On the day that Thiago Alcantara was formally announced as Liverpool’s second signing of the summer transfer window, widespread reports emerged on who the third will be. Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Diogo Jota is headed to the Merseyside club, reportedly for a fee of £45 million ($58m).
Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo has confirmed the news: “Liverpool are going to have a great player and boy, and Ki has a bright future ahead of him.”
“We think this deal is good for everybody. Diogo was really happy here, but it’s normal that players like to face new challenges.”
Diogo Jota will most likely be a squad player at Liverpool, but that statement doesn’t diminish his quality as an individual footballer. His versatility means you can line up him up in various positions and he’ll be a huge contributor this season. It’s just that as of right now, there is no starting place for him in the final third.
The Reds attack is just too potent and powerful, but if/when the injury bug bites, the 23-year-old will definitely slot in. The ex-Atletico Madrid man scored 44 goals and registered 19 assists in 131 appearances with the Midlands club.
A summer transfer window that started very very slowly at Anfield is now shaping up to be a very fruitful one.
“Diogo is amazing – everyone knows that – and the three seasons at Wolves, what he did for us was fantastic,” Nuno added. “Things happen when naturally they should happen. He’s going to the right place. He’ll never be forgotten by our fans.”
Dutch youngster Ki-Jana Hoever will be going the other way as part of the deal.
“Ki will join us,” Nuno confirmed. “He’s a young player who has potential and talent. It’s up to us to get the best out of him.
“Ki is not eligible for Monday. He’ll join us tomorrow, we’ll integrate him. It’s a small squad, he can give us good options. I’m really looking forward to working with him, but the squad is not closed and we need to work on that.”
Liverpool at Chelsea FYIs
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Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.