Adios to the magnificently ridiculous agent of chaos

Darwin Nunez, who is on the verge of joining Al-Hilal, will be missed by the Liverpool faithful

- Richard Jolly

In one respect, Darwin Nunez replaced Sadio Mane, in another Roberto Firmino.

When he left the Anfield pitch, probably for the last time in a Liverpool shirt, he was replaced by Lewis Koumas. He was given a standing ovation by many, along with a final blast of the chant of “Nunez”, as he came off in Monday’s preseason friendly against Athletic Bilbao’s second team.

It was a fond farewell, but also an anticlimactic one for the man who, when he joined, arrived with the expectation that comes with being Liverpool’s record signing. He had the deceptive debut, when he scored and Manchester City’s striking newcomer Erling Haaland did not, in the Community Shield; since then the Uruguayan delivered another 39 goals in competitive games, the Norwegian 124. The comparison was long since abandoned.

When each came to England in 2022, Nunez as Firmino’s long-term successor and as Mane was joining Bayern Munich, it did not escape attention that he cost more than Haaland - an initial £64m, potentially £85m - albeit with a significantly lower salary. So a transfer to Al-Hilal for a guaranteed £46.2m, and perhaps more, represents both a significant loss and yet a fine bit of business by Liverpool.

Napoli’s lower offer entailed deferring the first payments until 2026; Nunez was AC Milan’s top striking target but there was little prospect of them coming up with the best part of £50m. Selling Nunez to Al-Hilal seems a case of damage limitation.

Those with a basic grasp of maths may note, too, that the fees being recouped for Nunez and Luis Diaz come to just over £110m, or about the amount Liverpool offered Newcastle for Alexander Isak.