Luis Diaz's arrival to Liverpool comes with great excitement, but how will he challenge the current attack? Ninad Barbadikar takes a look.
NOTE: This article was published prior to Liverpool's Champions League victory against Inter Milan.
Luis Diaz's January at Liverpool may not have been one foreseen by the recruitment team before the window opened, but he is certainly a player that they were hugely keen on.
Tottenham's interest in him only further accelerated Liverpool's desire to bring the Colombian to Anfield and so they did. A £37.5m initial fee was enough to convince Porto to part with his services.
Diaz's signing feels like one that is part opportunism and part planning. But how will he challenge the current elite set of attackers at the club, and how will he fit into the team?
A blend of Mane and Salah
The Colombian is a left-sided winger who prefers shooting with his right and in his current form, he feels like a blend of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
Both Mane and Salah, before joining Liverpool, were wingers who were extremely direct and thrived on winning their individual duels.
Diaz has similar strengths. When he gets the ball to his feet, he combines a raw burst of acceleration with dazzling feet to leave most defenders behind.
Equally comfortable at receiving to his feet as he is when running in behind, Diaz will add a new dimension to Jurgen Klopp's attack.
When looking at his domestic numbers from Infogol, Diaz stands out for key metrics in his attacking process.
His Goals per 95 average of 0.82 has been outstanding so far this season but expecting him to maintain that rate at Liverpool might not be practical.
At an xG per 95 average of 0.56, he is mirroring Mane's output, if not bettering it in the Primeira Liga. Given that he is unlikely to get the same kind of spaces he does on and off the ball, it will certainly be interesting to follow how he navigates that challenge.
Diaz will push Mane the most for a starting berth at first given that they're both fighting for a place in the same spot in Liverpool's shape. However, it will still take quite a lot from Diaz to make Klopp reconsider his pieces in attack, at least in the short-term.
Movement a huge positive
Not only is the Colombian impressive in his output, but he has managed to achieve those numbers through clever movement in and around the box.
Favouring his right foot in most situations, it is clear from his shot map that he prefers to shoot from a certain section of the penalty area once he gets there.
Not only is his ability to get those shots away impressive, but it is also equally impressive how he finds himself in those positions.
Once inside the penalty box, Diaz is also adept at making himself a target for a cross at the far post, which is normally where a cross from an over-lapping full back would find itself.
Which therefore suggests that there is immense potential for an exciting combination between himself and Liverpool's adventurous fullbacks in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson.
Exciting to watch
For all the excellent output that he brings onto the field, Diaz also brings a lot of flair.
Once he gets into his stride, he is a tricky proposition for any fullback to mark. Engaging in one-on-one duels with him is running the risk of letting his quick feet dance past.
Giving him space means that he is able to shift gears and advance past defenders into more dangerous areas.
In the Primeira Liga, he averaged 4.1 dribble attempts per 95, which further evidences his profile as a high-volume and powerful dribbler of the ball.
In the UEFA Champions League this season, he averaged even more, attempting 5.32 dribbles per 95 which is highly impressive in an albeit smaller sample size of minutes with Porto.
No doubt these numbers will see a slight decrease in the Premier League, it is nonetheless encouraging to see the difference he will make to Liverpool's attack.
With 14 goals and four assists in the Primeira Liga, Diaz promises terrific goals, clever movement, and exciting dribbles in the Premier League - a truly all-round package.