Diego Jota, Liverpool vs MidtjyllandGetty

Klopp made Jota transfer decision three years ago after just one game for Wolves

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has revealed that he made the decision to sign Diogo Jota after seeing the Portuguese forward take in just one game for Wolves.

A highly-rated 23-year-old was taken to Molineux in the summer of 2017.

An initial loan deal was done by Wolves, with Jota arriving in English football after struggling to make the grade at Atletico Madrid and ending up back in his homeland at Porto.

He made an immediate impact after arriving in the Premier League, with 18 goals recorded across all competitions in his debut campaign.

Wolves snapped him on a permanent basis on the back of that return and saw the target found on a further 26 occasions through the next two seasons.

Those efforts eventually convinced Liverpool to part with £45 million ($60m), with considerable value being found in that agreement.

Jota has hit nine goals through just 14 appearances for the Reds, having initially been billed by many as a back-up option, and is being showered with praise as he thrives alongside the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Klopp is not surprised to see a summer signing doing so well, with the German tactician admitting to having had a big-money deal in mind for three years.

The Liverpool manager told UEFA’s official website: “Diogo, I liked, honestly, from the first game I saw him playing for Wolves. That's how it is.

“He had no idea about that, obviously, but for me it was always clear that when he was kind of in reach, I would go for him because he's very, very interesting and had an exciting career so far: what he did, where he's come from, the moves he made, bam bam bam.

“I liked the discipline he showed, plus the creativity he showed, plus the desire he showed. And his skills are pretty good anyway, so I got a lot of good signs before we signed him that it could work out.”

Jota was on target again in his latest outing for Liverpool, as the Reds played out a 1-1 draw at Brighton which delivered more controversial VAR decisions.

Klopp’s men will be back in action on Tuesday when they take in a Champions League clash with Ajax, before then playing host to Wolves on Sunday.

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