Darwin Nunez is a free agent. Again.
The Uruguayan striker has mutually terminated his contract with Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal, according to British newspaper The Mirror. Just 12 months after leaving Liverpool. Barely a season in the desert. And now? Back on the market for nothing.
Let that sink in.
Liverpool paid €85million for him four years ago. A club record at the time. Al Hilal forked out €53m last summer to bring him to the Middle East. Now both clubs have watched their investments walk out the door for absolutely zero.
So what the hell happened?
Benzema stole his lunch money
Nunez had his Saudi Pro League playing papers withdrawn during the winter window. The reason? Karim Benzema arrived.
The league’s foreign player rule is brutal, each squad is capped at ten foreigners, with eight over 20s and two under 20s. Something had to give. And Nunez was the one who made way.
Before the ban, his numbers were hardly convincing anyway. Twenty two appearances. Nine goals. Five assists. Decent, but not eye popping.
Benzema? He’s matched Nunez’s goal tally and assist count already in ten fewer games.
Ouch.
No football since February
Here’s the really worrying bit for Nunez.
He hasn’t played a competitive club match since 16 February. That’s nearly three months. In the AFC Champions League group stage his last meaningful action, he scored twice. Then he was left out of the squad entirely for Al Hilal’s round of 16 exit in April.
The World Cup is this summer. Uruguay have friendlies coming up. Nunez came on as a late sub against England and Algeria in March. That might just about get him on the plane.
But a squad player? At best.
Premier League return on the cards?
Newcastle and Chelsea are both monitoring the situation, according to The Mirror. A free transfer for a 26 year old striker with something to prove? That’s exactly the kind of gamble those clubs love.
For Newcastle, it’s a low risk swing. For Chelsea? It’s practically their entire transfer strategy.
Nunez was always chaos. Missed chances. Brilliant movement. Yellow cards for losing his head. Liverpool fans never quite knew what they was getting.
Now he’s available for nothing. And someone will take a punt.
What next?
Nunez needs game time before the World Cup. Desperately. A move back to England would give him that and a chance to remind everyone why Liverpool spent €85m on him in the first place.
Whether he takes it? That’s down to his agent and whichever club blinks first.
One thing’s for sure, the Darwin Nunez experiment isn’t over. It’s just restarting. Again.
