Rio Ferdinand thinks Liverpool’s £65m sale ‘wasn’t good business’ – the numbers say otherwise

Jason Soutar
Rio Ferdinand on punditry duty
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand on punditry duty

Rio Ferdinand thinks Liverpool head coach Arne Slot regrets selling Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich in the summer, insisting Cody Gakpo isn’t “better”.

Liverpool sit seventh in the Premier League table — behind Manchester United, Sunderland and Bournemouth — after losing four of their opening nine matches.

After winning their first five games of the campaign, the Reds have endured a miserable run since, losing four in a row. Questions are being asked of new signings Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Milos Kerkez, while centre-backs Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk have also struggled.

Liverpool’s awful start to 2025/26: Key statistics

  • Seven points behind leaders Arsenal and seven ahead of 17th-placed Fulham
  • Four league defeats in a row — Liverpool’s worst losing run in 32 years
  • Fourth reigning Premier League champions to lose four consecutive games
  • The Reds could fall to ninth on Sunday

It was a summer of change at Anfield as Liverpool spent over £400million in the transfer window, bringing in Isak and Wirtz for over £100m each.

Slot and his players are going through a period of transition after winning the title at a canter, with Mohamed Salah, Van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister among those experiencing a dramatic downturn in form.

It’s worth saying the Liverpool squad deserves some slack after Diogo Jota’s tragic passing in July. This season should be a free hit and they almost should be exempt from criticism. It’s incomprehensible what they must be going through in the early months of 2025/26.

Slot’s preferred front three should be Salah, Isak and Hugo Ekitike when everyone is fit, though Gakpo has started 12 of Liverpool’s 13 games so far.

The 26-year-old Dutch international has scored in two of Liverpool’s four recent Premier League defeats and is someone Slot heavily relies on after losing Jota and selling Diaz to Bayern.

Liverpool deserve praise for Diaz sale, not Ferdinand’s criticism

Bayern paid an initial £60.5m for Diaz and are expected to pay another £5m in instalments.

For a player who wanted to leave — and that’s probably the most important point — Liverpool struck a very favourable deal, one that reflects very well on their transfer team led by Michael Edwards.

Yes, Diaz is a good player, but he was inconsistent for Liverpool, turns 29 in January, and was into the final two years of his contract.

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Despite all of this, getting over £65m for the Colombian wasn’t “good business”, according to Manchester United legend Ferdinand.

“I think Diaz leaving, I don’t know if that’s good business,” he said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.

“I think he’s a top player, Diaz. Being allowed to leave the club, have they replaced him with anything better? Is Gakpo better? I would say no, no chance.

“They’re not functioning, they’re not playing as well. The new players that have come in have probably unbalanced the team a little bit with the way the manager is trying to play it.”

Rio Ferdinand completely wrong about Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo

The finances involved in the sale of Diaz were spectacular from Liverpool’s point of view, yet it’s proved to be a favourable transfer for everyone involved.

Diaz has registered seven goals and four assists in 13 matches for Bayern, and while those numbers are impressive, he wouldn’t be single-handedly carrying this Liverpool team if he’d stayed. They have massive problems all over the pitch, namely in defence and defensive midfield.

Ferdinand is right about one thing: the Reds aren’t functioning properly, with new signings like Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong making them look unbalanced. But that’s something everyone knows.

In terms of saying there’s “no chance” Gakpo is better than Diaz — that’s up for debate. And to say selling Diaz wasn’t good business is completely wrong.

Diaz and Gakpo’s numbers in the Premier League are almost identical. In 103 appearances and over 7,000 minutes played, the former scored 29 and made 18 assists. In 100 appearances and over 5,700 minutes, the latter has scored 28 and assisted 15.

One thing Diaz is superior at is his pressing, which is something Slot could be missing without Darwin Nunez as well.

But they’re hardly worlds apart, but with Bayern and Diaz flying while Liverpool and Gakpo stumble, it’s a pretty easy narrative to create.

Liverpool Cody Gakpo

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