Liverpool's Missed Opportunity: Diego Gomez's Impact on the Premier League

Anfield has learned a hard truth at the dawn of the 2026/27 season: this Liverpool side is promising, but nowhere near the finished article.

Andoni Iraola has brought energy, edge and a different kind of chaos to the touchline. There are clear green shoots. Jeremy Jacquet already looks as if he has been marshalling Liverpool’s defence for years, not weeks, reading danger early and playing out with a composure that belies his age. Alexander Isak, too, is beginning to resemble the £125 million centrepiece the club believed they were buying, sharper in his movement, more ruthless in his finishing. Bradley Barcola is slowly knitting himself into the patterns of Iraola’s attacking play.

Yet for all that, something is missing. The structure still feels lopsided, the system not fully wired into every department of the pitch. Iraola’s ideas are clear, but the squad is a couple of signings short of truly reflecting them. And that is where Liverpool’s recruitment strategy starts to look puzzling.

Because the perfect profile for this new Liverpool is currently lighting up the south coast — and being courted by their rivals.

Brighton’s livewire at the heart of Hurzeler’s rise

Brighton have once again gatecrashed the Premier League’s established order, but this time it feels different. Under Fabian Hurzeler, they do not just look like plucky overachievers; they look ready to plant themselves in the top four and stay there.

The collective has driven that surge. The Seagulls press in packs, break lines with conviction and suffocate opponents with their intensity. Yet within that framework, a few individuals have begun to tower above the rest.

Diego Gomez is one of them.

The Paraguayan has become a talking point across the division, not least after that outrageous strike from the halfway line against Crystal Palace — the sort of audacious moment that instantly rewrites a player’s reputation. But his highlight reel doesn’t define him; his engine does. Gomez embodies Hurzeler’s football in Sussex: relentless running, fearless duels, and a constant willingness to join both halves of the pitch.

This is exactly the type of profile Liverpool should be all over. Instead, they are nowhere to be seen.

United move, Liverpool watch

The latest indications over Gomez’s future paint a worrying picture for Liverpool. According to Hooligan Soccer, Manchester United are described as the “sole serious and determined candidate” to sign him in January. Arsenal and Atletico Madrid are also keeping a close eye on the 23-year-old, ready to pounce if the situation shifts.

Liverpool? Not mentioned.

For a club attempting to rebuild a high-octane, front-foot identity under Iraola, that omission is baffling. Gomez’s high-energy, athletic game would drop straight into Liverpool’s pressing structure. He covers ground with the kind of ferocity that turns a pressing trap into a weapon. He can step into attacks, then snap back into defensive shape before the opposition has even reset.

This is not a luxury signing. This is a system player.

A €50–60m question Liverpool must answer

The reported fee to prise Gomez away in January sits in the €50–60 million range, roughly £40–50 million. In today’s market, for a 23-year-old already proving he can dictate games in the Premier League, that is not an indulgence. It is an opportunity.

Liverpool have spent bigger on players with less obvious tactical fit. Gomez offers versatility in both role and function: he can operate in different midfield slots, shift wider when required, and act as a utility presence in a squad that will be stretched if Iraola’s intense style is to last from August to May.

With the club desperate to reclaim its place at the summit of English football, these are exactly the marginal gains that separate contenders from nearly-men. Allowing a player so tailored to their evolving identity to walk into Old Trafford or the Emirates would not just be a missed chance. It would be a direct boost to a rival.

Julian Ward knows the profile. He knows the league. He knows what Iraola is trying to build.

The question now is simple: will Liverpool move for Diego Gomez in January, or watch a perfect fit power someone else’s resurgence?