Liverpool’s latest winter signing, Luis Diaz, appears to tick a lot of boxes for Jurgen Klopp’s men from the eye test alone, appearing to be an effective ball carrier, goal threat and possessing a solid work rate.
Ben McAleer has pointed to the Colombian’s proficiency in winning back possession in the final third – an attribute highly prized by the Reds.
“As soon as Liverpool got wind of Tottenham’s interest in Luis Díaz, they made their move for the Colombian,” WhoScored’s editorial officer wrote for the Guardian.
“The 25-year-old has had a direct hand in 18 league goals for Porto this season, scoring 14.
“In the Primeira Liga this season he ranks second for key passes (39), third for dribbles (46) and, crucially, second for possession won in the attacking third (18) – a metric in which Liverpool lead the way in the Premier League. No wonder Jürgen Klopp wanted him.”
The former Porto star had enjoyed a stellar first-half of the campaign in the Portuguese top-flight, registering 22 goal contributions in 28 games (across all competitions).
At 25 years of age, the winger seems almost ready-made for the Liverpool first-team with attributes that fit neatly into Klopp’s setup.
Given how the availability of the likes of Diogo Jota and Kostas Tsimikas has helped raise the game of their positional competitors in the squad, we can only imagine that Diaz’s arrival will have a similarly transformational effect on Sadio Mane going forward.
At the very least, we’re getting another quality option in for the remainder of the campaign with us very much still in the mix for four trophies.
#Ep31 of The Red Nets Podcast: The poor handling of Mane, what the hell are NFTs?… and more!