Luis Diaz rubs salt in Liverpool wounds as Arne Slot sent timely transfer reminder

Liverpool's summer recruits are admittedly still finding their feet at Anfield as Arne Slot's revamped squad continues to blend together. Hugo Ekitike has emerged as the pick of the new arrivals for the Reds during the first two months of the campaign, though his fellow signings are taking time to settle in.

In fairness, that's hardly shocking news. Liverpool welcomed 10 fresh faces as they embarked on a £450m spending splurge. It was always going to require patience for everything to gel following such changes.

But it wasn't just incoming business for the Reds during the summer transfer window, with the club also banking over £200m after offloading several key players.

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Seven members of Slot's title-winning squad departed permanently (or at least agreed to, but more on that shortly) during the summer.

Several of them have enjoyed flying starts at their new homes, with Luis Diaz's displays for Bayern Munich catching the eye at a time when Liverpool are misfiring in attack.

The Colombian has notched six goals and four assists from his opening 10 appearances for Bayern Munich after his £65.5m switch and has already claimed his maiden silverware with the German giants after netting what proved to be the decisive strike on his debut against VfB Stuttgart in the Franz Beckenbauer Super Cup.

"If Luis Diaz scores more goals, we'll be unbeatable," Bayern President Herbert Hainer recently stated, according to BILD, as quoted by Sport Witness.

Ex-Liverpool forward Daniel Sturridge has already suggested that the departure of the Colombian is one of the reasons why the Reds are struggling this season.

If Bayern Munich go on to win a host of trophies this season, with Diaz playing a central role, and Liverpool's minor slump turns into a major crisis, it will be a bitter pill to swallow back at Anfield.

Tyler Morton is making waves in France too after his £15m transfer to Lyon and netted his first goal for the club in their recent victory over Lille.

Having started seven out of his eight appearances in Ligue 1 and the Europa League, the 22-year-old has quickly become a key player, with his new team currently sitting fourth in the table. He's even been asked about the potential of earning an England call-up in time for next summer's World Cup.

Darwin Nunez got off to a good start for Al-Hilal, scoring two goals and providing an assist in his first four matches following his £56.6m move, but he's missed the Saudi Pro Leagueteam's last three games due to a knee injury.

Caoimhin Kelleher has had a decent start at Brentford after leaving Liverpool to be a first-choice goalkeeper elsewhere, with his standout moment so far being saving a penalty for the Bees in their 3-1 win over Manchester United earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Jarell Quansah has been a constant presence for Bayer Leverkusen, playing every minute of their nine matches so far and scoring on his debut against Hoffenheim. His impressive form has earned him a recall to the England squad, despite a turbulent season for his new club - who currently sit fifth in the league - after head coach Erik ten Hag was given the boot just three games in.

However, not everyone has had smooth sailing. Trent Alexander-Arnold has had a rocky time at Real Madrid, facing harsh criticism for his performances and being shuffled in and out of the starting line-up, before a hamstring injury during the Champions League victory over Marseille last month put him on the sidelines.

To date, he's made 10 appearances for the Spanish giants, with half of those during last summer's FIFA Club World Cup, but only started twice in La Liga before his unfortunate injury.

At least Alexander-Arnold has made more of an impact than Harvey Elliott, who moved to Aston Villa on loan on transfer deadline day.

The 22 year old has played five times for the Villans so far, netting once. However, he was subbed off at half-time during his first - and so far only - Premier League start against his former club Fulham last month.

After a brief four-minute cameo in Villa's next match against Feyenoord, he was then left warming the bench for Sunday's victory over Burnley.

While currently on loan at Villa, Elliott is set to make the switch permanent with his temporary arrangement featuring a £35m obligation to buy.

His restricted playing time thus far won't derail that impending departure from Anfield.

Part of the midfielder's reasoning for leaving the Reds was admittedly his desire for regular first-team football elsewhere.

It remains early days for Elliott at Villa Park, and whilst those opportunities have proved scarce during his opening weeks at the club, boss Unai Emery has now outlined Villa's plan for the 22 year old.

"Time. Give him minutes, and through that he will feel confident in our structure," the Spaniard explained before Villa's encounter with Burnley.

"He needs to be demanding in our tactical idea - how we want to play - and then use his skills.

"I am pleased with how he is working. I know, and he knows, that he has to continue with his adaptation. He is on the right path.

"He needs to adapt in everything, but I changed him (against Fulham) not because he was playing bad.

"He was playing good, but I changed him thinking about the energy Emi Buendia gives us in that moment, and his skills as well.

"He has to continue working, preparing and adapting of us, understanding everything, then using our quality in his structure."

While Diaz is flourishing at Bayern, Elliott's current situation demonstrates that it's not only Liverpool's new recruits who need time to adjust. Whether we like it or not, sometimes players just need a bit of time to settle in.

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