Fresh from announcing the signing of Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich, Liverpool have wasted no time in sealing a £45m deal for Diogo Jota from Wolves.
The Reds have been scouting the Portugal international for two years prior to his move to the Anfield, with him impressing ever since he first turned up at Molineux and Jurgen Klopp a long-term admirer of his talents.
And having previously been linked with Timo Wener and Ismaila Sarr, without making moves for either forward, the Liverpool boss has turned to the 23-year-old to provide cover to his famed front three of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Jota joined Wolves on loan from Atletico Madrid in 2017 initially, but he proved to be so impressive in their promotion-winning campaign in the Championship that the Black Country side had no qualms about making the move permanent.
He’s continued to excite at Premier League level and is now firmly establishing himself as one of the division’s hottest prospects - even if most observers haven’t really noticed.
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Yet, when you scratch beyond the surface, it’s clear to see why both of Klopp and Michael Edwards see him as the ideal player to add some depth to Liverpool’s ruthless attack.
Despite featuring predominantly on the left for Wolves, like Liverpool’s current wide forwards, his game is more centred around goal scoring than goal creating.
Across all competitions last season, he registered just one assist, however, he scored a standout 15 goals which averaged out at 0.45 per 90.
This isn’t a one-off occurrence, he netted ten goals for Nuno Espírito Santo’s side in the season before and 17 in the campaign before that. That’s a total of 42 goals in England in less than three seasons.
That high goal return is down to two key factors.
Firstly, he is a frequent shot taker, averaging just below 2.4 shots per 90 in the league last season.
Yet importantly, these shots are from good locations close to goal, as opposed to low-quality efforts from distance. This is highlighted in the shot map below.
The 23-year-old is right-footed on paper, however, he’s more than capable of using both feet which aids him in being a skilled and dynamic ball carrier.
Last season in the league, he averaged just under seven attempted dribbles as well as just under four progressive runs per 90.
That good technical skill is complimented by his speed and agility, making him a real threat for any defence he comes up against.
Beyond all of the above, he possess characteristics that are highly valued by Klopp.
Traits such as versatility, pressing prowess without the ball, a strong work ethic and plenty of room to develop.
With his prime years still ahead of him, he is in many ways the ideal candidate for what the Reds needed in terms of adding some all-important depth to their forward line ahead of their quest to reclaim their Premier League crown this season.
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