With Tottenham linked with a move for Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo, we’ve taken a closer look at his best and worst Premier League seasons.
The 2026-27 Premier League season is not far from kicking off, with just a little under three weeks to go. Spurs open their league campaign with a clash against Brentford, and Roberto De Zerbi will be hoping to get his first game of the new season off to a winning start.
The building blocks are certainly being put in place by Tottenham as they look to improve on their consecutive 17th-place finishes from the last two campaigns.
Most of this work has been done in the transfer market, with Spurs signing six new players already: Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Andy Robertson, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka.
But new signings are still expected to come through the door, with Tottenham’s attention likely to turn to forward additions.
Several players have been linked with a move to Spurs, including Cody Gakpo, who could well cost the Lilywhites upwards of £60 million.
Tottenham target Cody Gakpo was on fire in 2024/25
Head coach De Zerbi is a big fan of the forward. Gakpo offers great versatility, being able to play from the left and as a centre-forward. The Dutchman also has Premier League experience, having spent almost four seasons with Liverpool.
During that time, the versatile forward has had standout campaigns as he warmed into life in the Premier League.
Gakpo’s best season in the English top flight came in 2024-25 when Liverpool won the title, with the 27-year-old registering 10 goals and five assists.
Cody Gakpo’s 2024-25 statistics
| Appearances ↓ | Goals ↕ | Assists ↕ | Yellow cards ↕ | Second yellow cards ↕ | Red cards ↕ | Minutes played ↕ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 35 | 10 | 5 | 5 | – | – | 1,938′ |
| UEFA Champions League | 8 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | 369′ |
| EFL Cup | 6 | 5 | 1 | – | – | – | 389′ |
| FA Cup | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 49 | 18 | 7 | 5 | – | – | 2,696′ |
For some context, in the Premier League that campaign Spurs’ leading goal scorer was Brennan Johnson with 11 goals. Behind the Welshman were: Dominic Solanke – 9 goals, 3 assists; James Maddison – 9 goals, 7 assists; Heung-min Son – 7 goals, 9 assists; Dejan Kulusevski – 7 goals, 4 assists.
In all competitions, Gakpo managed 18 goals in 2024-25, which was on par with Johnson – Spurs’ leading scorer during that time.
Gakpo’s mixed returns at Liverpool and why he fits De Zerbi’s winger profile
But double digits for goals have not always been a given for Gakpo since his move to Liverpool back in 2022-23.
In his first season, after joining in the winter, the forward recorded seven goals and three assists – reaching double figures for goal contributions, though only scoring seven times in the Premier League.
In all competitions that same year, he managed 20 goals and 20 assists. The 2023-24 season saw the 27-year-old produce a slightly better return: eight goals and five assists from 35 league appearances.
The 2025–26 campaign, during which much of Liverpool struggled, saw Gakpo register seven goals and five assists in 36 appearances.
Why Cody Gakpo fits Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham profile
Tottenham are definitely targeting a forward who can not only manage goals during a season but also offer creativity from the left.
If Spurs are indeed pushing for a move for Gakpo, he must match De Zerbi’s profile, with the boss revealing more about the club’s search for a winger when speaking recently:
“No two players are the same. A winger can be a very wide winger, one able to come inside, a winger without a full-back, a winger able to play with the full-back.
“We have four great full-backs at the moment, maybe the four most important full-backs in the world, because I think Pedro Porro is the best right-back in the world, with Udogie, Robertson, and Djed Spence can play right and left.
“Before bringing in a winger, we have to consider the full-back, because we start from the full-back, from the player we already have, no?”