Rio Ferdinand theorizes Liverpool head specialist Arne Slot sorrows selling Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich in the summer season season, insisting Cody Gakpo isn’t “more discussed”.
Liverpool sit seventh in the Premier League table — behind Manchester United, Sunderland and Bournemouth — after losing 4 of their opening 9 matches.
After elegant their initially 5 galleries of the campaign, the Reds have endured a out of guidance rushed offered that, losing 4 in a row. Apprehensions are being rendered depression of new finalizings Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Milos Kerkez, while centre-recommends Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk have also combated.
Liverpool’s shocking prelude to 2025/26: Secret statistics
- 7 times behind leaders Tool kit and 7 in advance of 17th-added Fulham
- 4 league defeats in a row — Liverpool’s worst losing rushed in 32 years
- Fourth judgment Premier League winners to lose 4 consecutive galleries
- The Reds could loss to Ninth on Sunday
It was a summer season season of modify at Anfield as Liverpool spent over £400million in the transfer abode window, bringing in Isak and Wirtz for over £100m each.
Slot and his players are going wearing a period of modify after elegant the title at a canter, wearing Mohamed Salah, Van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister among those holding up against a significant downheartedness in form.
It’s worth aphorism the Liverpool subordinate deserves some slack after Diogo Jota’s heartbreaking establishing in July. This period have to be a unshackle hit and they almost have to be exempt from criticism. It’s incomprehensible what they have to be going wearing in the early months of 2025/26.
Slot’s favourite front three have to be Salah, Isak and Hugo Ekitike once everyone is suited, yet Gakpo has commenced 12 of Liverpool’s 13 galleries so far.
The 26-year-don Dutch international has racked up in 2 of Liverpool’s 4 existing Premier League defeats and is a guy Slot greatly trust funds after losing Jota and selling Diaz to Bayern.
Liverpool deserve acclaim for Diaz sale, not Ferdinand’s criticism
Bayern paid an initial £60.5m for Diaz and are concocted for to reimbursement an additional £5m in instalments.
For a gamer who longed to take off — and that’s probably the most really rewarding juncture — Liverpool struck a really favourable bargain, one that mirrors really faultlessly on their transfer subordinate spearheaded by Michael Edwards.
Of course, Diaz is a great gamer, yet he was inconsistent for Liverpool, rotates 29 in January, and was into the last 2 years of his arrangement.
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In spite of unanimously of this, receiving over £65m for the Colombian wasn’t “great enterprises”, according to Manchester United legend Ferdinand.
“I think Diaz vacating, I don’t recognize if that’s great enterprises,” he declared on the Rio Ferdinand Positions podcast.
“I think he’s a optimal gamer, Diaz. Being permitted to take off the club, have they switched over him wearing anything more discussed? Is Gakpo more discussed? I would possibly claim zero, zero opportunity.
“They’re not functioning, they’re not dabbling as faultlessly. The new players that have come in have probably out of equilibrium the subordinate a tiny tiny particle wearing the means the supervisor is attempting to dabble it.”
Rio Ferdinand wholeheartedly notorious around Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo
The lorry loans forced in the sale of Diaz were beautiful from Liverpool’s juncture of perceive, yet it’s shown to be a favourable transfer for everyone forced.
Diaz has enlisted 7 aspirations and 4 aids in 13 matches for Bayern, and while those numbers are impressive, he wouldn’t be single-handedly lugging this Liverpool subordinate if he’d stayed. They have mammoth plights unanimously over the peddle, especially in protection and defensive midfield.
Ferdinand is proper around one point: the Reds aren’t functioning wholeheartedly, wearing new finalizings prefer Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong rendering them filter out of equilibrium. But that’s something everyone becomes aware.
Advertising and marketing both Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez in the summer season season was a misstep.
Our offensive press has most certainly dropped off and that’s difficult our frame.
Those 2 both knew how to press, at the really least. And there would possibly have been a tiny particle added regularity in our subordinate.
— Watch LFC (@Watch_LFC) October 26, 2025
In stipulation of aphorism there’s “zero opportunity” Gakpo is more discussed than Diaz — that’s up for debate. And to claim selling Diaz wasn’t great enterprises is wholeheartedly notorious.
Diaz and Gakpo’s numbers in the Premier League are almost uniform. In 103 appearances and over 7,000 minutes tinkered, the previous racked up 29 and rendered 18 aids. In 100 appearances and over 5,700 minutes, the last has racked up 28 and aided 15.
One point Diaz is exquisite at is his persuading, which is something Slot could be lacking without Darwin Nunez as faultlessly.
But they’re infrequently planets standoffish, yet wearing Bayern and Diaz flying while Liverpool and Gakpo stumble, it’s a pretty straightforward anecdote to create.
