Liverpool ended the Jurgen Klopp era at Anfield last season with one major trophy added to the cabinet, as they won the League Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley.
The Reds were unable to secure a fairytale ending to the story by winning a second Premier League title – finishing below Arsenal and Manchester City.
Wasteful finishing was one of their biggest issues in the top-flight as Klopp's players let him down at times with their lack of quality in front of goal.
Liverpool ended the Premier League season with 80 goals scored from 93.32 xG, which essentially means that the players collectively scored around 13 goals fewer than expected based on the quality of chances that were created.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most profligate of the club's attackers was Uruguay international Darwin Nunez, who did not make the most of the opportunities that came his way in the division.
This is a big issue that new boss Arne Slot has to work through as the striker's lack of a clinical nature has hurt the Reds in the Premier League.
Darwin Nunez's finishing woes
Having a centre-forward who is unreliable in front of goal is hardly an ideal situation for the Dutch manager to have, as he will have to find a consistent source of goals from other areas.
Nunez ended the 2023/24 Premier League season with 11 goals from 18 xG – a staggering underperformance of seven goals. No other Liverpool player underperformed by more than 5.04 xG.
Problems with finishing is far from a new issue for the former Benfica man, though, as it has been a consistent concern over his two-year stint at Anfield so far.
Appearances
29
36
Goals
9
11
Big chances missed
20
27
Conversion rate
11%
10%
Assists
3
8
Big chances created
11
11
As you can see in the table above, Nunez has missed a staggering 47 'big chances' and only scored 20 goals in the last two Premier League seasons.
He is incredibly unreliable and does not make the most of the high-quality chances that his teammates have been able to create for him week-in-week-out.
Nunez does, however, provide creativity of his own as shown by his 22 'big chances' created over the last two top-flight campaigns, and has only been rewarded with 11 assists from that.
These statistics suggest that the forward still provides value as a constant menace to opposition defences, even if his finishing lets him down at times, as he can create for others to help make up for his deficiencies.
Slot could, though, solve his big Nunez problem by signing a midfielder who can get forward to provide a reliable goal threat, to make up for what Liverpool lose with a wasteful centre-forward in the number nine role.
Liverpool's interest in Danish wizard
Liverpool were recently linked with an interest in Celtic magician Matt O'Riley as they eye up a potential swoop for the impressive attacking midfielder.
TEAMtalk have reported that other teams in the Premier League are also interested in the former MK Dons man, who has been a target for Italian side Atalanta.
The outlet claimed that the Serie A outfit have already had an offer of around £16m turned down by the Hoops for the central midfield wizard.
It added that the Scottish Premiership champions are set to demand a club-record fee of £26m for the ex-Fulham starlet, which would be £1m more than their current biggest sales – Jota to Al Ittihad and Kieran Tierney to Arsenal.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not Atalanta are prepared to go higher than £16m to take the Denmark international over to Italy this summer.
It is also unclear, at this moment in time, whether or not Liverpool have a concrete interest in the star or if he is just one of a number of players the club are looking at in that position.
Whatever their current stance is on O'Riley, Slot must push for the Reds to swoop in and complete a deal for the £26m-rated sensation as he has the potential to solve the club's Nunez problem next season and beyond.
Why Liverpool should sign O'Riley
Signing a player from Scotland is a gamble, of course, as he is yet to prove himself in the Premier League or another major league but plenty of talent has come over from north of the border, including current Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk.
The 23-year-old star is a midfield player with the potential to be a reliable and prolific goalscorer for the Reds if he can translate his form from the Premiership over to the English top-flight.
Nunez having a midfielder behind him who can drive forwards to chip in with goals on a regular basis would take some of the pressure off his shoulders and provide him with a player who could help to make the most of the 'big chances' he can create.
O'Riley, who has produced three goals and one assist in three pre-season matches this summer, scored 18 goals in 37 league appearances for Celtic last season.
The left-footed whiz, who was described as "phenomenal" by manager Brendan Rodgers, has the quality to find the back of the net on a consistent basis from a midfield position.
Appearances
37
Goals
18
Big chances missed
10
Conversion rate
17%
Assists
13
Big chances created
14
As you can see in the table above, O'Riley scored more goals than Nunez whilst missing fewer 'big chances' and recording a higher conversion rate.
Alongside his exceptional scoring ability, the Danish maestro is also a superb creator who can split open opposition defences to create chances for his teammates.
This suggests that O'Riley could be a complete and dangerous attacking weapon for Slot to use next season if Liverpool bring him in and he is able to adapt to Premier League football.
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His ability to score goals consistently from a number eight or ten position could solve the manager's big Nunez problem by providing him with an alternative reliable stream of goals, which would then allow the Uruguay international to be a nuisance without being relied upon as the team's go-to man for goals.