Why Liverpool signing Diogo Jota is a smart move
Liverpool have gone kamikaze in the transfer market after a slow start. They have signed Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota in a matter of days. The latter joins the Reds in a £41m deal that could rise up to £45m.
With the only signing of Kostas Tsimikas earlier in the window, it looked as if Liverpool wouldn’t be making any more new additions. However, within a short time span, they have managed to change all that.
Profile
Jota, a 23-year-old Portuguese forward, started his youth career at Gondomar SC CJ in 2005. Eight years later, he moved to Pacos Ferreira’s youth setup. Then he was promoted to the senior side in 2014.
In two seasons, he made 47 appearances, scored 18 goals and provided 14 assists (source – Transfermarkt). Atletico Madrid signed him in 2016 but sent him on loan to FC Porto immediately. He played 38 games for them in one season.
After his return, he went on loan again, this time to Wolves. They bought him on a permanent basis after their promotion to the Premier League. And he was an important part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side. In 131 games, Jota scored 44 goals and assisted 19.
Jota has been a regular part of the Portugal youth teams and also has 4 senior appearances so far.
Why Jota is a smart signing for Liverpool
It’s hard to remember when Liverpool last made a bad signing. Since Jurgen Klopp took over the club have made value for money signings that have played a vital part in their last two seasons which were hugely successful. Be it Virgil Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Alisson Becker, or Fabinho, they have all been stellar for the club.
Jota looks like he will be another addition to that list if his Wolverhampton performances are anything to go by. He is a versatile forward player who can play as a winger or through the middle if required.
Read more
- Why Liverpool should continue their pursuit of Kristoffer Ajer
- Why Liverpool must offload Xherdan Shaqiri this summer
Verdict
While the fee for Jota might seem a bit steep, he is worth every penny. He is just 23, which means Liverpool have one for the future. It doesn’t look like he will displace Mane right now but with his ability to play in so many positions, he shouldn’t face a dearth of game time, especially with so many competitions for Liverpool to play.
