Liverpool’s front line has been the subject of much debate in recent weeks.

Mohamed Salah’s future has been under the microscope, as has Diogo Jota’s fitness record, Cody Gakpo’s recent upturn in form and Darwin Nunez’s chances of realising his considerable potential.

Now, attention switches to Luis Diaz – the talented left-winger whose energetic performances made him a crowd favourite, but who has endured a quiet season in front of goal and is out of contract in 2027.

Our Walk On podcast experts James Pearce, Andy Jones and Tony Evans debated Diaz’s form and future on this week’s episode. Here, we’ll bring you the best bits from their conversation, with the full episode available on your usual podcast provider or ad-free below.

Tony Evans: The wealth of attackers we thought was going to be the thing that set Liverpool apart this season hasn’t quite worked out that way. Luis Diaz has only eight league goals this season, which is a disappointing return, and his conversion rate is very similar to Nunez’s. In fact, Nunez’s conversion rate in the Premier League is 10 per cent and Diaz’s is nine per cent. Do these stats mean anything?

Andy Jones: It’s important to consider it. If you take out Luis Diaz’s injuries and the loss of form, which was largely emotionally charged because of what happened to his father earlier this season, there’s always been a conversation about his numbers – his goal contributions and his output.

In a weird way, I think he’s more of a left midfielder than left-winger sometimes because he comes quite deep. And in the end, he ends up doing a lot of really good stuff almost too far away from the goal. That’s good in one sense because you’re helping your team progress up the pitch.

These touch maps show how Luis Diaz has tried to play further forward this season, with more touches concentrated in more advanced areas.

But equally, look at that West Ham game, for example, where he’s got two chances to kill a game off and make it 3-1. He doesn’t take either of those chances. You do wonder if he has that killer instinct. It’s the same question with Nunez – has he got that?

It’s important to consider Diaz’s whole contribution. He’s become really the only attacker that Klopp’s properly been able to trust for pretty much all of 2024. He’s started every league game bar maybe one, which shows the trust he’s got in him. And he has probably been one of the most consistent (players).

But you come back to the output and look at that Manchester City game where he misses a couple of massive chances within five minutes – Liverpool should win that game because of them. That’s the debate with him – can he take that next step or is this what he is?

James Pearce: It’s just that end product, isn’t it? He is so gifted and can be so exciting to watch. I remember earlier on this season looking at his Liverpool career numbers and it’s about one goal in four. It feels like he should be a lot better than that, particularly playing in a team that creates the number of chances they do and is on the front foot, dominating possession, more often than not.

Yes, there’s been mitigating circumstances. He had the bad knee injury and the horrific issues with his parents earlier in the season. But as much as he’s so pleasing on the eye and non-stop and you could never question his attitude or his application, he just doesn’t hurt teams in the final third enough.

Luis Diaz is not clinical in front of goal (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)

I think where he is different (to Nunez) is that he’s 27 and it’s been two and a half years since Liverpool signed him from Porto. I don’t think it’s any coincidence there’s been this noise about a potential move to Spain.

I think his dad was quoted as saying he was open to the idea of Diaz playing in La Liga. And if you’re Diaz’s agent, you’re thinking: “Two and a half years in, aged 27, we want new terms here and a big fat pay rise.”

So that’s where there is another big decision for Edwards and Hughes in the summer. Because what do you do there? At his age, unless you see Diaz really taking you where you want to go in the next two or three years, this would be the time to sell him, if you were ever going to. If you wait two years, you know you’re not going to get anything like the kind of fee you would want for someone of his calibre.

He’s a difficult one because 13 goals (in all competitions) this season is not bad. But for someone like him, who gets into so many great positions, he should be comfortably at 20 goals a season.

Tony Evans: How different could that forward line look next year? We’ve talked about Salah at length on this podcast. With Nunez it’s simple: you’re never going to get a price for him and, personally, I still think there’s potential with him. But with Diaz, you could get some value. Gakpo we think is staying and Jota has injuries, but again, you’d think he’ll be there. Andy, do you see much change in the summer?

Andy Jones: I would be surprised if there was. I think we’re all in agreement that if Mo Salah goes anywhere, it would probably only be Saudi. And it feels like that’s not going to be the case. David Ornstein reported recently that the expectation is he’s going to stay and that Saudi are expecting him to stay as well. So you feel like that one’s off the table.

And I feel Nunez should be given one more year. He’s obviously had two years under Klopp, but you don’t know what Arne Slot is going to do with him. He could be the perfect manager for him. He could flick something in his brain which makes him into the goalscoring killer Liverpool thought they were buying.

Nunez has struggled for consistency (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

So Diaz is probably the most interesting because of the contract situation. Ultimately, Liverpool can’t let everyone go for free and Diaz is in his peak years.

The other interesting part of it is that Slot really likes wingers. Diaz is the one who should seamlessly fit into Slot’s system in the wide areas because of his take-on success and the fact he likes to isolate people and take them on.

You don’t want to make Slot’s first summer too difficult and full of too many decisions. With all the other stuff that’s going on, with the contracts of other players, maybe they’ll think, “Can we leave it one more year?”

But I do feel, with Diaz, it’s either extend or consider selling given he’s the type of player who will command a good fee.

(Top photo: Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

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Colombian striker is a willing runner but lacks end product and is out of contract in 2026. Our experts debate what happens now

Colombian striker is a willing runner but lacks end product and is out of contract in 2026. Our experts debate what happens now

Sergio Aguero, Troy Deeney, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Three careers with different levels of success, but all are closely associated with moments in time that caused chaos and celebration.

Over the weekend at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby, the most famous horse race in the U.S. and known by some as the most exciting two minutes in sport.

Many events could make that claim, so here football takes its turn.

Our writers have come up with their most exciting two minutes in football, some big, some small. Use the comments section below to add yours.

‘DEENEEEEEEEEEY!’

Watford vs Leicester City, May 2013

If you believe in footballing karma, this goal is probably the best argument in its favour.

It was 2-2 on aggregate in the 96th minute of the second leg of the 2013 Championship play-off semi-final between Watford and Leicester when Anthony Knockaert went over in the area. Referee Michael Oliver gave the penalty to the incredulity of everyone, possibly including Knockaert.

Maybe that’s why his spot kick was so weak, maybe it was cosmic justice, maybe it was just a bad penalty: whatever the reason, it was saved by Manuel Almunia, as was the rebound, and 20 seconds later, the ball was at the other end of the pitch. Jonathan Hogg cushioned a header into Troy Deeney’s path, Deeney leathered it home, Watford were in the final and everyone completely lost their minds.

Watford lost that final to Crystal Palace, but in many ways that barely mattered.

“That goal shows the magic and beauty of football,” said Deeney later in Lionel Birnie’s book Tales From The Vicarage. “It’s why we love it, for moments like that.”

Nick Miller

‘Agueroooooooooo!’

Manchester City vs Queens Park Rangers, May 2012

​​Ninety-six minutes of madness, but it is the two deep into injury time that served up the greatest-ever end to a Premier League season.

Trailing 2-1 to relegation candidates QPR and needing to win to match Manchester United’s result, Eden Dzeko offered City hope in the 91st minute when he headed in an equaliser.

City poured forward in search of the winner and chaos ensued when Sergio Aguero fired past Paddy Kenny in the 94th minute.

A first title since 1968 and in the madness, QPR had stayed up, too, despite needing a draw, after results in the other matches went their way.

Both fanbases came together in a remarkable moment of shared joy and attempted to grasp what they had just witnessed. Pure, unfiltered carnage.

Andrew Pigott

Rodrygo’s double breaks City

Manchester City vs Real Madrid, May 2022

The two minutes — or one minute and 30 seconds — that best sum up Real Madrid’s modern relationship with the Champions League.

Carlo Ancelotti’s team had produced fine comebacks against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea to reach this stage, but this topped them all.

Manchester City had beaten Madrid 4-3 in an epic first leg at the Etihad and looked all but certain to progress when Riyad Mahrez put them ahead at the Santiago Bernabeu in the 73rd minute. Jack Grealish could have sealed the tie twice in the last four minutes of normal time, but Ferland Mendy cleared a cross from the Englishman off the line before he squirmed a shot wide of the post.

Until 89:20, Madrid were going out — but that was when substitute Rodrygo poked home a ball from Karim Benzema to give Los Blancos hope. The Brazilian repeated the trick on 90:50, heading home a Dani Carvajal cross after a touch from Marco Asensio to draw the sides level on aggregate. Cue delirium in the stands, Madrid’s coaching staff and substitutes sprinting onto the pitch, and some fans who had left rushing back into the stadium.

Benzema would score from the penalty spot in extra time to send Madrid through to the final in Paris, where they beat Liverpool to lift a record-extending 14th European Cup. But this win cemented their status as Europe’s comeback kings.

Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero

Collapse of the Super League

April 2021

The morning of April 21, 2021, saw odd whisperings in the footballing world.

Journalists from The New York Times had heard reports of a new competition calling itself “The Super League” and, over the next 48 hours, a collection of some of the most monied individuals in the sport attempted to rewrite the very essence of football and create a newer, duller, footballing world.

Despite the protestations of Florentino Perez and Gianni Agnelli, the Super League was, and remains, a bad idea, pretending to be a holistic solution to a problem created by greed.

For a brief while, it looked like football as we knew it may be irrevocably rocked, but for two days, football fans banded together to stop the proposals. A two-minute period after multiple English clubs had finally pulled out of the competition felt joyous.

(Rob Pinney/Getty Images)

A new threat may arise in future, but the collapse of the Super League was a reminder that the sport that had been designed by the few, could be redesigned by the efforts of the many.

Carl Anka

When Spain and Germany were heading out…

December 2022

Strictly speaking, I didn’t find these two minutes exciting. They were the most stressful of my professional career.

Working on the news desk and live blogging during a supposed “quiet evening” of the World Cup, I was expecting an evening of a Spanish win, German progress, and a Tesco meal deal.

Germany entered needing to beat Costa Rica to go through, Spain only had to avoid defeat to Japan. At half-time, both Spain and Germany were 1-0 in front. I had eaten half of my sandwich. It would not be touched again.

Japan equalised after 48 minutes and I was already minorly perturbed by working out which of Japan and Germany would progress given their identical goal differences. Oh, you sweet summer child.

(Elsa/Getty Images)

Spain went behind to a goal which looked to have been out of play. I wrote a quick explainer — conclusion: the ball is round, the line is flat, parallax exists and it wasn’t out of play.

Costa Rica equalised against Germany and Europe’s most successful team, who had only once gone out of a World Cup in the group stage, were bottom of the group. But things would get worse.

I still wake up in a chill sweat at the memory of Millonarios defender Juan Pablo Vargas. Costa Rica were 2-1 ahead, up to six points — and with Germany and Spain both losing, Costa Rica and Japan were heading through.

(Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)

For two minutes, time stopped. Tabs flew open like confetti, doctors observed the first medical case of a repetitive strain injury in my index finger as I deleted pre-prepped paragraphs, my brain exploded.

Then Havertz equalised for Germany and calm descended like rain on a parched field. His team would still go out, but that was manageable. Spain were through.

Psychologists speak of the idea of dissociative amnesia, forgetting things about yourself to protect the brain from trauma. To help with writing this, my editor sent over a handy article explaining how the night played out.

Jacob Whitehead

‘That night in Barcelona’

Manchester United vs Bayern Munich, May 1999 

Imagine, if you will, if Manchester United’s iconic triumph over Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final had occurred in the modern era.

Oh, how the group chats would have buzzed as United toiled at the Camp Nou, their hopes of becoming the first English team to complete a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League trophies in the same season hanging by a microscopic thread.

Think how the engagement-farming footy banter social media accounts would have been primed to unleash a cascade of laughing emojis (a hearty mixture of the ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ emoji and its zany cousin the ‘Rolling on the Floor Laughing’ emoji) — because, to quote the oft-parodied refrain, this is Manchester United we’re talking about.

(Ben Radford/Allsport/Getty Images/Hulton Archive)

But then came two of the most memorable minutes in any major cup final in modern memory. You know the story, but let’s recap it anyway.

In the first minute of injury time, Thorsten Fink failed to clear a corner kick, Ryan Giggs thumped the ball back into the area and Teddy Sheringham poked it home.

Then, with 90+3 on the clock, from another United corner, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer won it.

We’ll never know how Sir Alex Ferguson’s team would have been trolled had they only won a measly double — and, of course, the concept of online mickey-taking was a few decades away.

But regardless of the epoch, ‘that night in Barcelona’ remains the gold standard for a showstopping finish 24 years on.

Dan Barnes

And another miss!

Cardiff City v Wolverhampton Wanderers, April 2018

It’s second vs first in the Championship title race.

This is Neil Warnock’s functional, overachieving Cardiff and Nuno Espirito Santo’s ludicrously gifted Wolves, who lead 1-0 heading into stoppage time after Ruben Neves painted a free kick into the top corner like one of his French girls.

It’s the 94th minute, Cardiff lobbing the kitchen sink, and captain Conor Coady pushes Anthony Pilkington to the floor. Penalty (says Mike Dean). Nuno throws his coat on the floor and kicks a chair.

Up steps Gary Madine… and John Ruddy saves! Tipped around the post. Magnificent save.

But this isn’t over yet, Cardiff are keeping the pressure on… 96th minute now… pandemonium in the box… Aron Gunnarsson goes down… another penalty! Dean bends his knees and turns his head to the penalty spot as he points like an annoying train conductor. Chaos.

It’ll be Junior Hoilett this time. There are 30,000 people on their feet… surely this time… no, he’s hit the bar!

And Dean blows the full-time whistle! Wolves are all but promoted, everyone runs to Ruddy, Nuno’s sprinting onto the pitch, so are the coaching staff, the subs, it’s glorious.

Nuno has composed himself and is trying to shake Warnock’s hand, but he’s having none of it and walks away saying, “F*** off”, not once, not twice, but seven times. This is everything.

Tim Spiers

(Top photo: Paul Ellis/AFP/GettyImages)

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Penalty misses and quickfire doubles, epic comebacks, and 'that night in Barcelona' – what are the most exciting two minutes in football?

Penalty misses and quickfire doubles, epic comebacks, and 'that night in Barcelona' – what are the most exciting two minutes in football?

Our writers have their say on potential realistic transfer targets for the Reds this summer

EXCLUSIVE: Fabio Carvalho reveals all about his transfer to Liverpool, including why it really initially collapsed, rejecting Manchester United and why his first season with the Reds didn't work out in the final part of his exclusive interview with the ECHO's Theo Squires

And I've got a certificate to prove it

Our writers have their say on potential realistic transfer targets for the Reds this summer

EXCLUSIVE: Fabio Carvalho reveals all about his transfer to Liverpool, including why it really initially collapsed, rejecting Manchester United and why his first season with the Reds didn't work out in the final part of his exclusive interview with the ECHO's Theo Squires

And I've got a certificate to prove it

Crystal Palace dealt a chastening defeat Manchester United's way at Selhurst Park on Monday night

Crystal Palace dealt a chastening defeat Manchester United's way at Selhurst Park on Monday night

Cody Gakpo has scored a number of goals against Arne Slot's sides in the past, but has every reason to curse the next Liverpool manager

Cody Gakpo has scored a number of goals against Arne Slot's sides in the past, but has every reason to curse the next Liverpool manager