Liverpool have confirmed they have captured Porto star, Luis Diaz, after it was widely reported he would cost the club €45million upfront and €15million in add-ons.
The Reds beat Spurs to his signature after the 25-year-old made it very clear he wanted to join Jurgen Klopp’s side.
He joins on a five-year contract and is expected to make an immediate impact after scoring 16 goals and assisting 6 for Porto already this season
A report suggests that Luis Diaz could be used in a central role at Anfield as well as on the left flank.
The Colombian is all but confirmed as a Liverpool player and so fans are already curious as to how he will be utilised by Jurgen Klopp and how he will dovetail with the likes of Sadio Mane.
Fascinatingly, while supporters assumed he has been signed as cover and competition for the Senegal star, he could be deployed in a more central role where his finishing and composure are more effective.
This season, the Athletic reports that Diaz has only played 1% of his minutes at striker and 2% of them in an attacking midfield role but Jurgen Klopp and his data analysis gurus will care little about that.
Conversely, he has played 34% of his minutes at left-wing and 63% of them at left midfield and James Pearce writes that he is capable of playing on the wing and down the middle.
I find this fascinating as it gives Liverpool the option to play with pure pace. They can do this by going with Mane, Diaz and Salah and simply look to exploit space behind teams like Manchester City where you only need one or two chances to decide a tight game.
Or, Diaz could be deployed on the left with Jota, Firmino, Mane in a central role and there’s even the potential for Diaz and Jota to be paired in a central role either both strikers in an aggressive 4-2-4 or in a 4-2-3-1.
Ultimately, the greatest thing about signing Diaz is that it gives Klopp more options which has been lacking massively recently.
