Liverpool are ready to cash in on their Portuguese attacking sensation Diogo Jota after a disappointing display in the EFL Cup final.
According to Mick Brown via Football Insider, Liverpool are all set to sanction the departure of Diogo Jota this summer as Arne Slot wants a major overhaul in attack. The Portuguese international could be one of multiple forwards who end up leaving Anfield ahead of next season.
After proving himself in the Premier League with Wolves, Jota made the move to Liverpool in the summer of 2020. While he has been an important part of their first team since the start, things haven’t been that great for him of late.
He only has eight goals in his 29 outings across competitions. Despite his versatility, he hasn’t been effective enough for Arne Slot’s team and the 28-year-old received a lot of criticism for his disappointing performance against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
The Dutch manager is frustrated by the performances of the majority of his forwards and he wants to make massive changes to his front-line in the summer. He has reportedly given the green light for the sale of Jota.
Brown’s take on Jota’s future
While speaking to Football Insider, the former Manchester United scout said: “Liverpool are looking at their team and assessing areas they can improve,”
“They’ve become a little bit predictable in recent weeks, which will be an issue.
“One of their strengths has been that they’ve got five or six forwards, and any three of those could start on any given day.
“But I don’t think Slot has been particularly happy with what those players are giving to him.
“Jota, I hear, has been particularly disappointing, and he’s one they will look to move on.
“If they can bring in a decent fee for him, it will allow them to go and spend it on a replacement.
“I think clubs will be interested in him so perhaps there’s a deal to be done.
“Slot wants to refresh his attacking options to give Liverpool something new, but at the moment the options they’ve got means there’s no space.
“His sale and perhaps a couple of others would free that space, wages, and money to spend on improvements this summer.”
Liverpool to make significant changes to their attack
Jota might not be the only forward to leave Anfield, as Slot isn’t entirely satisfied with the performances of Darwin Núñez and Luis Díaz. To make significant signings, he could end up selling all three, creating space in the squad and raising funds for major moves.
Despite being able to feature anywhere across the front line, Jota hasn’t been able to deliver the kind of performances Slot expects from his forwards. As a result, they are ready to let him leave.
Brown believes there will be a significant amount of interest in the Portuguese forward which could help the Merseyside club raise funds and bring in a world-class forward who is a better fit for Slot’s style of play.
Arsenal are one of the clubs that have been linked with the 28-year-old. They do need attacking reinforcement and it will be interesting to see if Mikel Arteta would love to have Jota in his squad.
