Jurgen Klopp has hailed the immediate impact Luis Diaz has made at Liverpool – and named the six teammates who have quickly struck up a strong friendship with the electric Colombian winger.
The Reds raided FC Porto in January to bring in the forward in a deal that could eventually reach £54m. However, the money already looks cash well spent, with Diaz hitting the ground running for Liverpool. Indeed, he already has five goals and three assists from just 16 appearances for the club.
Diaz was also named Man of the Match after stepping off the Liverpool bench against Villarreal on Tuesday. That’s after he helped turn around a testing situation and help the Reds recover from 2-0 down to seal a 5-2 aggregate win.
That booked the Reds’ third Champions League final appearances in five seasons. They next face Real Madrid in the final, handing his teammate Mohamed Salah the perfect chance to gain revenge.
As for Diaz, though, he looks to now be undroppable from Klopp’s first-choice XI. It’s little wonder Rio Ferdinand has branded the player his signing of the season.
His transition into the Liverpool ethos is especially impressive given he’s playing in a new country and a new league.
Furthermore, speaking very little English does not appear to have hindered the star.
Assessing his impact, Klopp is clearly very impressed. He’s also named the six teammates that have quickly struck up friendships with Diaz.
Klopp wowed by impact of Luis Diaz
The Colombian star speaks Spanish and also played in Portugal for a fair few seasons. That has helped him communicate with Alisson, Thiago, Adrian and Roberto Firmino. However, it’s two other friendships that have baffled Klopp.
He said on Diaz: “Thiago, Bobby, Ali, Adrian have all helped him. He’s also really close to Curtis Jones and Harvey (Elliott), I have no idea how they talk. On an emotional basis, they are like this [locks fingers] and they were after a week and it’s really strange.”
Given his impact since signing, it’s little surprise to see Klopp talking the player up.
Indeed, Liverpool‘s initial plan was to sign Diaz in the summer, but given their historic quadruple chase, Klopp is glad they moved in January.
“An unbelievable impact, clear,” Klopp added. “There’s enough space in each squad in the world for a world-class player – that’s what Luis is.
“That’s why we were so desperate to get him and that’s why we were so happy that we could get him. It makes all the difference. If you go through our games in the Champions League when we played Porto, he was still there, so it’s a really strange situation.
“Now he goes with us to the final, which is absolutely outstanding. You could see what it means to him. Yes, involving an outstanding player is good for each squad and was good for us, definitely – not only because we had the African Cup when the boys were not here, but because of that as well.
“Thank God we made that decision because it helped everywhere.”
Star looks a huge player for Liverpool for years to come
The signing of Diaz is clearly proving another masterstroke by Michael Edwards. The sporting director has made several inspired signings over the years, including the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson.
And while it will take some effort to top their impact, Diaz looks like he will be a Liverpool star for several seasons to come.
Moving early was a situation forced on them somewhat too, given Tottenham’s failed attemps to land him.
But their loss is very much Liverpool’s gain.
With the Carabao Cup already in the bang, Diaz could add three more winners medals this season.
And if he helps the Reds land an historic quadruple, his signing will be lauded at Anfield for years to come.
Luis Diaz is a great and beautiful player to watch – and you can’t help but feel the best is still to come.
Diaz, meanwhile, has named the driving force behind Liverpool’s push to win four trophies.
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