How a West Ham transfer bid has ignited Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes
Robin Bairner
- 26 Feb 2022 14:11 GMT
- 5 min read
Liverpool are hunting down Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, with the deficit cut to just three points as of Saturday morning.
The Reds’ pursuit of the silverware will be put on hold this weekend as they meet Chelsea in the EFL Cup final on Sunday, but they will be closely watching City’s progress when Pep Guardiola’s side face Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.
What once seemed like it might be a title progression has become a genuine race.
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One of the reasons that Liverpool appear to be so dangerous now in the fight for the title is that they have increased their squad depth. Beyond their regular front four, they moved for Luis Diaz in the January transfer window, with the Colombia star hitting the ground running at Anfield.
Diaz has taken the Premier League by storm. The 25-year-old already has one goal to his credit in just three outings, while the overall level of his performances have won general acclaim from critics. He looks a player who could make the difference in key matches – and that could be the margin between success and failure in what is an intense race for the crown.
Twist of fate
Liverpool, though, may just have West Ham to thank for having them in their ranks for the second half of the season, having initially only planned to move for him in the summer.
“I spoke to Luis Diaz on the phone and we were quite far down the line,” said Hammers boss David Moyes.
“My understanding was Liverpool were not going to come in for him until the summer, so we tried to get him in January.
“I don't know if us trying to get him in January affected Liverpool's decision, but he's a really good player and we didn't get him.”
It seems that West Ham’s attempt to snare the player early did indeed provoke action from Liverpool, but this may work to the Anfield club’s benefit as Luis Dias already appears a player capable of being decisive in the Premier League title race.
