"Plays better when he is the main man" - Liverpool urged to sign ex-Manchester United attacker on a free transfer

Former Leicester City defender Danny Simpson believes Wilfried Zaha could prove to be a good signing for Liverpool.

Zaha's last stint with a traditional heavyweight was with the Reds' arch-rivals Manchester United, a club that Simpson also played for. The Ivory Coast international joined United in 2013 from Crystal Palace before being loaned back to them and later to Cardiff City.

He returned to Old Trafford in May 2014, but struggled to get game-time and was eventually sold to Palace in the 2015 winter transfer window. Zaha has since played only for the Eagles and quickly become a club legend, recording 89 goals and 76 assists in 450 matches across competitions.

However, his contract at Selhurst Park is set to run out this summer and he is expected to have plenty of suitors. Simpson believes both Liverpool and Manchester United could be potentially good fits for Zaha. He told Stadium Astro (as quoted by HITC):

“He can go wherever he wants, especially on a free-contract. I think Wilf plays better when he is the main man.

“He came to Man United, I know he was a lot younger, but if he goes to another top four or top six team, then he’s not going to be the main man, so it will be interesting to see where he goes.”

The 2015-16 Premier League winner added:

“I think someone like Liverpool could do with him, at the moment because it’s not happening for them. I would bring him back here (Old Trafford). You have Marcus Rashford as a number nine and Wilfried on the left. That’s some firepower as well.”

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How do Liverpool's forwards compare to Wilfried Zaha this season?

Liverpool have endured a tumultuous 2022-23 club campaign. The Reds have struggled to find any form of consistency and are now leaking goals on one end without creating enough on the other. They currently sit 10th in the Premier League with just 29 points from 20 matches, and have exited both domestic cups.

Wilfried Zaha could help alleviate their goalscoring problem, as his numbers indicate. Despite receiving limited quality service, the Ivorian has scored six goals in 19 Premier League matches this term prior to his current injury-induced absence.

Among Liverpool players, only Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah are ahead of him with seven. Darwin Nunez, acquired last summer, has scored just five times, while Luis Diaz has three goals after missing most of the ongoing season due to a knee injury.

Zaha's Premier League goal conversion rate of 15% is also better than those of Salah (11%) and Nunez (8%), though Firmino is clear of him on that count at 21%.

The Crystal Palace man is a more potent dribbler as well, averaging 1.7 successful dribbles per league match. Salah comes closest to him here with 1.1, while Firmino (0.5) and Nunez (0.3) are some distance behind.

It's worth noting, however, that Liverpool's attack could improve once Diaz and Diogo Jota are fully fit again. The former notably boasted a 19% goal conversion rate and 1.9 successful dribbles per game in the eight Premier League matches he played this term.