It was late Janurary 2022 when Liverpool accelerated their transfer plans to acquire Colombian winger Luis Diaz 6 months early as a result of rumored interest from Tottenham.
An initial £37.5 million fee was agreed with Porto and Diaz was on his way to Merseyside. From the moment he arrived he looked like a real player that belonged on the big stage. That season, he would start in both the League Cup and FA Cup Final triumphs highlighting how quickly he made an impact.
Now, two years on from that cup double, and the honeymoon appears to be over. Don't get me wrong, this article is not being written with the intention of purely critiquing Diaz. It's to take a look at whether or not there will not be a better time to cash in.
Let's go through both sides to see which makes more sense for Liverpool as a club.
Reasoning for Luis Diaz staying
This past season, Diaz made 51 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool as he was a mainstay in the Starting XI. He recorded 13 goals and 5 assists from those games in addition to countless lung busting runs both on and off the ball.
There are few players, perhaps Harvey Elliott and Darwin Nunez, that possess the work-rate that Diaz does. He is always a willing runner and wants to drive forward on the ball.
His 153 progressive carries led the team by a comfortable margin. He was second behind only Mohamed Salah in progressive passes received meaning he always makes himself available in the final 1/3, ready to attack.
He is a truly dynamic player when on the ball that plays with no fear and is confident he can beat any defender that he takes on.
At 27, he is in the prime of his career and could prove a vital piece in the Arne Slot system. His ability to interchange from wide to central spots suits the preferred 4-2-3-1 formation that the Dutchman employs.
Reasoning for Luis Diaz being Sold
On the other side of the coin, Diaz, for all of his endeavor and dynamism on the ball, it seems far too often takes one dribble too many and is late on a dangerous pass, or he gets stuck between ideas and settles for blasting the ball straight ahead.
Now, this is something that you might expect from someone a bit younger, but Diaz is a seasoned pro both at club and international level.
His 13 goals are a fine return for a winger, but like Nunez, his finishing left a bit to be desired. Diaz was behind Salah, Nunez, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo in terms of shots on target percentage.
His two glaring misses against Manchester City at Anfield come to mind of moments where you expect a player of his caliber to come through.
In his defense, he is not a pure No. 9 so the level of expectation should be somewhat lowered, but at the same time, when you watch Salah and Phil Foden explode from out wide, it's hard to not ask why Diaz can't do it more consistently.
However, having said all of this, the main crux behind selling Diaz this summer is that his value will never be higher. Discussed fees around £75 million would be a healthy return on investment for the club.
His value might never be higher than it is right now, and coming into a new coaching regime next season, he might have some growing pains which would hurt his overall numbers and value.
Conclusion
This is a tough decision for the club but it is one that they should take a long hard look at if the offers being reported are real.
In the end, it is a win-win situation for the club. If they decide to keep Lucho, they have a top class winger in his prime that will assuredly work his tail off week in and week out. That's a huge win.
Yet, if the club does decide to move on, they will more than double their investment on Diaz while being able to get younger and invest in a fresh option on the left side. Another huge win.
Whichever direction the club takes, the choice must be made with a long-term vision in mind and not just reactionary. The hardworking Diaz deserves as much.