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Brentford defender Ben Mee has lauded Netherlands and PSV Eindhoven forward Cody Gakpo, who has been on the radar of Arsenal and Liverpool. He also compared the in-demand striker to Belgium and Manchester City superstar Kevin De Bruyne in the process.
Gakpo, 23, has emerged as one of the most exciting talents in Europe with his fine outings for both club and country. He has netted 13 goals and contributed 17 assists in 24 matches for PSV this season.
A versatile attacker blessed with pace, shooting, and directness, Gakpo has turned a lot of heads at the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. So far, he has scored three goals in three Group A matches for Louis van Gaal's side, guiding them to a last-16 berth.
Speaking to The Athletic, Mee analyzed Gakpo's style of play:
"There is something of Kevin De Bruyne about him, and he is developing a similar range and vision in his passing. I've seen him deliver pinpoint passes with the outside of his boot, clever balls guided round the corner or into space for team-mates to collect on the run, and he clearly has a decent cross in him."
Mee asserted that the Arsenal and Liverpool target has a shooting style similar to De Bruyne, apart from his passing range. He concluded:
"He hits it like De Bruyne, too, as he showed with his finish – struck so cleanly – for the opening goal against Qatar. Then there's that ability to collect, spin and drive up-field with the ball, something we've seen De Bruyne do countless times for City and definitely a skill Gakpo replicates."
Apart from Arsenal and Liverpool, Manchester United are also speculated to move for the £43 million-rated forward in January next year.
Gakpo is next set to be in action for the Netherlands in their 2022 FIFA World Cup last-16 clash against the USA on Saturday (3 December).
David Seaman backs Arsenal to rope in Liverpool-linked Bundesliga midfielder
During a recent interaction with Express, Arsenal great David Seaman was asked which team would win the transfer race for Borussia Dortmund superstar Jude Bellingham in the future. He replied:
"Arsenal, hopefully. I would like to think they've got a realistic chance of signing him but it depends on how they finish the season."
He also added:
"It's so weird that we're almost halfway through a season and we've paused it, with players still to go back. I would love to see him at Arsenal. He's a special player. He looks like he's been playing for England for the last 10 years. He's so special for his age."
Bellingham has established himself as an indispensable member of BVB's squad over the past two seasons. Due to his rapid growth, the 19-year-old has been linked with Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Manchester City.
An all-action box-to-box operator, Bellingham has scored 19 goals and laid out 21 assists in 112 overall matches for the Bundesliga outfit.
