Jota injury: How Liverpool's transfer plans could change

14 Jul 2022 19:00 BST
3 min read

Diogo Jota in action for Liverpool against Atletico Madrid — © ProShots

Liverpool may find themselves needing to re-enter the transfer market again after Diogo Jota suffered a setback in his return from injury.

The Portuguese forward had only just recovered from a hamstring injury he picked up on international duty last month but he is set for a scan after the issue flared up again.

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Should Liverpool’s worst fears be realised, it would potentially leave them short on numbers up front, having sold Divock Origi, Sadio Mane and Takumi Minamino already this summer.

Jota’s injury meant he didn’t feature in Liverpool’s 4-0 loss to Manchester United in Bangkok despite manager Jurgen Klopp giving every member of his squad an appearance during the game.

Do Liverpool need to sign a new striker?

Liverpool had previously suggested that their transfer business was finished for the summer after bringing in striker Darwin Nunez for €100 million as well as Calvin Ramsay and Fabio Carvalho.

The club have struggled to secure their priority targets and had opted to put off any further dealings until next year instead of sign lesser alternatives or stopgaps.

But a significant injury to Jota could see the Reds go into the new season with Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Luis Diaz as their only fit, senior forwards.

While Klopp may choose to give Carvalho and 19-year-old attacking midfielder Harvey Elliott more game time, Liverpool would undoubtedly be missing an established, proven goalscorer in Jota.

The 25-year-old netted 15 Premier League goals in the most recent campaign but his absence would see Salah as the only player in Liverpool’s squad who scored more than five times last season.

📺 Jurgen Klopp on Diogo Jota:

"He trained yesterday fully and got injured again, so that’s really not cool but we have to wait for the results. He had further assessment this morning so we have to see.” 🔴 pic.twitter.com/rqNCk194GQ
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) July 14, 2022

Having lost a crucial piece of their front line in Mane, Jota was expected to play a prominent role up top this season but the reoccurrence of a persistent injury could be a cause for concern.

Although nothing has been revealed over the severity of the injury, the issue highlights the potential risk of relying on a striker with fitness issues while lacking strength in depth up front.

The club may choose to look towards the market to solve their problem however, there appears to be a shortage of quality strikers available and Liverpool are not keen to panic buy.

It appears likely that Klopp will trust in long-time faithful forward Firmino as well as his young talents, although should Jota’s fitness continue to be an issue, it may develop into a situation that cannot be ignored.