With Liverpool struggling both domestically and in Europe, it's fair to say Luis Diaz is missed.
The 28-year-old joined Bayern Munich during the summer and is flourishing in Germany. He's already scored 11 goals and provided five assists for Bayern, a team that has a genuine chance of winning the Bundesliga title and Champions League this season.
It's starting to feel like Liverpool made a huge mistake in allowing Diaz to leave Anfield, with former Red Didi Hamann suggesting as much. The transfer is even proving to be controversial, with reports suggesting Arne Slot did not want the player to leave.
According to CaughtOffside, Liverpool's transfer boss Richard Hughes overruled Slot and allowed Diaz to join Bayern. The Reds made a profit on the Colombian by selling him for £65.5 million ($86.5 million), but Slot is dearly missing his presence on the left wing.
While Bayern sits six points clear at the top of the Bundesliga and comfortably in the top eight of the Champions League, Liverpool finds itself 13th in the European table and 12th in the Premier League. Slot is now facing questions about his future at Anfield.
Slot was a huge fan of Diaz and would love to call upon his services right now, as proven by his comments on the player when he left Anfield. "Yeah, it was (always going to be a sad day when Diaz left Liverpool)," said Slot after the summer transfer was announced.
Diaz is enjoying himself at Bayern Munich
Diaz is enjoying himself at Bayern Munich (Image: Getty Images)
"First of all, for the person he was, because he always had a smile on his face no matter what, in the year that I've worked with him. I played him a lot, so then maybe it's a little bit more normal to have a smile on your face!
"But even when I didn't play him, he always came out for every training session and gave it everything, with a smile on his face.
"Apart from that, I'm going to miss his song a lot, a lot, a lot as well because it was maybe one of the best songs our fans have for a player. And of course, all that he contributed to us winning the league."
Diaz was also complimentary of Slot. "As a coach, he has been spectacular from the first day I arrived, and we had contact," Diaz told Sky Sports in September 2024, when Liverpool was storming toward a 20th English league title.
"The relationship is and continues to be really good. He is very attentive to the things you need to improve, but he will also praise you for the good things you do. He is a good coach in that sense. He puts together good plans for the games, and you can see that reflected in our results. We have shown a lot of quality in our first few games."
Fast forward 14 months, and the situation is very different at Anfield.
Although the Reds turned a profit on Diaz, a player who will turn 29 in January, it's quite clear they miss him. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak have made little impact when they've played, while Cody Gakpo has just seven goal contributions this season.
Perhaps Slot should've tried harder to keep hold of Diaz, considering the player's quality and their mutual respect for each other.