'Smart' Liverpool player hailed by Arne Slot has brilliant record when starting that justifies his £45m move

Diogo Jota netted his fourth goal of the season to set Liverpool on their way to another victory against Crystal Palace over the weekend.

His goal was an early nerve-settler, as Arne Slot’s side eventually went on to record their sixth win in seven league games to remain at the top of the Premier League table. While it was their defence that got the plaudits once again - that was their fifth clean sheet of the campaign so far - Jota reached 100 starts in a Liverpool shirt and his record is certainly favourable.

In total, he has 81 goal contributions in 154 games. Narrowing that down further, his record when starting is 65 goal contributions in 100 starts - with the remaining 16 coming from the bench. That means he finds himself registering a contribution at a better rate than one in two games - with 0.65 per 90 when he starts. It is certainly a more than reliable record that warrants the £45m they paid to sign him in 2020.

Furthermore, he has dealt with being in and out of the team across his time at the club. He arrived in the team when the famed front three under Jurgen Klopp dominated the starting line-up for two seasons straight. He then worked his way into the side in 2022 and has been a regular fixture since. The battle has been with Darwin Nunez, especially last season, but he has found his way into Slot’s good books and is the main starting central forward.

And the reasoning behind that decision was revealed by Slot after the Palace victory as he explained the qualities he brings to the side. “He puts a lot of effort in, but apart from putting a lot of effort in, he works in a smart way,” Slot told BBC Sport.

“Without the ball, he works really hard, like all the others, but with the ball, he always understands when to drop, when to play deep, and a bit higher. He has a lot of tactical knowledge, and that helps us in certain parts of the game. He scored a very good goal, although we have to give credit to Cody and Kostas as well. But I think he also could have scored one more, maybe even two more.”

With his ability to help bring the likes of Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo into play, he is the most effective player for Slot. Plus, his selfless movement and link-up play is paramount to the harmony of the attack and he also brings a clinical threat that was evident in his goal against Palace.