Liverpool eyeing £50m PL star in potential Diogo Jota repeat

Liverpool have had a quiet month so far and have around two weeks left to dip into the market before the January transfer window slams shut.

The Reds are currently sitting at the top of the Premier League table and have the knockout stages of the Europa League to look forward to over the months to come.

They are in a terrific position ahead of the second half of the campaign and this means that they are not in desperate need of reinforcements.

Jurgen Klopp does not need to panic and make any rash decisions in the window and can, therefore, take his time and make sure that any deal completed is the right one.

Liverpool’s search for defensive reinforcements

One player the club reportedly feel would bolster the squad this month, or in the summer transfer window, is Wolverhampton Wanderers star Rayan Ait-Nouri.

According to FootballTransfers, the Reds are pursuing a deal to bring the Algeria international to Anfield to improve the depth of their defence.

The report claims that Liverpool have already held talks with their Premier League rivals Wolves as they eye up a swoop to sign the talented left-back.

It also states that Arsenal, who they are competing with in the title race, are also interested in the 22-year-old dynamo and have had an offer rejected by the Old Gold.

FootballTransfers claim that Gary O’Neil’s side will not accept anything less than £50m for their key defender but a January sale has not been ruled out.

Klopp is currently dealing with a difficult situation at left-back as right-footed centre-back Joe Gomez has been forced into action in that role in recent weeks.

Kostas Tsimikas and Andy Robertson are out injured and have missed 25 competitive matches between them so far and remain out of action at the moment.

Those injuries led to Owen Beck being recalled from his loan spell with Dundee in the Scottish Premiership and the young defender has been an option for Klopp on the bench this month.

The 21-year-old whiz could be allowed back out on loan to continue his development if Ait-Nouri is snapped up, as the Welsh gem would not be needed as cover.

Liverpool could also repeat their Diogo Jota masterclass with a swoop to sign another impressive performer from Wolves, as they did with the Portuguese marksman.

Diogo Jota’s success at Liverpool

The forward was snapped up by the Reds in a deal that could rise to £45m including add-ons, although they only had a net outlay of £30m as Ki-Jana Hoever went the opposite way as part of the move.

Klopp signed the Portugal international ahead of the 2020/21 campaign after Jota enjoyed an excellent spell with Wolves in the Championship and the Premier League.

The versatile attacker proved his worth in the top-flight and in the Europa League with a respectable output in front of goal, as shown in the table above, and carried that success over to Merseyside.

Since his move to Anfield in 2020, Jota has racked up 50 goals and 20 assists in 134 matches for Liverpool in all competitions – more than one goal contribution every other game on average.

His best season for goals in a red shirt to date came during the 2021/22 campaign as the right-footed marksman plundered 15 goals and six assists in 35 top-flight outings.

The 27-year-old whiz has produced nine goals and three assists in 21 appearances for the club so far this season, which includes five goals and one assist in eight Premier League starts.

These statistics show that Jota has been a consistent and reliable goalscorer for Klopp over the last three-and-a-half-years since his transfer from Wolves.

He successfully transitioned from being a key performer for the Old Gold to strutting his stuff at Anfield on a regular basis and Ait-Nouri could follow in his footsteps either this month or in the summer.

The stats that show why Liverpool should sign Ait-Nouri

Firstly, the £50m-rated left-back could be an excellent signing for the long-term at the age of 22. Tsimikas and Robertson turn 28 and 30 respectively before the end of the season and Liverpool could look to the future by signing a young number three.

Ait-Nouri has many years left ahead of him to develop and improve and could be the long-term heir to the left-back position in Klopp’s team if they bring him in.

The Algerian whiz could come in as an upgrade on Tsimikas, who is five years older than the Wolves star, based on their respective form in the Premier League this season.

As shown in the table above, the 22-year-old dynamo could offer more to Liverpool from a defensive perspective. He has been far more dominant in his physical contests than the Greek international, who has been beaten far too often in those duels.

Ait-Nouri also offers quality in transition. In fact, he currently ranks within the top 1% of Premier League full-backs for successful take-ons (2.36) per 90 this season, which suggests that the left-back is adept at bypassing the opposition’s press with his ability to evade challenges and progress his side up the pitch.

Whereas, Tsimikas ranks within the bottom 46% with 0.54 successful take-ons per 90 and, therefore, is not as press resistant as the Wolves gem is.

Ait-Nouri, who was hailed as “underrated” by analyst Ben Mattinson, would arrive at Anfield as a proven Premier League performer who has outperformed the Greek defender in a host of key metrics, whilst also having time on his side to develop further.

Therefore, the Algeria international could be Jota 2.0 for Liverpool by successfully making the move from Wolves to Merseyside to become an impressive performer for Klopp.