Luis Diaz's performances in the Champions League helped convince Liverpool that the winger was worth investing in.
The Colombian made a January move from Porto for £37.5m, which could rise to £50m, and has made an immediate impact at Anfield. Diaz had scored 16 times for the Portuguese side before his midseason switch to the Premier League. He was highly rated in Portugal and played a pivotal role as his former side made the last eight in Europe last term.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus were beaten en route to the quarter-finals whilst Diaz had also made his mark in England, scoring against Manchester City at the Etihad for the Primeira Liga outfit. His solo effort had put Porto ahead before they were pegged back, but the Colombian's efforts had left their impression.
"We watch a lot of games of Porto; not only this season but other seasons as well," Liverpool's No. 2 Pep Lijnders told the Athletic. "For example, Luis was so good against Juventus and Manchester City in the Champions League last season. We crossed our information with Julian Ward. Our scouting department had great reports on him as well, so in the end, it was an easy collective decision."
Diaz also played against English opposition in Chelsea as Porto were knocked out of the Champions League 2-1 on aggregate. His displays attracted the attention of Tottenham, whose moves for the winger forced Liverpool's hand and saw them sign the player in January despite originally eyeing a summer swoop.
Diaz made his debut off the bench against Cardiff in the FA Cup before wowing the Anfield crowd with an impressive early Premier League showing against Leicester City. He has continued to highlight his quality and has provided Jurgen Klopp will another forward option to further bolster their attacking line.
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The Liverpool boss admits Diaz's happiness in training has set him apart from players he's coached previously and confesses he didn't expect the winger to hit the ground running. He said: "I didn’t know how much he enjoys training, I had no idea. I'm not sure I ever saw somebody like that. I said it before, he cannot stop smiling during training. He just can't stop. It's crazy. I didn't know that. All the rest, how quickly he would adapt, no, we didn't know that as well.
"They are all happy, all the players we signed in the last few years were all happy when they arrived here. It's not the worst place in the world, to be honest. Luis is now here already for nearly two months, or is it two months? I don't know exactly. That's rare how much he enjoys training, that's really cool."
