Why Luis Diaz may be a willing casualty of Liverpool’s big summer of change
Why Luis Diaz may be a willing casualty of Liverpool’s big summer of change
FotMob - April 11, 2024, 10:40 AM
It is almost inevitable that, with Jürgen Klopp leaving the club, so too will some of his Liverpool squad, with Luis Díaz seeming one of the most likely to jump ship.
By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com
The news of Jürgen Klopp’s decision to leave Liverpool has left uncertainty over the club, with a major upheaval now in the works at Anfield.
In many ways, not least in keeping the squad together, it posed a concern.
After all, many of these players decided to join Liverpool to play for Klopp as much as they did the Liverbird on the shirt and the supporters in the stands.
But it has also presented the club with an opportunity, one which owners Fenway Sports Group have already grasped as they plot to expand their portfolio with the purchase of another club and the strengthening of Liverpool’s own hierarchy.
Not only is Klopp leaving, but so too are many of his staff; it represents a hard reset for Liverpool.
That could extend itself to the playing staff as we move towards the first post-Klopp transfer window.
One such player is Luis Díaz, who is subject of concrete interest from Paris Saint-Germain along with further links to the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The Telegraph’s Sam Wallace is the latest to report on PSG’s hopeful pursuit of Díaz, whose agent recently made a trip to Merseyside to “visit his client,” while the player’s father, Luis Díaz Sr., has on more than one occasion pushed the prospect of a move to LaLiga – in November, he claimed “it would be his dream” to join Barcelona, describing his son as a “loyal fan.”
Sources in Colombia have reiterated that PSG’s interest in Díaz is “real,” with the Ligue 1 club preparing for life without Kylian Mbappé.
That is where the sense of opportunity comes in.
There is a feeling that, based on these reports, the player himself could be looking to engineer a move away from Merseyside, which may have been prompted by any number of factors – and not solely Klopp’s resignation.
Clearly, as Liverpool have faced in the past with the likes of Luis Suárez and Philippe Coutinho, Díaz’s end game may not be the Premier League, but LaLiga; it is often cited as a dream for South American players to turn out at the highest level of Spanish football, and Díaz himself has described Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr as players he “really looked up to.”
On a more personal level, too, it has been a season of seismic change for Díaz off the pitch, instigated by the trauma of his parents’ kidnapping in his hometown of Barrancas back in November.
While both were eventually liberated, the family have since relocated to the UK, with Díaz Sr. earning cult status among Liverpool fans as he follows the Reds home and away, often decked out in his short-sleeved ‘Díaz 7’ shirt and gloves, mirroring his son on the pitch.
It would be projecting to suggest that Díaz’s family were pushing for a move abroad, but months of grey days and relentless rain on Merseyside will surely have come as a shock to the system, and they would be forgiven for setting their sights on the sunnier climes of Spain or even France.
By the same token, Liverpool could see this summer as an opportunity to cash in on one of their most saleable assets ahead of the arrival of a new manager.
While all signs point to Sporting CP’s Rubén Amorim taking over at the end of the season, sources within the club insist that reports of a deal being agreed are premature, and that various candidates are still being assessed.
Any new manager will join with their own opinions on the players within the Liverpool squad, and no doubt there will be a desire to bring in reinforcements in certain areas.
With a price tag of £75 million mooted, and PSG famously wealthy, there could be an opportunity to raise significant funds for a player who will have three years remaining on his contract this summer and, while outstanding at times, has yet to reach to heights of his predecessor on the left, Sadio Mané.
Díaz turned 27 in January, and though he is currently enjoying his most prolific campaign for the club, the reality is that 13 goals and four assists in 42 games (all comps) – one every 176 minutes on average – is not the level of output expected of a first-choice starter in Liverpool’s attack.
Mohamed Salah is averaging a goal or assist every 71 minutes this season, Darwin Núñez one every 87 minutes, Diogo Jota one every 87 minutes and Cody Gakpo one every 133 minutes.
Add to that the two serious injuries suffered in the same part of Díaz’s knee during the 2022/23 season and there is cause to argue that Liverpool’s new-look recruitment staff could see the plus-side of cashing in on the Colombian.
The return of Michael Edwards as FSG’s CEO of Football and the appointment of his close friend Richard Hughes, formerly of Bournemouth, as sporting director sets in motion a shift away from the manager-led transfer strategy that Liverpool adopted in the latter years of Klopp’s reign.
Schmadtke, it should be noted, was a short-term appointment made largely to do the dirty work when it came to Klopp’s preferred targets.
Instead of the manager holding the power when it comes to signings and sales, the emphasis will be on those in the boardroom to identify the right players for the squad, working alongside Klopp’s successor, rather than facilitating his desires.
There is historic interest in West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus, 23, Wolves’ Pedro Neto, 24, and Athletic Club’s Nico Williams, 21, all of whom have significant potential and a number of years on Díaz.
It could even be argued that, if it were Amorim who took the reins as expected, there would no longer be a need for an orthodox winger, with the Portuguese’s 3-4-3 system at Sporting CP built around a centre-forward and two supporting inside forwards – a role which could suit the likes of Diogo Jota, Dominik Szoboszlai and Fabio Carvalho – with wing-backs providing the width.
So perhaps these hints that Díaz is open to a move away from Anfield come at the perfect time for Liverpool.
He could allow himself to become a willing casualty in a big summer of change, stepping aside while a new era begins.
(Images from IMAGO)
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Manchester United
Man Utd legend reveals he did a 'rubbish job' of convincing Jude Bellingham to join Red Devils
Bryan Robson has admitted he was unable to convince Jude Bellingham to sign for Manchester United
Robson became United's longest-serving captain after signing in 1981
The former midfielder was 'disappointed' to see Bellingham sign for Borussia Dortmund
By Katie Catherall
11:40 AM GMT+1
Bellingham could have made a move to United
Bellingham could have made a move to United / Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/GettyImages
Manchester United legend Bryan Robson has joked that he did a "rubbish job" of persuading Jude Bellingham to make a move to Old Trafford ahead of his eventual deal with Borussia Dortmund.
Robson, who enjoyed an incredible career at United for over a decade, won two Premier Leagues, three FA Cups and scored 99 goals for his club, and had the chance to help the Red Devils snap up another midfield superstar when he met Bellingham and his family in 2020.
"It was really disappointing," Robson recalled to The Telegraph. "We were at Carrington and Sir Alex Ferguson was there a little earlier than I was, but Eric [Cantona] and I met him, and his mum and dad, we were chatting away.
"It was really looking promising that he was going to be signing for Manchester United. Me and Eric did a rubbish job as he signed for Borussia [Dortmund]. We thought we had him in the bag."
Bryan Robson
Robson became one of United's greatest players / Getty Images/GettyImages
Rather than take his talents to Manchester, Bellingham signed for Dortmund in the summer of 2020, after impressing at Championship side Birmingham City. He became the Blues' youngest ever first-team player when he burst on to the scene in 2019, and has since risen to become a star for both Real Madrid and England.
Robson is proud to see another youngster in the United squad as he praised the emergence of fellow midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.
"I love the lad's temperament," Robson continued. "I see him at the training ground and he is always polite to everyone. That is a great start. I've heard his dad is helpful and keeps his feet on the ground. That is a really important part at the age he is and the next couple of years of progression. He has the talent.
"Those goals he has scored recently, I love that. As a central midfielder, that is a massive part if you want to become a top player. Some central midfielders are very good at reading the game, breaking up the play and being in the right position all the time to set up play. But if you want to go to the highest level you need goals to your game."
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