Klopp Talk: ‘Plenty of Reasons’ For Signing Jota

The manager is pleased with Liverpool’s latest signing

After a quiet summer in terms of transfer activity, Liverpool has had a very busy 48 hours.
Yesterday they finally announced Thiago Alcântara. This
morning they followed that up by announcing the transfer of Diogo
Jota from Wolves.

Following the signing, Jurgen Klopp was asked about his most
recent addition.

“Oh my god, plenty of reasons!” the manager said about why he
wanted to bring in the 23-year-old Portuguese forward. “He’s a
player who gives us so many options to use him. He’s 23 years old,
still far away from being kind of a finished article, so much
potential. He has the speed, he can combine, can defend, can
press.

“It makes it just more unpredictable and gives us real options
for different systems because he can play pretty much all three
positions up front in a 4-3-3, [or] if we play with four
midfielders he can play both wings. So, these kinds of things. It’s
just nice.”

The assumption is that Jota will primarily be used as an
alternative to Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah on the wings, but that
he can fill in anywhere in attack—and in other systems Liverpool
might play, too—is certainly nice.

It’s not just his talent Klopp likes, though, with the Liverpool
manager highlighting the player’s drive and determination.

“He has some natural things which we have in our game, like this
desire and the greed and the direction,” Klopp continued. “He is
part of this unbelievable Portuguese generation in the moment so
I’m really happy to have him here.”

However, it does seem clear that Jota wasn’t brought in to
start, at least not straight away. But one day, be it this season
or next or the one after, he could well push his way into a
starting role in one of the best club sides in the world such is
his potential.

“He knows it’s a step for him,” the Liverpool manager added. “Of
course it is. He knows it’s a step for him [but] he can give us
things we don’t have—that’s why it’s cool. The space for
improvement is not what I like most, but it’s there.

“He is now already ready to play for us but yes, I’m pretty sure
there’s something to come. And the way we play, the way we train
and the way we treat people, I think will help him as well. That’s
how it will be with him as well and what he will do with us.”