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Just announced the signing of Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich, Liverpool have wasted no time in sealing a £ 45m deal for Wolves’ Diogo Jota.
The Reds have been searching for the Portugal international for two years before his move to Anfield, with him impressing since he first appeared at Molineux and Jurgen Klopp a longtime admirer of his talent.
And having previously been linked with Timo Wener and Ismaila Sarr, making no moves for either of the forwards, the Liverpool manager has turned to the 23-year-old to cover for his famous three forwards of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Jota joined Wolves on loan from Atlético Madrid in 2017 initially, but he proved so impressive in his promotion-winning campaign to the Championship that the Black Country team had no qualms about making the move permanent.
He continued to excite at the Premier League level and is now firmly establishing himself as one of the best prospects in the division, even if most observers haven’t really noticed.
However, when you scratch beyond the surface, it’s clear why both Klopp and Michael Edwards see him as the ideal player to add some depth to Liverpool’s ruthless attack.
Despite coming predominantly to the left for Wolves, as Liverpool’s current wide forwards, their game is more about scoring goals than creating goals.
In all competitions last season, he recorded only one assist, yet he scored 15 outstanding goals averaging 0.45 by 90.
This is not an isolated event, he scored ten goals for Nuno Espírito Santo’s team in the previous season and 17 in the previous campaign. That’s a total of 42 goals for England in less than three seasons.
That high return on goal is due to two key factors.
First, he’s a frequent shooter, averaging just under 2.4 shots per 90 in the league last season.
More importantly, though, these shots are made from good locations close to the goal, as opposed to low-quality efforts from a distance. This is highlighted on the shot map below.
The 23-year-old is dexterous on paper, yet he is more than capable of using both feet, which helps him be a skilled and dynamic ball carrier.
Last season in the league, he averaged just under seven dribbling attempts, as well as just under four progressive runs per 90.
That good technical prowess is complemented by his speed and agility, making him a real threat to any defense he faces.
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Beyond all the above, it has characteristics highly valued by Klopp.
Traits like versatility, off-the-ball pressing dexterity, a strong work ethic, and plenty of room to develop.
With his best years still ahead of him, he is in many ways the ideal candidate for what the Reds needed in terms of adding some significant depth to their attack line before their quest to claim their Premier League crown this season.
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