Liverpool have completed a shock £49m move for Porto winger Luis Diaz.
The Colombia international is player that has been linked with the Reds throughout the transfer window, but a January move seemed unlikely with eyes initially on the summer.
However, Tottenham's approach for the player forced Liverpool's hand and the Reds moved quickly to secure his signing.
The Echo caught up with football writer and Porto fan Bruna Reis to get the lowdown on the new boy.
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Some players struggle to adapt to the Premier League, how do you think Diaz will fare?
BR: In my opinion, I think the Premier League is the best place for him to showcase his talents and having reached the peak of his career, England is the best place for him right now.
It's the best league in the world and a quality player like him needs to be in that environment, where he will be pushed week in week out, and able to develop further (not that I think he has much else to develop).
How do you think he’ll adapt to Klopp’s intense, pressing style? Has he played in similar systems before?
BR: I think he’ll adapt well, obviously the Premier League demands more of a player physically. But I think having had that previous experience playing in an intense pressing style under Sergio Conceicao will certainly help.
Again, we know that the Portuguese league is not at the same level as the Premier League but he’s had that experience, especially in big, tough games against our rivals Sporting and Benfica and at a European level the Champions League.
What can Liverpool fans expect from Diaz?
BR: He’s a very ambitious player, and will leave everything on the pitch every game. But I think Liverpool will benefit from his one-to-one situations a lot, he’s very powerful when it comes to dribbling past players with ease.
He’s definitely not one to throw in the towel and he gets the whole team behind him, may be a different case at Liverpool with all the quality players Klopp has at his disposal but you won’t see him give up easily even when things may not be going in his favour.
It’s incredible to see his willingness and power he possesses, towards the end of the game, he’s chasing the ball back at his own half and just doesn’t slow down or stop!
What are some of his strongest attributes as a player?
BR: Luis Diaz is predominantly a winger who features usually on the left-hand side and as soon as he has the ball, he will just run towards attack and with ease will dribble past his opponents and is especially strong on one-vs-one situations.
Physically, he’s an agile player with the ability to coordinate play in short spaces and capable of big changes with speed by utilising his acceleration and power constantly. He has a good eye for empty spaces in order to attack.
In offensive transition he becomes a dangerous player using his physicality to overcome his opposition, and excels at reading the game when it comes to winning second balls.
As a Porto fan, he’s simply a joy to watch and creativity is his “middle name”, when he’s on the ball, he’s very unpredictable and will cover the whole pitch and even pick up the ball from his own box if needed.
You simply don’t know what he’s going to do, many times I’ve been on the edge of my seat as soon as he’d get on the ball.
Is Liverpool the right move for the player over the likes of Tottenham, Manchester United etc.
BR: I would say so, yes. I think what’s influenced him to make the move to Anfield is the fact he’ll be able to play alongside the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino, among others. Not to mention he’s going to be coached by one of the best European coaches, Jurgen Klopp.
It’s definitely the right environment for him to be in as he reaches the peak of his career having just turned 25 years old, he’ll only get better in my opinion. And one thing I did think was missing for him prior to the move, was the competitiveness, obviously with the Premier League being the best league in the world, the Portuguese league does not offer as much.
And playing alongside world class players, it’s what is needed for him so he can continue pushing himself for more - granted it may take him longer to become possibly the best player in the Premiership, but that can only do him wonders in a few years time as he’ll strive to get there which will heap rewards for Liverpool. Players definitely need that to be in an environment where they’re competing to be the best of the best.
Is the proposed fee a good deal for both parties?
BR: For the Reds yes, from a Porto point of view, no. With only three days left of the transfer window, Porto have been left without two wingers, Jesus Corona and now Diaz.
I think what surprised us fans most about the move was the timing as well, not long ago, we’d sold Corona to Sevilla and now, the same happens with Diaz.
I’m not sure I’m confident Porto can find a good replacement before the window closes on Monday.
How will his departure impact Porto this season?
BR: So we are currently six points clear of our rivals Sporting and nine points from Benfica, I’m a firm believer that our strong campaign so far is due to Diaz’ involvement in the team. Since Corona was dropped to the bench as he was underperforming, Diaz has become our “saviour" and I don’t think we would have got as far as where we are now, if it wasn’t for what he had to offer to the team.
He’s been everywhere on the pitch for us this season, and scoring goals for fun, one of our main strikers only has 11 goals scored this campaign compared to Diaz’ 14, so that is saying something.
I hope I’m proved wrong, but I do think the league title could be at risk now that he’s leaving. Fingers crossed we can still maintain a good distance from our rivals and continue challenging for the title.
How do Porto fans feel about the deal?
BR: Very upset and angry from most of the reaction I’ve read on social media this morning. Most of the fans were expecting to cash a little bit more for him given he still has two years left of his deal with Porto.
We’ve seen the likes of Joao Felix move to Atletico Madrid from Benfica for €120m before, I don't think we were going to get anything around that region but certainly just under €100m for him - he’s been phenomenal this year, the one that certainly stands out in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
Who do you see him competing for a starting spot within the Liverpool team?
BR: Given he plays on the left, likely Sadio Mane. Mohamed Salah seems untouchable at Liverpool at the moment and luckily for Diaz he plays on the opposite flank to the Egyptian.
He may not walk into the Liverpool team and will have to prove himself, but I'd like to think he'll push Mane for a starting place in seasons to come. Like Kostas Tsimikas is doing with Andy Robertson at the moment.
For Klopp, it's only a positive to have more than one quality player in such an important position.
How important has he been for Porto since his arrival in 2019?
BR: I would say his arrival in 2019 was a bit overshadowed by the Jesus Corona who had been at the club since 2015.
He still played a total of 29 league games out of 34 that season, contributed to six goals and five assists then the last two seasons, that’s when he started to showcase his potential.
This year however, he played a rather significant role after Corona was dropped to the bench, he stepped up and contributed to Porto’s Champions League and league campaign.
In his 18 appearances this year, he bagged 14 goals, our top goal scorer and has decided/sealed the win in various league games with his performance.
He doesn’t just score goals for fun however, he provides assists too, had five to his name so far and often guided us to wins this season. Porto are currently six points clear at the summit and are the side that is yet to lose in the league this campaign.
He’s already won plenty with Porto, is he capable of winning things with Liverpool?
BR: Of course. And I don’t doubt for a second that he will have ambition and help drive the team towards bigger and better things like winning the Champions League again and I wish him all the best.
Will certainly keep an eye to see how he fares under a more demanding and competitive environment and under Klopp.
