Liverpool fans have a new hero in Luis Diaz – and Jamie Carragher is now comparing his impact to that of Jari Litmanen in the early 2000’s.
The Reds had wanted Diaz for a while but saw him slipping away.
Tottenham Hotspur had a bid rejected for Diaz in January and were gearing up to test Porto’s resolve again.
Liverpool knew they wanted Diaz, but preferably at the end of the season. That would at least give him time to adjust to Jurgen Klopp’s methods and style.
Liverpool took the plunge and swooped in to sign Diaz, hijacking Tottenham in a £37m deal. That fee could rise to £49million.
We’ve seen the likes of Andrew Robertson and Fabinho take some time to really bed into the Liverpool team after signing.
Yet with Diaz, the impact has been instant.
The Colombian international has been sensational, providing the intensity both on and off the ball that you associate with Liverpool.
Diaz looks like a perfect fit at Liverpool, combining flair, nonchalance, ferocious intensity and the end product to match.
Diaz has provided an injection of life to this Liverpool side in their quest for a quadruple; without him, Liverpool may not have this momentum.
The plaudits have been flying in for Diaz and Carragher has joined in.
Carragher has told The Telegraph that he thinks the signing of Diaz has real parallels to the addition of Jari Litmanen from Barcelona back in 2001.
“Jari Litmanen was a world-class addition to our forward line in the January transfer window 21 years ago, enabling Houllier to rotate four high class centre-forwards from one game to the next, Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and Emile Heskey competing for starting places,” said Carragher.
“For Litmanen in 2001, read Luiz Diaz in 2022. Without the Diaz signing, Liverpool would not still be pursuing another three trophies. He has been fantastic, allowing Klopp to win more matches from the bench, as was the case against Everton,” he added.
To fans of a certain age, this comparison has to seem crazy.
You look at Litmanen’s Wikipedia page and his time at Liverpool doesn’t look all that notable.
Five goals in 26 Premier League games, nine goals in 43 games across all competitions, gone after 18 months.
Keep scrolling though and you see the trophies Litmanen won at Liverpool. The FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Community Shield.
Not bad for just about a year and a half at Anfield.
The mercurial Finn was an outstanding playmaker and brought real know-how to Liverpool after spells with Ajax and Barcelona.
Carragher’s comparison may raise eyebrows but you can see where he’s coming from.
Diaz will hope to last longer than 18 months at Liverpool, but matching Litmanen’s trophy haul this season would cap a dream 2022.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
