Liverpool knocked Guardiola’s Man City out of the FA Cup on Saturday and on the lips of most is the amazing transfer business that contributed to the victory; Ibrahima Konate and Luis Diaz have seamlessly fit into Jurgen Klopp’s squad and they give a bright indication of what the future holds for the Reds.
What a time to be alive and be a Liverpool fan! They already have a Carabao Cup gold medal for the 2021/22 season and are now heading towards possibly their second gold with a date against the same opposition, Chelsea, in the FA Cup. Include a dance with Villarreal in the Champions League Semi-Finals and they are two wins away from reaching possibly their third final this term.
To top it all off: they snap at the heels of Man City, one point off the top and only seven games left to play in the Premier League campaign. The slightest miscalculation for any of the two, Liverpool or Manchester City, could cost them the league title.
"Diaz and Konate could end up being the best two signings!" 🤝@alexgildeatrott thinks the Liverpool new boys could be a huge factor in the final weeks...#Konate | #LiverpoolFC | #PremierLeague pic.twitter.com/RTEXnvYC86
— DR Sports (@drsportsmedia) April 19, 2022
Coupled with what can still be one of the best runs in the history of football for an English team is to keep in mind that the Anfield side only made two transfers in two years, both of them coming before this season commenced.
The French defender from RB Leipzig came in the summer of last year, with Luis Diaz coming thereafter in the January transfer window. The talk is not so much about them fitting in only but the price they came at and how they both held out to play under Klopp.
Throw Diago Jota in the mix as their big-name signing the year before Konate’s arrival, and one can only admire what fantastic business has been conducted throughout Jurgen Klopp’s regime. The timing of the addition of their most recent two transfers must be commended as well.
Ibrahima Konate and Luis Diaz Cost Liverpool a Combined €75million
Both Konate and Diaz’s contribution on Saturday past aided in the Reds reaching the FA Cup Finals. The defender who hasn’t lost a game in Anfield colours scored the opener while the Columbian ran circles around City’s defence for the 85 minutes he was on the pitch.
The Frenchman’s FA Cup opener was the third straight cup opener for him this season; since getting off the mark for Liverpool in the Champions League it’s been hard to stop him from scoring from set-pieces.
Coming back to the timing of the arrival of Konate and Diaz. Konate came when Liverpool could enjoy a preseason, all their starting defenders were back in contention for starts, adding much-needed competition for those who were injury prone leading up to his arrival.
Liverpool have only signed two players in the last two transfer windows 🔴⤵️ #LFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 16, 2022
▪️ Ibrahima Konaté, €35m [release clause];
▪️ Luís Díaz, €40m plus €20m add ons [paid in 5 years].
Two fantastic, underrated signings.
Next one: Fabio Carvalho for £5m plus £2.7m add ons. pic.twitter.com/DU3HBoffOc
He could learn from Virgil van Dijk while being eased into the side and fighting players on the fringe for a spot. Diaz on the hand, came when that little bit of push and edge was required to fight on all fronts — and boy did it pay off big — so much so nobody can predict Klopp’s starting XI is going to be, as both have made big enough impacts to be considered as actual starters.
Next up for the Reds is a visit from hated and oldest foes, Manchester United. A win on Tuesday night and Liverpool go ahead of Manchester City for 24 hours — City have a visit from Brighton on Wednesday evening.