After three years of "joining the army", his biggest "highlight" was the single-game four-middle door frame

On August 9, 26-year-old Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunes ended his three-year "Red Army" career and officially transferred to join the Saudi giant Riyadh Crescent. His transfer fee is €53 million, which is more than one-third of his net worth when he joined Liverpool three years ago.

In June 2022, when Nunez transferred from Benfica to Liverpool, he was highly expected.

In three years, he has made 143 appearances for the "Red Army" and scored 40 goals, but last season when Liverpool won the Premier League championship, he only started eight games in the league.

Liverpool said in a statement: "Everyone at the club is grateful to Darwin for his contribution and wishes him and his family all the best in the future."

Nuñes has been following Riyadh Crescent to attend a pre-season training camp in Germany.

Nuñes' departure may have an impact on Liverpool's efforts to chase Swedish striker Isak, after their £110 million offer had been rejected by Newcastle United.

After three years of "joining the army", he failed to meet expectations

Although he transferred from Benfica at a high price, Nunes' performance at Liverpool did not reach the expected heights.

Many Liverpool fans will recall those gratifying moments affectionately: in August 2023, he scored twice in the last moment of the game, helping 10-man Liverpool win against Newcastle United; in March 2024, he scored a winning goal in the 99th minute of the match against Nottingham Forest; in January this year, he scored two goals in stoppage time against Brentford, helping the team win, and also helping himself lay the foundation for leaving as the Premier League champion.

However, the highlights of these games are not enough to eliminate many people's doubts about him. His overall performance, especially the scoring efficiency, does not match his value and salary, which also prompted Liverpool coach Slot to seek other options this summer.

Nuñes was called the "confused captain" by former Liverpool defender Carragher, and he has been having trouble maintaining his main position in the three seasons at Anfield.

In the first season, he played 42 times in all games and scored 15 goals; in the second season, his statistics increased to 54 games and 18 goals. But since Slott replaced Klopp in 2024, his appearances and goals have begun to decline.

He scored only seven goals in 47 games last season, scoring 25 goals in 95 Premier League games in three years, although 46 of them were substitutes.

Why did Nunes not succeed at Liverpool?

Nuñez signed a six-year contract with Benfica in 2021. In the 2021-22 season, he played 41 times for Benfica and scored 34 goals, including two goals in the Champions League match against Liverpool.

Klopp said clubs and fans must recognize Nunez as a "progressive man", which can be seen from his first few appearances when he scored two consecutive goals but was sent off for Joachim Anderson, who was overhead in his home debut. In the interview after

, Nunez's speech won the love of supporters, and in his speech he hinted at his potential talent, which became an important reason why he was able to stay in Anfield.

However, at the end of Klopp's coaching, Nunez had gradually fallen out of favor, and after Slot took office, the possibility of him leaving was getting greater and greater. In the February game against Aston Villa, Nunez's turnover affected his performance evaluation throughout the season, and even Slot criticized his low shooting efficiency.

"The player missed the opportunity - I can accept it," Slot said. "What makes it harder for me to accept is his behavior after that opportunity. The behavior I am talking about is that he thinks too much on the court, no longer the Darwin who used to work hard and ensure helping the team."

Nunes, who has always been known for his vitality and enthusiasm in the game, has only started in eight games in the Premier League this season and scored five goals.

This summer, Liverpool signed French striker Ekitic for £79 million and signed midfielder Furwerz with a club record of £116 million. In his second season of coaching, Slot began to rebuild the team.

"The main feeling about Nunez is frustration. He was worth a lot when he joined and people had high expectations."

"Given the money we spent on him, he may not be as good as we expected, so the transfer may be the best for both sides."

Data will not lie

critics will eventually come up with Nunez's statistics on goals, especially his ability to waste opportunities to define whether his career at Liverpool was successful.

The following are the main data:

Nuñez is the player with the lowest shooting conversion rate among Liverpool's forwards in the past three seasons, with only 11.1%;

Since the start of the 2022-23 season, his expected goals are the worst among Liverpool's forwards, with -8.5;

Among the 15 players with the most shooting in the Premier League since the 2022-23 season , Nunez ranked second lowest in goal rate (226 shots, 25 goals);

He is the second lowest forward in the Premier League in the past three seasons, behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin (-13.7);

Among the 10 players who have won the most "must-scoring" opportunities since the 2022-23 season, Nunez has the lowest conversion rate, at only 23.6%..

But what else do these numbers tell us about Nunez? Why is he still loved by fans when he left Anfield?

As mentioned earlier, Nunes brings memorable moments to Liverpool fans.

Since joining Liverpool, he has scored three winning goals in the 90th minute and stoppage time in the Premier League, the most of all Premier League players.

In fact, only six players in the entire Premier League history have scored more "final wins" than him.

fans are eager to see his brilliant career at Liverpool, but they are often as annoyed as he is because luck seems to pass by him frequently.

This is obvious, he hit the goal frame four times in the 2023-24 season, setting a Premier League record.

He has hit posts or crossbars in the Premier League to 14 times, and in his three years at Liverpool, no Premier League player can "compete" him in this regard.

source:7m en