Former Liverpool midfielder Steve Nicol has questioned whether Diogo Jota will be happy if he finds himself playing a reduced role at Anfield next season.
Jota made the move to Anfield in September 2020 from Wolves for a fee in the region of £45m and has been largely impressive in his two seasons since, notching 34 goals and nine assists in 85 games for the Reds.
However, the Portugal international's game time diminished during the second half of last season following the instant impact Luis Diaz had after his move from FC Porto in January.
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And following Liverpool's latest venture into the Primera Liga market for the signing of Darwin Nunez, in a deal that could cost a club record £85m, Jota could find himself as the Reds' fourth choice forward when the Premier League season kicks off next month.
Nicol, who played over 300 times for Liverpool during a 13-year stay at Anfield, believes that the lack of game time is something the 25-year-old forward would be unhappy with.
"Will he be happy as a super-sub? I would expect not," he said on ESPN FC. “In his mind, if I am him, I am thinking, ‘This is a big game for me because I don’t want to be coming off the bench all the time’. So I think this is an important year for him.”
Despite his struggles during the second half of the campaign, Jota still finished the 2021/22 season with an impressive 21 goals in 55 games across the four competitions Liverpool played in. Of those 21 strikes, there were goals at Old Trafford, Goodison Park, the Emirates and the Etihad.
Though with the depths in Jurgen Klopp 's ranks as strong as it has ever been during his time on Merseyside, Jota will no doubt have plenty of opportunities to impress his manager and work his way up the pecking order.
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