Liverpool may have spent £80million on a new forward in Uruguay international Darwin Nunez, but that has not made Sadio Mane's exit any less painful.
The former Southampton man lit up Anfield during his six years playing in front of the Kop faithful. During that time, Mane established himself as one of the most lethal big game players in the Premier League, with memorable goals both in the latter stages of the Champions League and against the Reds title rivals.
The 30-year-old had the wonderful trait of seemingly always turning up when his side needed him most, like his incredibly composed finish away at Bayern Munich, or all of his goals against fellow title-chasers Manchester City.
It is his one of his many positive traits that Jurgen Klopp and Co. will miss now that he plies his trade in the red half of Munich rather than Merseyside. However, they may not have to look too far for another player that has a knack of contributing at the most important times.
Diogo Jota has quietly gone about his business ever since he first joined the club in a £40million move from fellow Premier League outfit Wolves. While he doesn't seem to garner the kind of headlines that Mane or indeed Mohamed Salah so often do, his effort does not go unnoticed.
The young Portugal international has a stunning record when it comes to the biggest occasion. Since joining in 2020, Jota has netted goals at Old Trafford, the Tottenham Hotspur stadium and the Emirates. Throw in a hat-trick against Atalanta and goals against Atletico Madrid and the 25-year-old has a serious argument to start more often.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Jota feature regularly for Liverpool next term? Comment below
But sealing his place in Klopp's first eleven now that Mane has gone still may not be as simple as pointing his record against the sides around Liverpool. The arrival of Nunez has meant there is now a clear first-choice Reds attacking trio and it does not include Jota.
January signing Luis Diaz will occupy the left wing he has made his own since arriving from Porto at the turn of the year. Mohamed Salah's place is as secure as anyone's possibly could be on the opposite flank, while it would make the most sense for the club-record signing to take up his usual position through the middle.
In turn, Jota will have to force Klopp's hand over the course of the season using the chances he does get to play his way into the starting eleven. The ex-Wolves star does boast on advantage over those in front of him in that he is as versatile as they comes.
Jota can be deployed anywhere along the front-line and do an impeccable job. That could prove invaluable to his chances of getting a sufficient amount of game time in the biggest fixtures next term, but he'll need to earn his manager's trust.
