Diogo Jota hasn’t enjoyed a fantastic start to this new Premier League season, with only one goal and one assist coming his way from Liverpool‘s opening four league fixtures.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers forward would also frustrate those with a Reds persuasion in the Champions League recently, as the misfiring Portuguese attacker could only muster 23 touches of the ball against AC Milan, with his teammates all thankfully singing off the same hymn sheet otherwise in an exciting 3-1 away win.
The goal-shy nature of Jota’s early season performances means even one notable former Reds dud is currently outperforming him, despite the one-time Liverpool flop really struggling during his brief stint at Anfield to find the back of the net.
Iago Aspas’ transfer to Liverpool
Iago Aspas would link up with the Liverpool ranks back in 2013 with a reputation for being a potent goal machine in his native Spain, netting 12 Celta Vigo goals from 34 La Liga appearances during his swansong season for his boyhood employers, to then make the gigantic leap to England.
That jump would prove to be too much for Aspas to take, with the attacker known to Liverpool fans now as a wasteful finisher from his brief but troubled time at the club, as opposed to the deadly and instinctive striker they thought they had obtained for a low £7.6m fee.
Aspas would see his Reds spell pass him by, with only one goal and one assist registered from 15 appearances before he was shipped out to Sevilla on loan, and then found his way back to Celta in 2015.
Much like other major transfer blunders in the striker department at the time, which included Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert failing to ever settle wearing Liverpool red, Aspas just couldn’t handle the immense pressure on his shoulders of playing for the Premier League giants, but has since consolidated his status as a top striker in more comfortable surroundings in Spain having left for £5m.
Aspas’ numbers back in Spain
Amazingly, Aspas is in an exclusive club with Lionel Messi with the former Liverpool dud very much now a Celta icon.
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From 499 games to date for the La Liga outfit, Aspas has 207 goals and 81 assists next to his name, with his output during the infancy of this season to date bettering that of Jota’s back at Anfield.
|
Aspas vs Jota (24/25) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat |
Jota |
|
|
Games played |
6 |
4 |
|
Goals scored |
3 |
1 |
|
Assists |
2 |
1 |
|
Shots per game |
2.0 |
2.8 |
|
Scoring frequency |
156 mins |
287 mins |
|
Stats by Sofascore |
||
The 37-year-old isn’t showing any visible cobwebs for Celta this season so far, with five goal contributions registered from six games only one off matching Luis Diaz’s goals and assists tally for Arne Slot’s men too, whilst beating Jota’s amount by three.
That’s the case despite the veteran centre-forward attempting fewer shots per game compared to his Portuguese counterpart this campaign, as Jota continues to be wasteful for the Reds, and Aspas continues to be a difference maker so late into his playing days for his side.
Liverpool would love to turn back the clock and see if things could have turned out differently if the then nervous attacker was given more time to acclimatise, with his stint at the club only lasting a breakneck 15 games.
But, it could well just be that Aspas is a natural fit at Celta over playing in the hustle and bustle of England, as the 37-year-old strives to keep up his electric La Liga form, whilst Jota looks to spark into life over the games to come.
