Liverpool’s owners FSG have been heavily blamed by fans frustrated by a lack of ambition in the market.
Our net-spend under the Americans is far, far less than our direct sporting rivals, Manchester City and Chelsea, who are backed by billionaires of a different financial stratosphere to FSG.
Still, Liverpool are a huge, rich and successful club and at times it has felt like we are standing still and failing to build for the future – or at least capitalising on the wonderful players we currently have and more importantly, the fact Jurgen Klopp is in charge and won’t be forever.
But by securing Luis Diaz from FC Porto for £50m, the club has chanced its hand and shown that when opportunities arise, we’re not scared to change tact. The Colombian was a target for the summer, but the Reds, headed up by Michael Edwards’ imminent replacement as sporting director Julian Ward, acted fast. Spurs had put a bid in, but Liverpool sold Diaz the Klopp-dream and Daniel Levy’s side never stood a chance.
We almost pulled off another impressive coup on deadline day by signing Fulham’s Fabio Carvalho, but the two cubs simply ran out of time. My information though indicates the deal is basically done for the summer, bar the official signatures. After all, a fee was agreed, as were personal terms, so a pre-contract financial arrangement will be able to be struck without the need for a tribunal in the summer.
So in 18 months – a season and a half – Liverpool have signed Thiago, Diogo Jota, Ibrahima Konate and now Diaz. For a team already loaded with world-class options, that’s more impressive than we’ve perhaps given the club credit for – given the constant desire for lavish recruitment.
Thiago is a beautiful, technically-gifted midfield superstar who providing he can stay fit, is as good a central controller as anything we’ve seen in the Premier League era.
Jota has 27 goals for Liverpool in 58 appearances, and is currently second in the PL Golden Boot race to Mo Salah. His stock, pedigree and value has trebled since we acquired him from Wolves’ bench. The Portuguese will be at Anfield for years and is already a fan favourite.
Konate is a special talent. Physically imposing, rapid and with footballing skills, the centre-back belies his 22-years. Learning from Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip will stand him in very good stead and the fact he’s already ahead of Joe Gomez in the pecking order shows how highly Klopp rates him.
If Diaz, the latest of Liverpool’s proper signings, can follow suit, fans will be delighted. Stylistically, he fits the bill. Rapid, skilful, inventive and capable of providing big moments, the 25-year-old has enjoyed a breakout season in Portugal where nobody has got near him. Like Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, he is from a very humble background in his native Colombia and has arrived at Liverpool at a similar age. He’ll have to fight for minutes initially, but his talent and hunger provides our frontline with another incredibly exciting option.
The reality is, when Liverpool spend big under Klopp, we don’t miss. Van Dijk, £75m, HIT. Alisson, £65m, HIT. Jota, £45m, HIT. Fabinho, £42m, HIT. Salah, £36m, HIT. Mane, £30m, HIT.
Keita (£52m) and Oxlade-Chamberlain (£35m) are the only £30m+ transfers that are anything but an unequivocal success, and that has much more to do with injury records than their undeniable ability.
For this reason, fans can be confident of Diaz’s success and realise that although we spend less money, less often, than many counterparts, we spend much, much better.
Let’s look at Manchester United’s expensive buys in the past 18 months, for example. Donny van de Beek, Amad Diallo, Alex Telles, Edinson Cavani, Jadon Sancho, Rapha Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo. More money, more players… But can any of them be regarded a success?
Chelsea have gone transfer crazy in the past year and a half… Havertz, Werner, Ziyech, Chilwell, Mendy, Silva, Lukaku. A jaw-dropping sum of money, and I’d still have our squad over theirs every day of the week. They’ve done £225m on Lukaku, Havertz and Werner; three players who wouldn’t get near our starting XI.
Where Reds were most irritated, and fairly so, was last January. The team was in a dire run of form without fans to cheer us on and a squad decimated by an injury crisis like no other. But instead of getting a defender signed early in January we dallied; eventually panicking and signing Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies on deadline day. One can’t get in Norwich’s side and the other is on-loan in the Championship having never kicked a ball for Liverpool.
So while Liverpool rushing around doing deadline day deals was mighty exciting, it hardly proved prosperous and definitely provides evidence as to why the club does its transfer business long-term and not short-term.
This summer, we need a new midfielder. Someone who is fit, available, young, physical and brilliant. Everyone is eyeing Jude Bellingham but don’t be surprised if Liverpool have eyed up a £35m-odd lad from Portugal, Italy or France that no journalists have seen coming. An exceptional Gini Wijnaldum replacement and Klopp’s squad might almost be complete.
For now though, we’re extremely well set for an assault on four trophies, starting at home to Cardiff in the FA Cup, where Diaz we hopefully make his debut and give Anfield a glimpse of what’s to come.