Liverpool have been linked with Nicolas Pepe, François Kamano and Maxwel Cornet at various points, so we checked out who would be a better fit.
It’s been written about a fair bit, but popular wisdom has it that the Reds need a versatile forward who can play across all three positions. Pepe, Kamano and Cornet fit that bill instantly, although to varying degrees.
All three play in the French Ligue One, so comparing them will be fairly straightforward. Using data from Smarter Scout and their individual contributions, we’ll have a look at each and see if Pepe, Kamano or Cornet would be a better fit for Liverpool.
Looking at Cornet first, because he’s a fresh transfer rumour, and we can see that he is able to play anywhere across the front three but spent most of his time as a right winger with 827 minutes, but has 227 as a left winger and 150 split between an attacking midfield role and as a central striker.
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Cornet is a fairly well developed and comes out as the best natural finisher out of the three and is the most proficient shooter. He’s also the best tackler out of Kamano and Pepe, which should appeal to Liverpool and Klopp.
Pepe is the best dribbler out of the three but he doesn’t get into the box as much Cornet, although he arrives in dangerous positions more often than Kamano – and that makes sense when you consider the Arsenal target scored 22 goals this season.
In terms of disrupting and recovering, all three edge around 50/99 for their ability to make a nuisance of themselves around the area but Cornet is the weaker defender out of the three by a mile.
So Pepe scores more goals, but is the least positionally flexible of the three. He’d also cost the most, and is the least likely to accept a back-up role.
Kamano is 23-years-old, Cornet 22. Both would cost around the same, but the former is further forward in his development than the latter and that’s why Klopp should think about buying Cornet if he had to chose anyone.