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Arne Slot has paid tribute to Luis Diaz’s impact at Liverpool following his transfer to Bayern Munich, and said he will miss the Colombian’s famous chant from the supporters.
Diaz’s move to the German champions was confirmed on Wednesday, with the winger leaving for a fee of €75 million ($86M/£65M). He was a popular player among the squad and certainly well-liked by Slot.
Only Mohamed Salah made more appearances for Liverpool last season than the 28-year-old, who was deployed on both wings and through the middle. Speaking after the Reds’ 3-1 win over Yokohama F.Marinos on Wednesday, Slot thanked Diaz and said it was a sad day to see him leave the club.
“First of all, for the person he was because he always had a smile on his face no matter what, in the year that I've worked with him,” the ex-Feyenoord boss told Liverpool's official club website. “I played him a lot so then maybe it's a little bit more normal to have a smile on your face.
“But even when I didn't play him, he always came out for every training session and gave it everything, with a smile on his face.
“Apart from that, I'm going to miss his song a lot because it was maybe one of the best songs our fans have for a player. And of course, all that he contributed to us winning the league.”
Diaz’s departure comes amid a busy summer at Liverpool, with six first-team arrivals so far and four senior departures. The forward joins Caoimhin Kelleher, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jarell Quansah in leaving the Premier League champions, and Slot said those exits are vital in funding a summer transfer spend that is approaching the $398M (£300M) mark.
“This is also who we are as a club. We are making big signings; we have done that over the past few years,” explained the Dutchman.
“But this club also needs to recoup funds to get these transfers that we already did over the line.
“It has been a summer where we've spent a lot but I think if people look at all the money we've already brought in, that's also – like last year when we almost only sold players – a good thing for this club as well.”
Diaz shared an emotional post on Instagram as he left Liverpool and said: “Three years and a half that I’ll treasure forever. I arrived with all the dreams in the world, and I am leaving proud of everything we achieved together.
“I have met incredible people, fabulous colleagues, coaches who helped me a lot, and extraordinary fans. Liverpool is, indeed, a special team, and I will keep everyone in my heart.
“The cycle ends here, and it is so gratifying to look back and realize how happy we were.”
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