Arne Slot has spoken for the first time about Luis Díaz’s departure from Liverpool, paying a warm and detailed tribute to the Colombian forward after his move to Bayern Munich.
Díaz’s £65.5 million switch to the Bundesliga champions brought an end to a three-and-a-half-year spell at Anfield that yielded four major trophies, 41 goals and one last, decisive flourish — his role in the club’s 20th league title.
For Slot, who only spent a single season with Díaz but came to rely on him heavily, the loss is as personal as it is professional. The Dutchman admitted it was ‘a sad day’ before reflecting on the Díaz the person after his side wrapped up their pre-season tour of Asia on Wednesday.
“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!”
That infectious personality extended beyond the training pitches and into the stands, with Slot confessing the one element of Díaz’s departure that he’ll miss ‘a lot’.
“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.”
Díaz leaves as the third-most expensive signing in Bayern’s history, behind Harry Kane and Lucas Hernández, and also becomes Liverpool’s third-biggest sale, with only Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suárez have commanded higher fees.
The Reds initially paid Porto €45m plus up to €15m in add-ons to sign Díaz in January 2022, and only €4m of those clauses were ever triggered, meaning Liverpool ultimately bank a healthy profit of around €26m for the Colombian winger.
The transfer also underlines the approach that Liverpool’s new sporting director Richard Hughes and the club’s owners have adopted: heavy investment offset by high-profile exits.
“But this is also who we are as a club. We are making big signings, we have done that over the past few years. But this club also needs to recoup funds to get these transfers that we already did over the line.“
For all the logic behind the decision, Díaz’s exit leaves a significant void on the left side of Liverpool’s attack. The Colombian was one of the defining figures in last season’s title run-in, scoring 17 goals in all competitions and giving the Reds a vital outlet in the big moments.
As Slot has acknowledged, replacing his output — and his personality — will not be straightforward.
