A version of this piece was first published in April 2026. It has been updated to reflect Liverpool agreeing a deal to sign Victor Munoz from Osasuna.
Victor Munoz was one of the biggest breakout stars in La Liga last season — and Real Madrid and Barcelona were both paying very close attention.
The 22-year-old winger made 36 appearances for Osasuna in what was his first full campaign at elite level, scoring seven goals and assisting five, after joining the Pamplona-based club for €5million (£4.3m; $5.9m at the current rates), plus a further €1m in potential add-ons, from Madrid last July.
As part of that deal, the Bernabeu giants made sure they had options to buy him back after each of the following three seasons. If they had done so this summer, it would have only cost them €8million. Barca had been considering a move for Munoz and Newcastle United were also interested — and held talks with Osasuna. But Liverpool have swooped to pay the Spain international’s €40m (£34.6m) release clause.
Here, The Athletic explains what Liverpool are getting for a player who is part of Spain’s World Cup squad…
In many respects, Munoz is a throwback winger.
Pacy, skilful and energetic, he rarely passes up an opportunity to run at his full-back and get to the byline. Against more compact defensive units, he makes the most of space on the flanks, but he can also lead his team on the counter-attack and act as a pressure release against possession-dominant sides.
His player pizza chart below highlights his dribbling ability, ranking Munoz in the 98th percentile (ie, only two per cent are better than him) of wide players across Europe’s top five domestic leagues for take-ons per 100 touches. He also drives forward with the ball frequently — close to a third of his carries are considered progressive — while he keeps his passes short and sharp and does not shy away from taking a shot.
Munoz’s talent when it comes to carrying the ball was given a chance to thrive with Osasuna.
The club from Pamplona field one of La Liga’s more direct, fast-attacking sides, and Munoz found a home out on the left of their 4-2-3-1 system which provided him with space to gallop into on the break. In the 1-0 win against Girona on March 21, Munoz attempted eight take-ons and seven shots as he served as an outlet down the flanks, receiving 20 forward passes and linking up well with scampering left-back Javi Galan.
Talented attacking midfielder Aimar Oroz would drift over to his side to exchange quick one-twos, while target-man striker Ante Budimir — La Liga’s third top scorer last season with 17 goals — would hold the ball up for Munoz to run beyond, or provide a crossing option in the box at 6ft 3in (190cm). In effect, Munoz helped replace the dynamism Osasuna lost with the summer 2023 departure of Barcelona loanee Abde Ezzalzouli, a similarly stocky, quick-stepping winger now forging a strong career at Real Betis.
Munoz’s impact is not restricted to the flanks. He is an endlessly enthusiastic winger who will drop deep to get on the ball and drag his team up the pitch.
Here, also in that win against Girona, he was on hand on the right flank as Osasuna won back possession. Instantly offering himself for a pass, he turned away from the first challenge and prodded the ball past a second before carrying quickly over to find Kike Barja on the opposite wing to launch an attack.
Munoz’s low centre of gravity and tip-tapping feet allow him to swiftly change direction and slip between challenges, as we can see from our next example, against Atletico Madrid on October 18.
Again, he dropped into a deeper position to get on the ball, chopped inside with a sharp turn before pushing past an unbalanced Robin Le Normand and powering into space. It is a clip that not only shows the speed with which Munoz can turn defence into attack, but his positivity with the ball at his feet, driving at the heart of a retreating back line and shifting onto his stronger right side to shoot.
Munoz can overdo it at times. He is an excitable attacking player who sometimes gets his head down and lets loose with optimistic long-range shots after skipping past the first man.
But for now, such ambition should be encouraged. He has been playing with freedom and shouldered an impressive amount of the attacking responsibility at Osasuna, given that it was his first full season at the top of the game.
The scatterplot below (using data up to the end of April) illustrates the proportion of team shots and take-ons that each player attempts, showing Munoz alongside Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal for the incentive he shows in making things happen.
Invariably, such ability and determination to make an impact lead to big moments in front of goal, demonstrated by this added-time effort to put Osasuna ahead in an eventual 3-1 win at Rayo Vallecano in January.
Once more, Munoz received the ball in a tight spot but was able to wriggle out of it with his tricky feet and upper-body strength, before using his pace to break free. His shot was deflected past goalkeeper Augusto Batalla, just reward for his fearless forward run.
🌪️ Un huracán llamado Víctor Muñoz.
LALIGAHighlights | @Osasuna pic.twitter.com/UTzeGMSKvt
— LALIGA (@LaLiga) January 28, 2026
Able to deal with the ball in tight spaces across the final third, it is clear what Liverpool see in the young winger.
Of similar appeal will be Munoz’s potential to break down low blocks. Though much of his best work for Osasuna came in transition, his ability to accelerate quickly away from challenges and strike through the ball cleanly would provide a threat against more stubborn opposition, particularly for teams that dominate possession such as Liverpool.
Here against Betis in April, for example, we see how quickly he can breeze past defenders after he slows them down, getting to the byline and pulling a dangerous ball across the face of goal.
His creative output is arguably Munoz’s biggest area for improvement, particularly given how regularly he gets into promising positions with the ball.
That stems from a mixture of decision-making — sometimes holding onto possession for too long, or failing to spot an easier pass — and inconsistencies with the quality of his delivery when crossing. But much like Abde now at Betis, or even someone like Jeremy Doku of Manchester City, there are areas that can be worked on and developed. The ability to get into such positions in the first place is the most valuable skill.
As mentioned, Munoz hits through the ball well when shooting, with a growing collection of spectacular goals to his name. His first in La Liga was a brilliant curling effort from 28 yards against Elche in September, while he thumped home from a tight angle against Real Sociedad — with his weaker left foot — in mid-March.
He often doesn’t hesitate to open up his body and curl shots towards the far corner, another ability that Liverpool could call upon when they need inspiration against a deep defence.
Munoz has even made a habit of attacking crosses at the back-post, having scored twice with his head despite standing at just 173cm (5ft 8in), pointing to good movement inside the penalty area.
Munoz, who will sign a six-year contract at Liverpool, will become the club’s first signing since Andoni Iraola was appointed head coach earlier in June.
With Mohamed Salah leaving before the World Cup, Liverpool’s priority in the transfer market has been strengthening their attack — and the arrival of Munoz does just that.