After his exploits at the Copa America, Colombian forward Luis Diaz was heavily chased by a lot of clubs in the Premier League. Diaz was mostly linked with Tottenham until he decided to join Liverpool.
It was a major miss for Spurs but they did manage to work something out. Head coach Antonio Conte brought in Sweden international Dejan Kulusevski from Juventus in an £8.3 million loan deal that runs until 2023. The move has worked well for the Lillywhites as Kulusevski has scored three goals and has also contributed seven assists in 11 Premier League appearances as he gradually becomes a vital cog in Conte’s system.
Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson shared his opinion on this matter as he highlighted how losing out on Luis Diaz was big but Kulusevski’s arrival was a silver lining to that. He told Football Insider, “It was a big blow missing out on Luis Diaz but it shows where the club is. They are trying to compete with the likes of Liverpool in the transfer market but can’t. Liverpool have Champions League football and are challenging for every major trophy. They will lose out on players like Diaz if a club like Liverpool is in the race as well.”
“The silver lining is Kulusevski. He has been nothing short of phenomenal since he has come in,” Robinson shared on Kulusevski’s impact on Spurs.
While Luis Diaz was the talk of Merseyside for his quick adaptation to life at Anfield and how he fits Jurgen Klopp’s system like a glove, Kulusevski’s highs have gone under the radar. Diaz even featured in the starting eleven at times ahead of in form Diogo Jota speaking volumes about Klopp’s trust in the Colombian.
The Liverpool defence of such players along with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane can frighten defences and win games at will. But the Swedish versatile forward has had more impact than Diaz statistically as he has outplayed the Colombian in terms of assists.
The 21-year-old has been the creative presence of a team that relied on Harry Kane and Heung-min Son for goals and major creative influence. There he has mustered seven assists from eleven Premier League matches and is only behind Harry Kane in the assists charts since the start of 2022.
