When you look at Liverpool’s transfer activity from the last few years, it quickly becomes apparent that they have repeatedly dealt with a handful of clubs, time and again.
Most notable was their relationship with Southampton, from whom they purchased six players between 2014 and 2018. Three members of Jurgen Klopp’s current squad were signed from the Red Bull teams while Alisson Becker and Mohamed Salah both joined from Roma.
If transfer talk is to be believed, the Reds might have taken a shine to Porto now too. With how well Luis Diaz has taken to Premier League life, who can blame them?
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However, the rumour in question predates the Colombian’s arrival at Anfield. Last summer it was reported that Liverpool were interested in Porto’s midfielder Otavio, and according to A Bola ( via BBC ) they will once again consider signing the Brazil-born Portuguese international at the end of this season.
The data analysts at the club are said to look at how a potential signing might perform with his new teammates, and Otavio will certainly have no issues linking up well with Diaz. Their record together this season remains one of the best in Portugal.
Even though Liverpool’s number 23 hasn’t played for Porto for two months, only three duos in the Primeira Liga have combined for more goals than the three Otavio assisted for Diaz this season. Indeed, in his last game for his former club, the Colombian scored after the Reds’ potential next signing played him in with a delightful through ball.
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Their relationship wasn’t entirely one way for Porto either, with each creating a goal for the other in a 4-0 win at Vizela in December. If you picture Diaz’ work for Takumi Minamino’s strike against Cardiff, you’ll basically have seen how he set up a goal for Otavio in that match.
And there were shades of Trent Alexander-Arnold in the cross Porto’s midfielder delivered from deep on the right which enabled Diaz to score against Santa Clara earlier this season. Otavio also set him up at Maritimo in August with a pass across the box to the back post, illustrating that the pair have combined well in a variety of fashions.
The fact Diaz only linked up with two Porto players for more goals than he did with Otavio across his time there bodes well should the latter follow his former teammate to Liverpool. But it will obviously take more than that to convince the hierarchy at Anfield that the 27-year-old is worthy of a spot in Klopp’s team.
Even though advanced data for the Portuguese league isn’t available, even a cursory glance at some more old-fashioned statistics shows that Otavio is worthy of further scouting. He has created 14 clear-cut chances, the third most in the Primeira Liga this season and a total only Alexander-Arnold has topped in England in 2021/22.
Without access to detailed pressing statistics, we can look at how often a player regains possession in the final third. Otavio has done so 32 times this season, more than anyone else in Portugal or the Premier League has managed.
The European competitions in which he has played only back this up further. With only 886 minutes in the Champions League or Europa League over the last year the sample is small, but in that time Otavio has averaged 27.3 pressures per 90 minutes, which puts him in the top one percent of attacking midfielders and wingers for this metric ( per FBRef ).
Diogo Jota, a former Porto player, was famously described as a ‘pressing monster’ by Pep Lijnders, a former Porto coach. Another peak pressing alumnus of the two-time European champions may join them and Diaz at Anfield, strengthening the connection between the two clubs.
As Otavio still has three years remaining on his current contract at the end of 2021/22, it may prove too expensive to prise him away from Portugal this summer. He certainly has many of the characteristics which Liverpool would be looking for in a player though.
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