Jürgen Klopp has described Luis Díaz’s full Liverpool debut as “one of the best I ever saw” while insisting the new signing needs time to adapt to the Premier League.
The Colombia international made an accomplished first start for Klopp’s team in the 2-0 defeat of Leicester on Thursday, when handed an early opportunity to impress Anfield in the absence of Sadio Mané.
Klopp credited Díaz’s “skill-set and character” for the seamless introduction and, despite calling for calm, admits he was captivated by the winger’s 89-minute display.
“It was his first game and it was probably one of the best I ever saw from a new player, that’s true, because he looked completely natural,” the Liverpool manager said. “But it was only a first game and we have to see how he adapts to working with intensity and all this kind of things in the Premier League.
“There is no rush. Last night was a very good opportunity to start him because of Sadio not being here yet and Mo [Salah] coming back from an incredibly tense tournament and, yes, he showed up.”
Liverpool had planned to sign Díaz this summer but brought forward their move once Porto accepted a fee from Tottenham for the 25-year-old, who could eventually cost €60m (£50m). Klopp admits timing has been a key factor in Liverpool’s success in the transfer market during his reign.
Klopp, who has Mané available for Sunday’s visit to Burnley, said: “I am 100% sure that a year later Diogo Jota would have had offers from other top clubs – that is how it is. It is similar to Mo. If he had played another season at Roma in the same manner then there probably would have been other clubs in for him as well. So it is about timing, it is about what you need at that moment.
“But for all the players it is the same; the most important thing for a signing and for a transfer working is that the team they join is in a good place. It helps massively that it is a settled team so the new signing doesn’t have to come in and change the world on his first day. If, as a new player, you have to be the one that makes the difference the next Saturday it makes life really difficult. And that was never the case since I have been here.”
Klopp added: “Our transfers have to hit the ground [running] because we can’t make a £40m or £50m signing and say that if they are not playing then that is not important. As we say in Germany, it is not that we swim in money. It’s a wealthy club, there are no problems here, but the policy is clear: we spend what we earn. It is very important that we have to do absolutely the right thing.”
