Az From FPL Blackbox Names The Best Liverpool Attacker NOT Named Mohamed Salah Ahead Of Gameweek 24

Az from FPL Blackbox is back with another set of tips ahead of Double Gameweek 24, highlighting the best Liverpool attacker NOT named Mohamed Salah that you should consider for your teams.

FPL Gameweek 24 Tips: Best Liverpool Attacker NOT Named Mohamed Salah

Accommodating three Liverpool players this week feels sensible, and whilst many are opting for double defence, double attack surely offers greater upside when you consider the upturn in Bournemouth and Everton form, which lessens the Liverpool clean sheet chances in Double Gameweek 24.

Gakpo or Diaz?

Cody Gakpo versus Luis Diaz is a discussion we have been having since August, and whilst Gakpo has had more minutes and FPL points of late, when you consider their season-long data, Diaz edges it. Both players cost around 7.5 million and come in at just under 20% owned, but the big difference between the two is their FPL position. Diaz is listed as a midfielder and Gakpo a forward, so individual team structure might be the deciding factor as to which asset you prefer.

It’s worth noting both players see their best position on the left side of a front three, and whilst Diaz started the season out wide, it’s now Gakpo’s spot in the team to lose, and the Dutchman has started the last 11 Premier League games out wide, with Diaz moving to the false 9 role in eight of those matches and being benched in the remaining three.

Season-Long Statistics

It’s fair to say current form is clearly with Gakpo, and off the back of his biggest haul of the season in Gameweek 23, many are jumping on him. Considering the season-long statistics however, it’s Diaz with more minutes, more starts and, most importantly, more FPL points. Diaz has higher expected goals with 6.12 (Gakpo 5.44), whilst Gakpo has higher expected assists with 2.65 (Diaz 2.1). Bonus points favour Gakpo too, he has 15 and a BPS of 401 compared to Diaz, who has 10 bonus points and a BPS of 333. There is very little to split them, but the bonus point swing is significant.

Conclusion

Liverpool have ongoing fitness issues with Diogo Jota and trust issues with Darwin Nunez, but both of these players should see some minutes across the Double Gameweek. Whilst two starts feel safe for Gakpo, they’re far from guaranteed for Diaz, who will likely see fewer minutes and earlier substitutions even if he does start both games.

Gakpo has the form and the recent minutes in his favour and is therefore the better pick in my opinion. Would I sell Luis Diaz and use two transfers swapping him out for Gakpo? Absolutely not, because the margins are too fine, so whilst I wouldn’t buy Diaz, I wouldn’t sell him either. On the flip side, if I had a spare Liverpool asset up for grabs and already owned Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gakpo would be top of my shopping list.