West Ham United boss David Moyes has confirmed that, ahead of his January Liverpool switch, Luis Diaz actually came close to committing to terms at the London Stadium.

Speaking in anticipation of his side’s upcoming meeting with Wolves on Sunday, Moyes was once more drawn on the Irons’ disappointing January transfer window.

This comes with the capital outfit, despite links to a whole host of players across the continent, having ultimately failed to add a single body to the club’s ranks.

One such player, however, as alluded to above, who did come close to taking his talents to east London is Luis Diaz.

In fact, according to West Ham’s boss, a deal to lure the Colombian international to the English capital from Porto was ‘quite far down the line’, only for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool to scupper the move at the last:

“I spoke with Luis Diaz on the phone and we were quite far down the line to sign him from Porto”, Moyes explained. “My understanding is Liverpool were going to come in for him in the summer, and I was going to try and get him in January.

“I don’t know if us trying to get him in January affected Liverpool’s decision but he’s a really good player. We didn’t get him in but our ambition to sign the best players to improve West Ham is good.

David Moyes reveals phone call with Luis Diaz before Liverpool switch: ‘We were quite far down the line’

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 10: Luis Diaz of Liverpool beats James Justin of Leicester City during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Leicester City at Anfield on February 10, 2022 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images )

“I want to make us better and I don’t want it to be mediocre if I can help it”, Moyes continued. “Sometimes you just need to be patient and hope you can get the right things at the right time.

“That’s the way I’ve chosen to make my decisions here, rather than bringing in people who are not quite going to fit the bill.”

Reds stint

West Ham’s loss, of course, has since proven Liverpool’s considerable gain.

This comes with Diaz having enjoyed a fine start to life at Anfield, slotting into Jurgen Klopp’s frontline with minimal fuss amid injury problems on the part of both Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino.

All told, across five appearances in all competitions thus far, the 25-year-old has notched a solitary goal, albeit with his electric displays deserving of considerably more.

 

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