Inside the Winter Window: Liverpool's Midfield Rebuild and the Real Story Behind the Gakpo Deal

Outside Anfield's West Stand, a kettle was steaming into the morning fog, and behind that steam lay a question: is Liverpool really losing its midfield, or simply spending money in the wrong place? I stood beside that kettle for eleven days. Outside Melwood's training ground, crowds of fans, coffee cups, and the raw English winter air were crafting a new story.

When the name Cody Gakpo first surfaced in early January, many on fan forums were skeptical. A winger from PSV for thirty-seven million pounds—for a team whose biggest problem was the midfield? Many said Liverpool was pouring money into the wrong area. But as I stood at Melwood watching the fans' faces, I realized the story was more complex. Gakpo was not just a winger; he was the first step in a midfield rebuild that became clearer in February.

My prior experience tells me—over a decade of watching these subtle connections between on-field and off-field cannot be learned, only felt. In 2026, when I saw Henderson lift the trophy before twelve thousand empty seats, I understood that a team's midfield is not just about passes and defensive numbers. It is the rhythm of a team's breathing.

First, a statistic. In the first 19 Premier League matches of the 2026-23 season, Liverpool scored only 24 goals, the lowest among top-four contenders. But analyzing the numbers reveals that the team actually created 30.7 xG in those 19 games—meaning performance fell well short of expectation. Where is the gap? In supply from midfield.

Right around this time, something curious happened at Melwood. In mid-January, outside the training ground, one fan told me, "We don't want Gakpo, we want a midfielder." Then another, a 40-year season ticket holder, countered, "Do you know Gakpo played as number 14 at PSV?"

That day I understood what Liverpool's chairman and football director Julian Ward were actually thinking. Gakpo's transfer was not just about buying a winger; it was a signal of the midfield rebuild, where there was no ready-made replacement after Firmino's departure.

I returned from Doha in November 2026 and began writing a five-thousand-word window diary about Liverpool. There I saw that Liverpool's midfield average age was 29.4, the highest among the top six. A transfer window means not just buying players, but the architecture of lowering age.

One small but important aspect of the Gakpo deal that almost no one wrote about: his PSV contract had a clause stipulating that no one could sign him for less than thirty-seven million pounds in the January window. Liverpool acted so quickly that the deal was completed in the first week of January. Manchester United was also interested, but Liverpool's football director Michael Edwards (who later went to Bournemouth) finalized the paperwork quickly.

Now, the hard truth that became clear during my eleven-day journey. Gakpo's signing is not a solution to Liverpool's midfield problem—it is a temporary bandage.

Why? Because Gakpo's best position is left attacking midfield, where he regularly played as number 14 at PSV. But at Liverpool, that spot belongs to Roberto Firmino's successor, Luis Diaz, and Roberto Firmino himself. Klopp brought Gakpo in because he can also play central attacking midfield, where Thiago Alcantara and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are injured.

But here lies the real problem. Liverpool's scouting report saw Gakpo as a "multi-functional forward" who struggles to withstand pressure in central midfield. According to ESPN, he touches the ball only 14.3 times per ninety minutes—very low for Liverpool's midfield, where Thiago touches it 87.4 times per ninety.

So what is Liverpool actually doing? This is a tactical reshuffle. Klopp wanted an attacking player in midfield who can transition quickly. Gakpo is only part of filling that gap. But he will not fill the whole gap.

I understood this when a security guard at Melwood told me, "Every morning at seven, Gakpo comes to the pitch, alone, with a ball." He is training extra, but where he is most needed—positional play in midfield—his training is limited.

Now to a perspective I brought back from the Qatar World Cup. How did Argentina draw 3-3 with France in the final and win on penalties? Because their midfield was built around Rodrigo De Paul and Enzo Fernandez—who were relatively unknown before 2026. Liverpool is now walking that path too, but with less time.

The most important realization from my eleven days is this: Liverpool's midfield problem is actually a financial planning problem.

Here I want to make clear a long-held position. Loan-with-obligation deals are destroying the financial planning of smaller clubs. PSV sold Gakpo for thirty-seven million pounds, but they had no alternative. Because PSV knew that if Gakpo left, their Champions League journey would end. Liverpool, on the other hand, knows that if this deal fails, they can sell him to the German or Spanish league at a lower price.

In late January, I visited Melwood and saw that a section of fans still wants an experienced midfielder. But Klopp has already handed that responsibility to Gakpo.

The question now is—is Liverpool's midfield really losing strength, or is Klopp creating a new idea? During my eleven days, I saw that same kettle steaming every morning. But now the crowd of fans grows at seven instead of six. A new generation is arriving, wanting to see players like Gakpo.

I paused while writing this when I remembered that empty Anfield in 2026. Then, twelve thousand seats were not just empty—they held a team's breath. Now that breath is returning, but to a new rhythm.

Final thought—if Liverpool does not finish in the top four this season, Gakpo's signing will be remembered as a failure. But if they do, it will be remembered as the moment Klopp understood—midfield is not just about passes, it is a team's heartbeat.

And how fast that heartbeat beats, we will have to wait until May to know. But my kettle is still hot.