Liverpool hero John Aldridge believes Diogo Jota is the quality back-up forward that Jurgen Klopp’s side has been missing.
The Portugal international completed the £45 million switch from Wolves to Anfield last week, following Thiago’s arrival from Bayern Munich.
Jota netted 13 goals in all competitions last season for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side and will play second fiddle to Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Robert Firmino for the Reds.
Aldridge feels that despite the 23-year-old’s hefty price tag, he could prove to be a smart coup for the Merseyside club.
‘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,’ Aldridge told the Liverpool Echo.
‘Don’t forget a lot of his appearances for Wolves have come as a substitute so that paints a bit of 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.’
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Liverpool have been heavily reliant on their front three in recent seasons, and Aldridge says quality from the bench is exactly what the champions needed.
‘Our striking options are looking really good now,’ he added. ‘Mo Salah showed on the opening weekend [against Leeds United] he’s as hungry as ever and Sadio Mane displayed what he’s all about again at Chelsea.
‘I saw Jamie Carragher has compared him to the great John Barnes and I can certainly see where he’s coming from.
‘That second 45 [minutes] at Chelsea will do him good, as I believe will the arrival of Jota because, as I said last week, that knowledge that there is now someone on the bench who could potentially take his place should be a good motivating factor for him to get a few more goals.
‘Quality back-up for the strikeforce is something we’ve talked about Liverpool needing for some time and it’s great to see it in place now.’
