Liverpool gained the Premier League with relative ease final season, and so FSG’s staggering summer season of spending at Anfield should have struck fairly the frisson of worry by way of the remainder of the European sport.
Although Arne Slot’s aspect have not been at their greatest throughout the opening fixtures of the season, they’ve claimed 9 factors from 9 within the league, successful a tricky match at St. James’ Park earlier than narrowly seeing off title rivals Arsenal after Dominik Szoboszlai’s gorgeous free-kick.
The Reds have not checked out their most fluent, however new quantity 9 Hugo Ekitike has definitely began in positive fettle, three objectives and an help from his first 4 video games.
Undroppable, proper? Nevertheless, the deadline-day acquisition of Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak perhaps stirs the pot a tad up prime.
What Isak brings to Liverpool
Liverpool have two of essentially the most dynamic strikers within the sport in Isak and Ekitike, however each would fancy themselves at their most fluent and formidable when threatening from the centre.
Isak is the extra medical and refined man, to make sure, however he is additionally practically three years Ekitike’s senior.
Having two high-level centre-forwards is not the worst drawback for Slot to have, however he’s going to want to think about ferrying one out to the left wing or pushing Liverpool towards a tactical transformation.
Nevertheless, neither have Cody Gakpo’s fluency as a left-sided ahead.
And, in fact, Liverpool have already bought an elite winger in Luis Diaz who might have been the proper balancing power within the frontline.
Liverpool could remorse promoting Luis Diaz
Liverpool bought Diaz to Bayern Munich for £65.5m in July, with the German giants convincing the 28-year-old to hitch after FSG didn’t agree phrases on a brand new contract with the Reds winger.
He arrived from Porto as Jurgen Klopp’s selection of alternative for Sadio Mane, and although he did not fairly stay as much as the identical stratospheric heights, succeeded all the identical.
Certainly, Klopp himself lauded his new arrival as a “prime world stage participant” again in April 2022.
He leaves an integral a part of an illustrious interval in Liverpool’s historical past, having scored 17 objectives and provided eight assists throughout all competitions final time period, filling in at centre-forward on a number of events.
Although some questioned Diaz’s output, he did not do too badly, rating fourth amongst all left wingers throughout Europe’s prime 5 leagues final 12 months for purpose contributions, and in what many would describe because the hardest division of the lot.
Most Targets + Assists from LW (High 5 Leagues 24/25) | ||
|---|---|---|
Participant | Targets | Assists |
Raphinha | 18 | 11 |
Bradley Barcola | 14 | 10 |
Vinicius Junior | 11 | 10 |
Luis Diaz | 13 | 7 |
Vincenzo Grifo | 8 | 11 |
Information through Transfermarkt | ||
On condition that Isak arrives at Liverpool with a wealth of prolific Premier League expertise below his belt, he might have fashioned an unimaginable partnership with Diaz, who all the time balanced his output and ranked among the many prime 9% of positional friends within the Premier League final season for go completion, conserving it crisp and opening up a powerful provide line with the Sweden star.
The truth that Liverpool’s participant gross sales throughout the summer season has left them with a smaller internet spend than Arsenal maybe underlines the suggestion that Diaz needn’t have been bought.
The emergence of 17-year-old sensation Rio Ngumoha has tempered the Colombian’s departure, however Diaz stays one of the skilled and dynamic forwards within the enterprise.
Equally, Florian Wirtz’s struggles throughout his preliminary foray into the English sport are a reminder that Diaz was fairly essential in Slot’s title-winning crew, and he might be missed because the marketing campaign progresses.
