After falling by the wayside last season and missing out on this year's edition of the Champions League, Liverpool supporters would be forgiven for a sense of consternation, but worries have been blown away.
Indeed, Liverpool top the Premier League table after 20 matches and look reborn after wholesale changes were made to the midfield during the summer transfer window.
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ByLuke Randall
Jurgen Klopp's side will likely use the January transfer window to strengthen, and while the backline should receive priority following Joel Matip's season-ending ACL injury last month, reinforcements could be targetted across the pitch.
Mohamed Salah, for example, is now absent for around a month as he heads off to the African Cup of Nations, and with this in mind, Liverpool are monitoring an exciting talent on the right flank.
Liverpool transfer news – Johan Bakayoko
Transfer insider Rudy Galetti reported last month that Liverpool are interested in a move for PSV Eindhoven winger Johan Bakayoko, with the journalist revealing that the 20-year-old is "strongly appreciated" by the Anfield side.
Tottenham Hotspur are also credited with an interest, with Brentford failing with a £34m approach to sign the prodigy in the summer too, but Klopp will be confident in securing the player if he chooses to advance Liverpool's interest.
While Spurs are eyeing a new winger this month, it doesn't feel likely that the Eredivisie leaders would sanction his sale at the season's midpoint.
Johan Bakayoko's style of play
Most effective down the right channel, Bakayoko is a pacy and direct winger with bundles of creativity to supercharge his teammates as they search for goals.
Described as an "essential piece of this magnificent PSV team" – who has incredibly won all 16 league games this term – Bakayoko has cemented a spot as a starring member after breaking into the senior set-up during the 2022/23 campaign, scoring five goals and supplying five assists from 17 starts in the Eredivisie.
Also praised for his "electric" style, the nine-cap Belgium international has averaged 2.7 key passes and 3.3 dribbles per game this year, as per Sofascore, supplying 13 assists across all competitions.
How Bakayoko compares to Luis Diaz
Well, Bakayoko has been described as having "elements of Luis Diaz" in his game by journalist Jack Collins, and it's clear to see why such a correlation in style could be made.
Stat (per game)
21/22
23/24
Matches played
13
19
Goals
4
3
Assists
3
1
G/A Rate
0.54
0.21
Touches
51
35
Key passes
1.5
1.2
Pass completion
88%
82%
Dribble success
2.4 (63%)
1.4 (51%)
As the table delineates, it's pretty stark, with Diaz underperforming across nearly every metric this season; while he's clearly been affected by last season's knee injury and the off-field personal struggles last autumn, Klopp will be desperate to see improvements over the coming weeks.
It's only natural that these issues would hamper the Colombian's form, but there will come a point where he must rekindle his verve and prove himself as a starring member of a Liverpool side chasing silver-laden success across multiple fronts.
With the talismanic Salah's departure to play at the African Cup of Nations with Egypt – which will likely rule him out until February – now upon the Anfield side, Diaz's return to first-rate form is paramount to ensure the Reds continue to set the pacer in the Premier League title challenge.
This said, Diaz remains a wonderful, fleet-footed winger with a penetrative style that has established him as one of the best in his position across Europe, and if Liverpool could get their hands on an ace of similar qualities it would only bode well for the chances of success over the coming years.
As per FBref, Bakayoko ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across divisions similar to the Dutch Eredivisie over the past year for assists, the top 5% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for progressive carries and the top 2% for successful take-ons per 90.
With a clear prowess within his for ball-carrying and creativity, Diaz's profile could be emulated on the red half of Merseyside, with the Liverpool star called a "livewire" by journalist Peter Hall, which captures the essence of his performance – at its apex – succinctly.
Of course, Bakayoko plies his trade on the right, the alternate flank to Diaz, and thus could not really be considered a replacement; instead, perhaps the starlet could be the long-term successor to Salah's place in the frontline.
Why Bakayoko could replace Mohamed Salah
To be honest, replacing Salah, aged 31, has got to be one of the most daunting tasks of Klopp's reign on Merseyside, but whenever he does depart the club, it is a problem that will need a solution.
Signing from AS Roma for £34m in 2017, the Egyptian has been the imperious focal point to spearhead the club's feats, plundering 204 goals and 88 assists over 332 fixtures.
For the current campaign, just the 18 goals and nine assists from 27 outings to turbo-power Liverpool's pursuit of the Premier League trophy, business as usual.
Bakayoko, it would seem, doesn't offer the same innate predatory instinct but that should by no means be a deterrent; the youngster is certainly not averse to scoring goals and this could be nurtured over the coming years, all the while maintaining the world-class potential in his playmaking ability.
Given that replacing Salah's goals on the wing directly is a near-impossible task, perhaps it would be wise to tweak the system and let Bakayoko supplement the frontline for years to come – something that could perhaps be beneficial to striker Darwin Nunez, given the Uruguayan's connection to Salah.
Given the relative sparseness in depth on Liverpool's offensive right side, there's no reason why Salah and Bakayoko could not thrive in the same score of players, with the PSV star knowing that eventually, he will receive his opportunity to stake a claim for first choice.
