Jurgen Klopp's push for Fabio Carvalho and how Liverpool signed Luis Diaz

The January transfer window was simply excellent for Liverpool. There can be no different judgment given the work done by the club's board to support the ideas of Jurgen Klopp, who is increasingly at the centre of Liverpool's strategies for the present and for the future.

There is the mark of the German manager on the deal that allowed the club to immediately buy Luis Diaz, a Colombian winger who can become a star of European football for the next few years.

A high-level market because it is not made up of quantity, but of quality, a real guarantee of success when the strategy is as precise as in this case: certainly the speed with which Liverpool intervened in the negotiation for Diaz is to be praised.

Tottenham had sent an emissary to Portugal to negotiate face-to-face with FC Porto for Diaz. After a €35 million opening bid, Spurs were preparing a second proposal. At that moment, Liverpool were able to enter the landscape and formulate an official offer of €40 million, plus €20 million in add-ons, to which there are an added €5million of additional costs and details.

It was an excellent move and laser-sharp in its timing. The deal was all but completed within 24 hours. Tottenham are very angry about the Reds' 'inclusion' in the negotiations and also their ability to plan the medical 24 hours before Deadline Day to avoid any risks.

Why did Diaz prefer Liverpool? Jurgen Klopp had direct contact with the player, Liverpool offered him a high-level contract and also the guarantee of playing Champions League football right away - a priority for Diaz.

Not only that: the Reds play with a 4-3-3 system that has been tested for years, which is Diaz's preferred system for the future of his career. The green light from Diaz's camp arrived in a few hours, so Liverpool were able to prepare paperwork, finalise details of the add-ons agreed with Porto and then organise a medical in South America to complete the deal.

A masterpiece by the board and by Jurgen Klopp.

Yes, let's add Jurgen's name because the manager insisted a lot to get Diaz immediately and not to miss the opportunity to buy him.

Liverpool had in fact originally planned not to make any investments in January, with the priority on sorting out Mohamed Salah's contract, which remains subject to negotiations in the coming weeks.

But when Tottenham made their offer, Liverpool sprung into action and chose to make a proposal they would have otherwise anticipated making in the summer in order to not lose the Colombian winger to a fellow Premier League club.

Liverpool's scouts watched Diaz in the flesh over 4 times in 2021 alone, and Diaz made a lasting impression on Klopp during the Reds' clashes against Porto in the Champions League earlier this season, and so the 25-year-old was top of Liverpool's transfer list for the summer of 2022.

Bringing forward the deal was seen as a priority and one that Klopp welcomed with great enthusiasm. In my personal opinion, the Reds management should be congratulated on their swift movement and this is yet another demonstration that the club's strategy is extremely clear when there is a need for reinforcements for the present and the future.

And the planning will not stop. Fabio Carvalho, who - as we know - was a step away from joining Liverpool, remains a likely summer arrival.

The deal was all done - including the medical - but the club were unable to sign the paperwork in time together with Fulham.

In the next few days, a further meeting is scheduled with all the parties to find a solution: the agreement on personal terms with Carvalho is ready, Liverpool would like to confirm it as soon as possible and to also complete the agreement with Fulham for compensation, given that Fabio would be available as a free agent in the summer.

Certainly, the club has not abandoned this option because - like in Diaz's case - Klopp is pushing to sign Carvalho. But - and this is an important point - the deal will only be completed under Liverpool's terms and what they deem to be acceptable. The board position is extremely explicit on that.

My opinion on Fabio Carvalho is also clear. He would be an interesting reinforcement for the future, a talent who is showing amazing skills and a great mentality in the Championship.

But Liverpool's stance makes a lot of sense: buying him exclusively on their own terms after the deal collapsed with 5 minutes left on Deadline Day means showing your power in the negotiations. Let's see what happens!