Steven Gerrard admits that he would welcome Luis Diaz back to Liverpool and believes the club have no chance of signing Michael Olise from Bayern Munich this summer.
Diaz played a key role in Liverpool’s Premier League title success last season before the club allowed him to move to Bayern in a £65.5m deal last summer.
Liverpool are now in the market to replace Mohamed Salahwho leaves Anfield at the end of the season, and Olise has been linked with a return to the Premier League.
However, Gerrard believes Olise has no reason to leave Bayern and is backing the 24-year-old to impress for France at the World Cup this summer.
“When you’re a full-back playing against a winger, they normally have a weak side and you show them one way or another depending on what foot they’re on,” Gerrard said. TNT Sports.
“The problem with him is he can go both ways, his right foot is just as strong as his left. You really want to show it on his right foot because that’s probably his weakest side, but you see some of the assists he’s getting, some of the finishes with his right foot.
“If you leave him in one-on-one situations, you’re in big trouble.”
Asked if he would take Olise to Liverpool, Gerrard replied: “All day long.
“But the problem is, why would he leave Bayern? A big club, challenging for big honours, and they are probably the strongest Bayern Munich we have seen the team for a while.
‘He is ready to take World Cup from the storm comes summer. He seems like a really happy, determined kid, to me, I don’t think he’s going anywhere.
“But yeah, would I like him at Liverpool. And you know what, I wouldn’t mind Diaz coming back too. I miss him, I miss him.’
Meanwhile, Gerrard’s former Liverpool team-mate, Jamie Carragherbelieves that the club had the right to make money from Diaz.
Asked if Liverpool were wrong to sell the Colombian last year, Carragher told CBS Sports: ‘No. They miss him as a player, 100 per cent, there’s no doubt, and that’s always the case, he was a really good player for Liverpool.
“But sometimes you are presented with deals as a club and at the time this was a good deal for Liverpool.
“Liverpool I think bought Luis Diaz for £40m, they had him for four seasons maybe, he would have had a new contract, he’s had the same contract since he came so he wasn’t on big wages and the other one would have put him on a big contract and Liverpool would have had him until his early 30s, which is probably not what they wanted ideally.
Was Liverpool right to sell Luis Diaz?
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Yes – the fare was too good to refuse
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No – he still had a lot to offer
“Bayern Munich had a problem because they tried to get Florian Wirtz, obviously he came to Liverpool, then (Jamal) Musiala was injured during Club World Cupso they were desperate for a player, I think they ended up paying £70m for Luis Diaz at 28 so the whole package was a good deal.
“But listen, he’s still a really good player, you saw that last season for Liverpool and we’re seeing it now for Bayern. But I wouldn’t criticize the club for that.”
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