Liverpool will not be signing a direct Luis Diaz replacement. This news will not be welcomed by Liverpool fans, and understandably so.
For the most part, Liverpool has done a splendid job in the summer transfer window. The Reds have strengthened where they needed to strengthen, and they've not been shy to spend money.
The most impressive part is that Liverpool isn't splashing the cash for the sake of it. Instead, they've been smart and measured in their decisions and actually, the club seems financially ready to make even more moves before the window closes.
However, this Luis Diaz news won't be welcomed at all.
Liverpool will not sign a Luis Diaz replacement
According to a report from Gregg Evans of The Athletic, Liverpool will not sign a direct replacement for Luis Diaz, who is set to join Bayern Munich. Instead, Cody Gakpo will up his playing time, and youngster Rio Ngumoha will provide more competition.
Rio Ngumoha turns 17 in August, but has already made some great strides at Liverpool. He played against Accrington in the FA Cup this year, when Liverpool won 4-0. He became Liverpool's youngest starter in that match.
More recently, Ngumoha has made a name for himself in pre-season. Constantly causing problems for the defenders, he's proven to Arne Slot that he's one to be considered for the future. If the news from Gregg Evans is anything to go by, then Slot is certainly considering that.
While it's great news that the young lad will get a more even look-in next season, it's hard for the fans to be overly excited by this news. After all, it makes the Luis Diaz sale seem somewhat redundant, with an external replacement not being signed.
Some fans even feel betrayed by Liverpool - The consensus among the fanbase was that Diaz would only be sold if a replacement was signed, but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. If anything, Liverpool has made a complete U-turn on their decision.
One fan even said "Nice u-turn by the club there. We were being told all summer Diaz won’t be sold unless we had a replacement lined up. We’re weakening the strongest position in our squad. Poor but not surprising."
Look, fans have every right to remain angry. After all, Liverpool arguably did get this decision wrong.
However, in the grand scheme of things, it has hardly hindered Liverpool's squad depth going forward. In fact, Ngumoha has shown every sign that he's good enough to start for Liverpool, and he'll make the most of his chances.
The Liverpool fanbase is great at accepting what is, rather than pondering what could've been. However, the burden of explanation is on the club here.