Rio Ferdinand has slammed Liverpool’s decision to sell Luis Diaz this summer after he left the Premier League champions to sign for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
Rio Ferdinand has criticized Liverpool’s decision to let Luis Diaz go in the summer, insisting there is “no chance” that Kodi Gakpo is a better player than the Colombian. The forward moved to Bayern Munich in a deal potentially worth £65.5m and has been in the spotlight since joining the Bundesliga stalwarts.
Dias made an immediate impact by scoring the winning goal on his debut against VfB Stuttgart, helping the German team qualify for the Franz Beckenbauer Super Cup in the process. The 28-year-old is currently on an impressive record with seven goals and four assists in 13 appearances for Bayern, who have enjoyed a 100 per cent winning streak so far this season.
Liverpool, by contrast, found themselves struggling despite spending £450m in the summer transfer window. And they recently slipped to seventh place in the Premier League table after suffering four consecutive defeats in England’s top flight.
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The Reds were already underperforming before the results took a turn for the worse, having lost five of their last six games. Although they currently lag league leaders Arsenal by seven points, the reigning champions’ title defense looks all but complete by the end of October.
Dias and Gakpo played pivotal roles for Arne Slott’s side as Liverpool won the Premier League title last season. Initially sharing a role on the left, Dias shifted to a more central role as the season progressed, with Slott opting to use both forwards alongside Mohamed Salah in his preferred front three.
Gakpo finished last season with 18 strikes and six assists in 49 games, while Dias had 17 goals and five assists in 50 games. The Dutch international has continued to find the back of the net this season, scoring four goals and providing three assists in 13 games so far, but he and several of his teammates still face criticism for his performances.
Last season, he faced stiff competition from Diaz for the starting spot, but things have changed this season, with youngster Rio Ngumoja serving as his only natural helper. Florian Wirtz, Federico Chiesa and Hugo Ekitike are additional options, but Slot remains primarily Gakpo’s position.
Former Manchester United defender Ferdinand has now criticized Liverpool’s choice to let Dias go amid their current difficulties, claiming it shows poor management. “I think Diaz will leave, but I don’t know if it’s good business,” he said on the “Rio Ferdinand Presents” podcast.
“I think he is a top player, Dias. He was allowed to leave the club, but did they replace him with a better player? Would Gakpo be better? I would say no, no chance.
“They’re not functioning, they’re not playing very well. The new players that are coming in are probably unbalancing the team a little bit with the way the manager is trying to do it.”
It’s worth stressing that Dias was only sold by Liverpool because he wanted to leave after having been denied a move to Man City in the summer of 2024. The Reds initially insisted the Colombian was unavailable during the recent summer transfer window, but changed their stance after the 28-year-old made it clear he wanted to leave following contract talks with the Premier League champions failing.
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