Luis Diaz has finally broken his silence on his Anfield exit, insisting his £65million move to Bayern Munich was the “right decision” despite Liverpool’s ongoing struggles to replace his output.
Liverpool’s summer of upheaval saw the club sanction a £65.5m departure for Luis Diaz, ending his vibrant three-and-a-half-year spell on Merseyside.
While Arne Slot initially pushed to keep the talented Colombian, the hierarchy eventually deemed Bayern Munich’s improved offer too significant to ignore for a player approaching his 29th birthday.
Diaz produced his best season in a Liverpool shirt as the Reds stormed to the Premier League title, scoring 13 goals and five assists.
Despite Slot’s attempts to retain his talisman, the Liverpool hierarchy chose to cash in on the 29-year-old last summer. The move secured a substantial profit on a player the club originally plucked from Porto for £37.5 million in January 2022.
By sanctioning the £65.5 million deal, the Reds effectively doubled their initial investment, prioritising a “sell-high” policy for a winger entering the final stage of his peak years.
However, with Liverpool’s new-look front line struggling at times this season, many Reds have come to regret the decision to let Diaz join the Bundesliga Champions.
Although, looking at Diaz’s latest comments from Munich, it appears the feeling isn’t mutual.
Bayern Munich a ‘good’ decision
The Colombian winger has flourished since swaping Merseyside for the Allianz Arena last summer, racking up a staggering 34 goal contributions for Vincent Kompany’s side.
While Arne Slot’s recruitment team reinvested the funds into blockbuster deals for Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, and Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez the Reds’ stuttering domestic form has left many questioning whether the club sanctioned the sale of the wrong man.
Speaking to Sky Germany ahead of his first Der Klassiker, Diaz admitted he had “no doubts” about his Bundesliga switch.
For Slot, who recently defended the sale by pointing to Isak’s injury woes, the sight of Diaz thriving alongside Harry Kane serves as a persistent reminder of the quality currently missing from the Liverpool flanks.
Speaking to Sky Sports Germany, Diaz has spoken of how well he has adapted to life at Bayern Munich.
“When FC Bayern approached me, it was clear from the very first moment that I wanted to go through with this transfer”, Diaz said.
“It filled me with pride because I had known the club for a long time and basically understood what to expect there.
“It was a good decision a decision for an incredible and outstanding team. And when you arrive somewhere new, you naturally want to give your very best, to give 100 per cent and to feel comfortable where you are. Being happy is the most important thing for a player and for his family as well. It was exactly the right move to come here.
“I knew I would be joining an incredibly strong group of footballers and a club with excellent infrastructure and top-class training facilities. I had no doubts about that. The most difficult part for me and my family certainly was and still is the language…
But I knew I would fit in very well here and that I would contribute my part to the team’s success just as I did previously in Liverpool. FC Bayern placed their trust in me, and I am trying to repay that trust on the pitch.”
Diaz may not be missing Liverpool, but Liverpool certainly misses Diaz
Whilst Liverpool fans will be happy to see Diaz doing well in Germany, his form does raise question marks over their decision to sell the Colombian in the summer.
Evidently, Diaz still had plenty to offer at Liverpool. Furthermore, the Reds have missed his energy and unpredictability in a side that has lacked intensity and entertainment all season.
Despite the glaring Diaz-shaped hole in this Liverpool side, Slot was quick to play down the Colombian’s departure ahead of the Sunderland game last week.
The Dutchman told reporters, “You always miss good football players. He was so important for us last season, but he wasn’t the only one.”
Slot then defended Liverpool’s transfer policy amid the criticism that Liverpool let Diaz go too soon.
“Luis Diaz is another example of how this club is run. If this club gets, for a 28-year-old, an offer like that, then this club, because it is built on sustainability, chooses to sell a player and we are an exception in the Premier League, especially at the top of the Premier League, for that.”
The reality is sobering. Liverpool currently sit 5th in the Premier League table, their title ambitions long since extinguished by a winter of inconsistency. The “unpredictability” he provided the very thing he is now being hailed for in Germany is exactly what this stuttering Liverpool side lacks as they scrap with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Aston Villa just to stay in the Champions League conversation.
