‘If Klopp thinks Jota’s worth £41m, trust him’ – Liverpool needed more firepower, admits Aldridge

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The former Reds striker is pleased to see another forward added to the ranks at Anfield, but admits Rhian Brewster may need to leave

Jurgen Klopp should be trusted if he feels Diogo Jota is worth £41 million ($53m) to the Liverpool cause, says John Aldridge, with the Premier League champions needing to add more firepower to their ranks.

Plenty had urged Klopp to bring in another forward prior to the current transfer window swinging open.

While Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino form one of the most fearsome frontlines in world football, they have little cover behind them at Anfield.

Jota has been acquired to sit alongside Divock Origi when it comes to providing support.

Big money has been invested in him, which suggests that the Portuguese will see plenty of game time, and Aldridge believes the 23-year-old will prove to be another success story.

The former Reds striker told the Liverpool Echo: “He's quick, his delivery is very good, he can play in a number of forward positions and he knows where the back of the net is.“Don't forget a lot of his appearances for Wolves have come as a substitute so that paints a bit of a false picture when it comes to his creative ability.“It might seem a lot of money to some people but Liverpool fans should trust the manager implicitly because look how many decisions he's got right.

“If he believes Jota is worth that, with Ki-Jana Hoever going the other way, it could turn out to be a really good deal for Liverpool.“Our striking options are looking really good now. Mo Salah showed on the opening weekend he's as hungry as ever and Sadio Mane displayed what he's all about again at Chelsea.”

While Jota has added to the options available to Klopp, it may be that his arrival hastens a departure for Rhian Brewster.

The highly-rated 20-year-old is generating plenty of transfer talk, with Sheffield United one of his many suitors, and Aldridge admits the youngster should move on and earn himself a future return to Merseyside.

He added: “Quality back-up for the strike-force is something we've talked about Liverpool needing for some time and it's great to see it in place now.“It will be interesting to see what it means for the other strikers on the fringe of the first team and, in particular Rhian Brewster, who is now being linked with a permanent move away from Anfield.

“Many of these reports suggest that if such a deal happens Liverpool will have a buy-back clause in the deal and that's something I would certainly like to see as there's no doubt the lad is a goalscorer.“If he's not going to get games at Liverpool in the foreseeable future having seemingly now moved further down the pecking order, you can't blame him for wanting to move on.“It would be shrewd to have a buy-back option though because Liverpool are then covering themselves with a kind of insurance policy, having put years' worth of training and development into the boy.

“I do think as a goalscorer the lad has every chance of being a success and who knows, if he does end up moving on, we could yet see him back in a red shirt again one day.”

2020-09-22 18:00:04

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