Liverpool clinched the Premier League crown with relative comfort last season, and FSG’s lavish outlay during the summer at Anfield must have sent ripples of unease through the rest of European football.
Although Arne Slot’s men have not exactly hit their stride in the early weeks of the campaign, they still boast nine points from nine in the league, having beaten Newcastle away before edging title rivals Arsenal thanks to Dominik Szoboszlai’s remarkable free-kick.
The Reds have lacked true fluency so far, yet new number nine Hugo Ekitike has certainly made an impression, notching three goals and one assist across his first four appearances.
An automatic starter, surely? But the late-window signing of Newcastle striker Alexander Isak could shake things up in the attacking department.
Liverpool now possess two of the most explosive forwards in world football in Isak and Ekitike, though both prefer to operate most effectively and dangerously through the centre.
Isak is undoubtedly the sharper and more polished option, though he is also nearly three years older than his French counterpart.
Owning two elite centre-forwards is hardly a dilemma for Slot, but he may be forced to redeploy one on the left flank or steer Liverpool toward a different tactical structure.
Still, neither offers the natural wide versatility that Cody Gakpo brings as a left-sided attacker.
And crucially, Liverpool have already parted with one of Europe’s finest wingers in Luis Diaz, who could have been the perfect complement in their frontline mix.
The Reds sanctioned Diaz’s £65.5m transfer to Bayern Munich in July, with the Bundesliga giants persuading the 28-year-old to move after FSG failed to tie him down to fresh terms.
Signed from Porto as Jurgen Klopp’s successor to Sadio Mane, Diaz may not have soared to quite the same dizzying levels, but he still delivered impressively.
Indeed, Klopp described him as a “top world-class player” back in April 2022, underscoring his admiration for the Colombian’s abilities.
Diaz departs as a vital figure in one of Liverpool’s golden eras, having struck 17 times and provided eight assists across competitions last season, even covering as a centre-forward when required.
While some doubted his productivity, he fared well, placing fourth among all left wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for goal involvements, doing so in arguably the hardest competition of all.
Considering Isak joins Liverpool boasting proven scoring pedigree in the Premier League, he might have forged a devastating partnership with Diaz, who combined industry with creativity and ranked inside the top 9% of positional peers for pass accuracy, linking play and supplying effectively for the Swede.
Liverpool’s summer sales leaving them with a smaller net spend than Arsenal perhaps highlight the notion that Diaz’s departure was unnecessary.
The rise of 17-year-old prodigy Rio Ngumoha has eased the sting of losing the Colombian, but Diaz remains among the most seasoned and electric attackers in the sport.
Similarly, Florian Wirtz’s early stumbles in adapting to English football serve as a reminder that Diaz played a pivotal role in Slot’s title-winning setup, and his absence will undoubtedly be felt as the season unfolds.
