Cody Gakpo's Liverpool Future in Jeopardy After Slot's Departure

Cody Gakpo’s Liverpool career is lurching towards a sudden and sharp crossroads.

According to Dutch outlet Soccernews, the Netherlands international has submitted a transfer request in the wake of Arne Slot’s sacking, convinced he no longer has a future at Anfield without the coach who backed him when few others did.

From title pillar to lightning rod

Gakpo arrived at Liverpool in January 2022 for an initial £37m, billed as a modern, multi-functional forward with the numbers to match the hype. Across 180 appearances he has produced 50 goals and 23 assists, a solid return that grew in importance last season.

Under Slot’s stewardship, he became a key component of a title-winning side. Fifteen goal contributions in the Premier League helped drive Liverpool to the championship in the Dutchman’s first campaign in charge. Slot trusted him, built around him, and when the pressure rose, often turned to him.

This season told a different story. Liverpool’s title defence fell apart, ending in a disappointing fifth-place finish. As the team’s form dipped, patience in the stands thinned. Gakpo, once a symbol of Slot’s attacking vision, became a lightning rod.

Supporters repeatedly questioned why Slot persisted with him ahead of teenage prodigy Rio Ngumoha. Every miscontrolled touch, every missed chance, fed the narrative. While the team struggled collectively, the focus often narrowed onto Gakpo.

Slot has now paid for that collapse with his job. Andoni Iraola has stepped in. Gakpo, it seems, is stepping out.

No future without Slot

Soccernews report that Gakpo has formally asked to leave because he “doesn’t not see a future at The Reds without Slot” – a clumsy double negative that still leaves little room for doubt about his stance.

The timing is brutal but clear. The coach who believed in him has gone. The crowd’s patience has worn thin. A new manager with new ideas is in the building. Gakpo appears unwilling to wait and see where he fits in Iraola’s plans.

Liverpool, for their part, are not slamming the door.

TEAMtalk report that the club are open to a sale this summer, despite having rewarded Gakpo with a lucrative new deal last year worth around £250,000 a week through to June 2030. Slot’s loyalty had helped secure that contract. With Slot out, that security suddenly looks fragile.

Sources indicate that Liverpool will not block his exit if the right offer lands on the table.

Atletico Madrid circle as Griezmann replacement

There is already serious interest. Atletico Madrid are reported to “have ears for a collaboration” with Gakpo as they search for a replacement for Antoine Griezmann, who is leaving for MLS side Orlando City after his contract with the La Liga club expired.

The numbers will not be small. Gakpo is currently valued at around €60m (£52m) by Transfermarkt, and the Dutch reports stress that “a lot of payment will have to be made” to prise him away from Anfield. Yet they also insist a deal is far from impossible.

For Atletico, the attraction is obvious: a 25-year-old international forward, schooled in high-intensity football, with the versatility to operate across the front line. For Gakpo, a fresh start in a new league, away from the glare of Anfield’s scrutiny, has its own appeal.

Liverpool’s wing rebuild looms

The potential departure does not come in isolation. Club icon Mohamed Salah is also heading for the exit, leaving Liverpool’s right flank stripped of its defining presence of the past decade.

That double blow would rip out a major chunk of Liverpool’s attacking identity in a single window.

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano flagged this looming reset back in March, even before Salah’s exit became official. He predicted a “busy summer for Liverpool with wingers” and underlined the need to “reinforce their wingers” with fresh blood, name-checking both Salah and Gakpo as central to the conversation.

The club now stand on the brink of that overhaul. Salah is going. Gakpo wants out. Iraola must rebuild wide areas that have long been Liverpool’s most dangerous weapon.

The question is no longer whether change is coming on the flanks at Anfield. It’s how radical Liverpool are willing to make it — and whether Gakpo’s move becomes the first major domino to fall.