Scouting Report: Noah Okafor - A Viable Option for Liverpool?

It has been widely reported in the last few days that Liverpool are interested in RB Salzburg forward Noah Okafor. The Swiss international - who we will be able to see during the World Cup - has been one of the upcoming stars from the Austrian Bundesliga.

Salzburg do have a good history of producing top forwards - Erling Haaland and Sadio Mané being a couple of examples, the latter of whom we know all too well about. 

Okafor has been in great form this season, with 10 goals and two assists in 22 appearances in all competitions. Although during his Basel days he used to play in multiple positions across the forward line, the 22-year-old has chiefly operated as a number nine for Salzburg. If we narrow that down, he has played every game as a number nine this season for the Austrian side.

Below, we will take an in-depth look at the player, what his numbers and playing style tell us and much more. 

Noah Okafor - Introduction and Playing Style

Okafor is a versatile forward who has preferred playing centrally in the last year or so. The Swiss international is not a conventional striker though, because he likes to drift towards the left-hand side and cut in on his right foot to have a shot on goal. In the above image, his career heatmap is shown which depicts what we just discussed. If we want to compare to a current Liverpool player, it would be Darwin Núñez -  a striker who loves the left channel.

The above image is the shot map of the 22-year-old in the last calendar year in the Austrian Bundesliga. All but three goals have come from the centre to centre-left channel, while all of them have come from inside the box. He may not be the tallest striker, but he has a great sense of space in the opposition box.