Liverpool make move for £60m Diaz upgrade who plays like Saka

If Arne Slot proves to be the perfect man to lead Liverpool into the new era with silver-laden success, then he will need more than just the effective implementation of his tactical approach to click into place.

Liverpool have not enjoyed the scattergun transfer window that certain segments of the Reds support might have hoped for, but all is in order at Anfield, with sporting director Richard Hughes revealing that the plan is to reinforce the team after Slot has ingrained his philosophy and familiarised himself with the club’s existing options.

While Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip’s contracts expired last month, FSG feel that the sweeping changes enforced last summer have left the first-team squad in a good position, with depth across all walks.

That said, several exciting names have been linked with a move to Merseyside, and should rumours surrounding Luis Diaz’s potential summer sale sprout into something more tangible, there’s a Premier League star waiting to join the club.

Liverpool transfer news

As per Football Insider, Liverpool have joined a host of top Premier League outfits in the race for Eberechi Eze, who played a starring role in Crystal Palace’s 2023/24 campaign, suggesting they are ‘making their move’ to try and sign him.

Oliver Glasner’s outfit are confident that they can retain the Eagles’ services, financially secure following Bayern Munich’s £50m acquisition of Michael Olise, but Eze is understood to have a £60m release clause in his contract – Liverpool have all the knowledge needed to forge ahead with an official swoop.

Of course, all of the division’s biggest hitters are sniffing around, so if Slot and his transfer team are serious in their interest, concrete action must be taken swiftly.

Luis Diaz’s 23/24 season in numbers

Let’s forget about Eze for a moment. Should Liverpool really seek to cash in on Diaz? The Colombian is widely accepted to be one of the most talented wingers in the Premier League and started every league match for the Reds during the second half of last season.

But the 27-year-old has faced criticisms centring on his output, posting just 13 goals and five assists across 51 matches in all competitions last term. He’s one of the slickest dribblers around and has a tireless energy about him that makes him a nightmare for defenders, never afforded a moment to breathe.

As per FBref, the talent ranks among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 12% for shot-creating actions and the top 7% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, speaking of his technicality, creativity and eagerness to drive forward and into the danger area.

But in spite of that, he only ranks among the top 24% for progressive carries and the top 21% for successful take-ons per 90, suggesting that he doesn’t wheel away with speed with the regularity that perhaps he’s capable of.

Further evidencing this, during those blistering early days of Diaz’s Premier League journey, during the latter half of the 2021/22 campaign (following his £39m January transfer from FC Porto) he ranked among the top 2% of positional peers in the English top flight for shot-creating actions, the top 7% for forward carries and the top 6% for successful take-ons per 90.

This regression of underlying numbers has seeped into his direct output, and if an outfit were to offer Liverpool a fee in excess of £50m for his signature this summer, allowing him to wander off to pastures new and targetting Eze might be a beneficial move for the fluency of Slot’s side.

Why Eze would be an upgrade on Diaz

Silky-smooth and electrifying when capering forwards, Eze is the real deal, with the perfect goalscoring instinct to successfully partner his ball-carrying ability. It’s no wonder that he’s been described as a player that his opponents will “have nightmares” about by reporter Edmund Brack.

Having scored 21 goals and supplied eight assists across 51 starting appearances over the past two Premier League campaigns, Eze is proving himself to be one of Europe’s foremost attacking talents, even ranking among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored and the top 9% for successful take-ons per 90 (FBref).

He’s more clinical and more mobile than Diaz, and while they match up pretty well, it’s clear that Eze boasts the more rounded skillset – as you will see below.

The Palace man would thrive at a top outfit such as Liverpool, with analyst Ben Mattinson even remarking: “Eze is a superstar who’s been held back by previously having too much responsibility.”

His stop-start motions have even earned him a stylistic similarity to that of Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, according to FBref’s model. His semblance to that of the Three Lions linchpin further suggests that he could be the perfect man to spearhead Slot’s new regime from the left flank.

Saka, indeed, is a goalscoring maverick, scoring 20 times – and adding 14 assists – for the Gunners last term and proving his shooting skills and then some at Euro 2024.

The 22-year-old has averaged 2.3 dribbles and won 5.3 duels on average at the Germany-hosted tournament this summer, expounding in itself on Eze’s similarities to one of the most highly-valued players in world football.

Liverpool must make their move quickly, for there are plenty of rival suitors eyeing a move themselves. Slot would not be let down, and neither would the roaring Anfield fanbase.