7.4 (outside top 50)
10. Josko Gvardiol (Man City)
Overall Grade: 83.5 (9th) Impact Score: 7.8 (30th)
