6 days ago
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Rio Ferdinand has taken a swipe at Liverpool's decision to let Luis Diaz go in the summer, asserting that there is 'no chance' Cody Gakpo is superior to the Colombian. The forward transferred to Bayern Munich and has been thriving since joining the Bundesliga giants.
Diaz made an immediate impact by netting the decisive goal on his debut against VfB Stuttgart, clinching the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup for the German side in the process. The 28-year-old now boasts an impressive tally of seven goals and four assists from 13 appearances for the Bavarians - with Bayern enjoying a 100 percent winning streak so far this season.
In contrast, Liverpool has found itself floundering, despite shelling out over $500M during the summer transfer window. The Reds recently slipped to seventh in the Premier League table after suffering a fourth consecutive defeat in the English top-flight.
With five losses in their last six matches, the Reds were already underperforming before results took a turn for the worse. Now trailing league leaders Arsenal, by seven points, the reigning champions' title defence appears to be all-but over before the end of October.
Both Diaz and Gakpo were instrumental figures in Arne Slot's squad as Liverpool secured the Premier League crown last season.
Initially rotating responsibilities on the left wing, Diaz was subsequently moved to a more central position as the campaign developed, with Slot choosing to deploy both attackers alongside Mohamed Salah in his favoured front three.
Gakpo finished the preceding season with 18 goals and six assists from 49 appearances, whilst Diaz recorded 17 strikes and five assists across his 50 outings.
The Dutch international has maintained his goalscoring form this term, finding the back of the net four times and contributing three assists in 13 matches thus far, though has still attracted criticism along with several colleagues for his displays.
Whilst he faced intense competition from Diaz last campaign for a regular berth, circumstances have changed this season, with academy prospect Rio Ngumoha acting as their only natural understudy.
Florian Wirtz, Federico Chiesa and Hugo Ekitike provide further alternatives, although Slot has largely maintained Gakpo in the role.
Ex-Manchester United centre-back Ferdinand has now slammed Liverpool's decision to sell Diaz amid their present struggles, claiming it constituted poor transfer activity.
"I think Diaz leaving, I don't know if that's good business," he remarked on the ' Rio Ferdinand Presents' podcast. "I think he's a top player, Diaz. Being allowed to leave the club, have they replaced him with anything better? Is Gakpo better? I would say no, no chance.
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"They're not functioning, they're not playing as well. The new players that have come in have probably unbalanced the team a little bit with the way the manager is trying to play it."
It's important to note that Diaz was only sold by Liverpool because he wanted to leave, after being denied a transfer to Man City during the summer of 2024.
Initially, the Reds insisted that the Colombian was not up for grabs during the most recent summer transfer window, but they changed their stance when the 28 year old made his wish to leave clear following unsuccessful contract talks with the Premier League champions.
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