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What can Diogo Jota add to star-studded Liverpool squad?

Diogo Jota made the switch from Wolves to Liverpool recently, in a move worth over £40 million. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has been keen to add more quality to his options at the top of the pitch, and after a move for Ismaila Sarr of Watford broke down, he turned to the four-time Portugal cap.

Jota, 23, coming to Liverpool caught a lot of people off guard, as the move came out of the blue and was complete in the blink of an eye. The quick turnover of this transfer would be exciting for Liverpool fans coming quickly after the purchase of Thiago Alcântara. 

However, for those who usually wager on players moving to new clubs, it would have been an opportunity missed. Nowadays, experienced bookmakers have to be tuned-in 24/7 to be able to offer these markets and new entrants such as the long-awaited sportsbook from PartyCasino will have to hit the ground running to be able to compete with the more established operators. 

So, Diogo joins, and he will start behind the likes of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané in the pecking order, but what can he bring to the table and what caught his new manager’s eye?

The Massarelos born wide player’s age will have been crucial in Liverpool being willing to shell out the money to bring Jota to Anfield. The first-choice trio of Salah, Firmino and Mané are all twenty-eight years old, so they’re enjoying their peak years as we speak in many respects. Bringing in Diogo, who is four years their junior, on a five-year deal is excellent business-wise, with the club preparing for the future.

Diogo boasts an impressive record in terms of his goal contributions. In two hundred and sixteen appearances, spread across spells with Pacos de Ferreira, Porto and Wolves, he’s scored on seventy-one occasions, and provided forty assists for teammates. When you take into account Jota’s minutes on the pitch, he’s directly involved in a goal every 1.5 games, which is tremendous. 

Jurgen Klopp is likely to be more interested in what the Portuguese star has achieved since landing in England. Again, the stats are impressive, with forty-four goals and nineteen assists from one hundred and thirty-one games for Wolves. Time spent on the pitch shows Jota provided a goal or assist every 1.6 outings at his former club, and this should excite Liverpool fans.

It is wise to expect the new arrival to begin life with the Premier League champions as a substitute, and to be a rotational option for Jurgen Klopp to call on.

Well suited

But his style of play seems perfectly suited to Liverpool’s high-octane strategy, and it would come as no surprise to him arriving on the pitch late into games and having an impact. He’s quick, and he’s a good dribbler, so he’s a nightmare for tiring full-backs to play against. Jota is also excellent in terms of winning fouls, especially in dangerous positions, which is something else the Reds can capitalise on.

For the most part, Jota is a left-winger who enjoys coming inside and wreaking havoc, and therefore a direct competitor to Sadio Mané in the current Liverpool side. However, he’s also a proven operator in a more central position, scoring goals and providing assists, so he may also replace Firmino.

However, it is easy to see Jota smoothly slipping into Liverpool’s famed high-pressing tactics wherever and whenever he plays given his boundless energy and impressive work rate. His arrival is shrewd for this reason, as he excels in multiple positions and adds competition in more than one area of the pitch.