'Absolute joke' - West Ham striker pinpoints £41m transfer that highlights Liverpool 'masterclass'

West Ham striker Michail Antonio has heaped praise on Liverpool's recent transfer business, pointing to the signing of Diogo Jota as evidence of their nous in the market.

Liverpool plucked Jota from Wolves in the summer of 2020, following the agreement of a £41million fee with the Midlands club. The Portuguese attacker became an instant hit at Anfield and has gone from strength to strength in the three-and-a-half years since.

Jota is one of several stars to arrive at Liverpool and instantly present good value, with Jurgen Klopp's side consistently keeping pace with the likes of Manchester City despite having nowhere near as much money to spend. Klopp’s side are in the title race once again this season and currently sit four points clear of City.

Their success has come from consistently good work in the transfer with more shrewd arrivals and Antonio described their recent business as a 'masterclass'.

“He’s an absolute joke,” Antonio told the Footballer's Football Podcast of Jota. “And the craziest thing I like about Liverpool is they buy these players and people at the time are like what are they thinking? Why are they doing that?

“When they signed Mane they were like £30 million for Mane what are you doing? And then Van Dijk. And then Jota, everyone was like what? They all turn out to be absolute class. It’s a masterclass of buying players.”

Liverpool were forced to think outside the box once again in the summer, having seen top targets Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia poached by the financially superior Chelsea. The Reds instead invested the money into four midfield arrivals, welcoming Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo to Merseyside for a combined £146m.

All four have been excellent since joining Liverpool, forming the core of Klopp's brand new midfield. Endo in particular has been surprisingly impressive, having been identified late on in the summer once the move for Caicedo fell through and signed from Stuttgart for just £17m.