Diogo Jota “perfectly suits” Liverpool, according to John Barnes, who says the forward’s electrifying form shows the Reds were right not to sign Timo Werner.
Jota has quickly established himself as a fan favourite since his £41 million ($55m) move to Anfield from Wolves in September.
The Portugal international has scored nine goals in his first 14 outings in all competitions for Jurgen Klopp’s side, with his latest effort coming in a 1-1 draw away at Brighton on Saturday afternoon.
Liverpool had been in the market for Werner before setting their sights on Jota, but the ex-RB Leipzig frontman ended up joining Chelsea for £47.5m ($63m) in June.
Although Werner has also been a big hit at Chelsea, he hasn’t been quite as prolific as the former Wolves star, and Barnes thinks a patient approach in the transfer market ultimately ended up paying off for his old club.
“Timo Werner is doing well and I’m sure he could have fit into what Liverpool wanted, but Liverpool want a player that wants to come to them,” the Reds Legend told BonusCodeBets.
“From the financial point of view, they would have paid the £48m that Chelsea have for Werner without a problem, but maybe Werner wanted to guarantee that he was going to play in every single week, which he does at Chelsea and he may not necessarily have got that at Liverpool, just as Jota hasn’t.
“From Werner’s point of view, he would not have been guaranteed a starting place at Liverpool. Perhaps it’s a decision he made and one Liverpool made in terms of wanting the player that would be happy to be a part of a squad as Jota is.
“Jota is playing well not just because he’s a really good player, but because he’s happy to not play every game and he’s got the right attitude.
“What Klopp does with all the players is he looks at a player that can fit into what he wants and he knew Jota could do what he wanted, I’m sure Werner could have done the same, so like with a lot of players at Liverpool I don’t think they’re improving, I think they’re at a club that suits their style perfectly and the way Liverpool play perfectly suits Jota.”
Jota will be back in action when Liverpool take on Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday, while Werner and Chelsea are due to take in a trip to Sevilla a day later as their latest European campaign continues.
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