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Former Wolves sporting director Kevin Thelwell was key in securing the Portuguese signing and talks to Goal about the Reds’ new £ 45 million signing.
Diogo Jota has been endorsed to become a huge success at Liverpool following his £ 45 million (€ 49 million / $ 58 million) move to Anfield.
Former Wolves sports director Kevin Thelwell believes the Portuguese international can prove to be the perfect addition to Jurgen Klopp’s squad, and says the 23-year-old will be the ideal competition for the three established forwards of the Premier champions. League.
Thelwell was the man who negotiated the deal to bring Jota to Molineux from Atlético de Madrid in 2017.
The Wolves were in the Championship at the time, but they secured the versatile forward with a one-season loan deal, making the move permanent for around £ 13 million (€ 14 million / $ 16.6 million) after Jota’s 17 league goals helped them rise to the promotion.
“He was only 20 years old,” Thelwell says. objective . “We were in preseason in Austria when the call came that there would be a chance to take him.
“Me and the president, Jez Moxey, we flew to Spain, we met with the president of Atlético for dinner and we reached an agreement with Atlético in the space of 24 hours.
“In my opinion, we were signing Premier League players in a championship environment. But getting Diogo to make a try-before-buy deal was perfect.
“It was one of the best deals we ever did.”
Jota scored 18 goals in all competitions in his first season in the Black Country, and has followed with 10 and then 16 in the last two seasons.
“In terms of how we wanted to play for Wolves, whether it was 3-4-3 or 3-5-2, he was a perfect fit because he can play wide or he can play center back,” says Thelwell, who is now the sporting director. of the New York Red Bulls club of the MLS.
“He can play up front as a second striker, or he can play wide in a narrow three. You want the players to be cross-functional, that made it interesting for us.
“We were playing in the Championship, of course, so we needed someone who was aggressive, dynamic and competitive. He is all those things.
“I used to say ‘Diogo, you’re British!’ So it is in terms of his perspective and the way he behaves on the field. It has that rebound ability. It may crash into a brick wall, but it will bounce up, no problem. He shakes it off.
“Some players have a hard time dealing with the brutality of English football, especially in the Championship, but he was fine. And on top of all that, he has a nose for assists and goals.
“From our perspective, we always felt that he would make a difference. When you perform as him in the Champ, he is a precursor to what you could achieve in the Premier League, and he has continued in that form ever since. He has been able to produce year after year.” .
Now, you will have a chance to show that you can step up again.
Liverpool have spent a lot to get this done, paying the Wolves an initial £ 41 million (€ 45 million / $ 53 million), but Thelwell believes his former position will come to Merseyside with the right mindset to learn and then challenge people like Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
“I think it is ideal for Liverpool,” he says. “They play 4-3-3 and sometimes they go 4-4-2 with two forwards. It would be absolutely perfect for that.
“He will arrive with the right mindset. He is ambitious of course and will really try to get into that starting XI as soon as he can, but he is also realistic and recognizes the level and quality that is already in Liverpool.
“His goal will be to learn and develop from that quality and become one of those players in due course. The good news is that she is only 23, so she doesn’t have to give birth right away. You can acclimatize, acclimate, get to the level and hopefully move on. “
Liverpool, Goal understands, compiled extensive background reports on Jota before approving the deal this week. Pep Lijnders, the assistant coach, spoke to various contacts in Portugal and received enthusiastic references about the player’s character and attitude.
Thelwell can only echo those views.
“It requires very little maintenance,” says de Jota. “Live, eat and drink soccer. You will have seen him locked up if you follow his social media, he is working to play soccer, he is playing soccer and working on his skills, or he is playing FIFA to learn more about soccer! He’s crazy about football.
“There was no problem with him. He lives his life right, he is mature beyond his age in many ways.
“One of the great merits of the Wolves hiring department is that they have always had a ‘no jerk’ policy, every player that has come in has had a fantastic attitude and he is no different. He is a great kid.”
He adds: “Without a doubt, you are proud to have been involved in the development of players like Diogo. There are many people who deserve credit, from the head coach to the owners to the recruiting team, there are many moving parts.
“You don’t sign players with [selling them on] in mind, but he was 20 years old and he had the potential to not only help us right now, but to further develop and improve us. He’s only 23 now, but he’s already had a pretty tight track record, hasn’t he?
“Coming out of the championship, I think we thought I had someone very special, and the challenge then was to repeat it on the Premier League stage. He has shown that he can do that, and I am delighted that he has the opportunity to do so at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“It’s fantastic for him and I think he will do very well at Liverpool.”
