Liverpool finished third in Jurgen Klopp’s final season and won the League Cup.
You feel it was a fair reflection of their season, but it could have been better because there was a period when Liverpool were sitting on top of the table with not many games left.
The general consensus is that, put aside Klopp announcing he was going to leave, the team, and where it was at, wasn’t expected to challenge for the title.
That’s why it’s going to be interesting to see what changes Arne Slot makes at the club and which players he allows to leave.
Many have been talking about Saudi Arabia-linked Mohamed Salah, who has 12 months left on his current Anfield deal.
To nobody’s surprise, Stan Collymore ranked him top of the list, in terms of strikers, with the conclusion that the club can ‘afford to let one go’.
Now, if it was up to Collymore himself that guy would be Cody Gakpo, but he feels he is still going to ‘stay put for a season or two’.
Therefore, the former Liverpool player suggested that they part ways with one Luis Diaz, who is ‘at times world-class’, as he told Caught Offside.
It was a difficult season for Diaz last time out because of the kidnapping of his dad and the fact that he has had to deal with injury issues previously.
You can clearly see that there is serious talent there. Diaz can do it on his own, at times.
But Collymore doesn’t think it’s enough to help Liverpool win the Premier League title and that’s why he would happily ‘drive him’ to Barcelona if they are indeed keen on his services.
Luis Diaz to Barcelona?
“I think Luis Diaz is obviously a talented player but Liverpool are not particularly short in attacking positions,” said Collymore. “If you look at Salah, Gakpo, Jota, Nunez and Diaz… they can afford to lose one, and if the choice was mine, it would be Cody Gakpo.
“Diaz is an odd one because of his injuries, the situation with his father’s kidnap which was obviously very traumatic during the season… at times he looks world class, but at others he struggles to get a foothold in the game. It really does depend on whether Barcelona are prepared to pay £50m-£60m for him, in which case I’ll drive him to Barcelona. If it wasn’t a derisory offer and they offered a player in return as well, for the new manager it might simply depend on what kind of player that they’re offering.
“In the pecking order of strikers at the club, you’re looking at Salah then Nunez, then Jota, then Diaz and finally Gakpo, so the Colombian is in the bottom two. Man for man, I don’t think you’ll find any Liverpool fan will put Diaz in between Salah and Nunez, for example in terms of importance to the club. So I have no problem with him going because he’s been okay, but I don’t think he’s been stunning. At Liverpool, if you’re going to win titles, you’ve got to be stunning. You’ve got to hit your marks, you got to hit your stats. If Barcelona come along with a good offer, and it allows Arne Slot to have the kind of funds to be able to bring in a player that he likes in a position that he wants, it makes sense for me.”
Luis Diaz wants a new Liverpool contract
The Diaz situation is an interesting one. There is no smoke without fire and you feel there shouldn’t be any panic about his future.
After all, his current deal doesn’t expire in 2027. Yet, sources have told HITC that Diaz has expressed to Liverpool that he wants a new contract.
READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news, Endo’s ex-teammate targeted, interest emerges in £105m star
That has left them surprised because he has three years left on his deal, with suggestions of La Liga calling and transfer interest from PSG.
Diaz scored eight Premier League goals and supplied five assists during the recently concluded campaign.
He is a much better player than his numbers suggest, but he also has to start producing more match-winning performances because he, effectively filled Sadio Mane’s shoes, and he isn’t only his level.
The post ‘At times he’s world-class’: Liverpool & Arne Slot have now been backed to sell 27-year-old appeared first on HITC.
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