But first of all, happy birthday king!

Happy birthday to our new number 20! We’re all about Diogo Jota right now. And rightly so. A dream start to his Liverpool career, one that kicked off in somewhat subdued fashion since it was overshadowed by the much anticipated arrival of Bayern Munich star Thiago Alcantara. But that situation didn’t last. With 5 goals in 8 appearances, he now finds himself valued at a whopping €84 million by CIES, after Liverpool paid about €45 million for his transfer from Wolves this past summer.

And the fans’ excitement for his game is mirrored in his own passion for his new club. In a video interview with Sky Sports, Jota said, “Football without fans is strange. Obviously when you play for a club like Liverpool that has one of the best atmospheres in the world, it just feels like something is missing.

“We have a lot of these conversations with the staff and even with the players [on] the things I am missing. Feeling the Anfield effect is the thing I’m looking forward [to] most.”

And Jota credits one person for how quick the settling-in process has been for him at Liverpool.

As conveyed to James Pearce for The Athletic, Jota was all praise for coach Jurgen Klopp, saying, “When you reach a new club, having an open mind is key to be able to adapt as quickly as possible,” Jota told. “With the season underway already, it was up to me to find a way to get into the team and not the opposite. That’s what I did with the help of Jurgen.

“He’s a fantastic manager who took care of me. When I first arrived, he had a meeting with me and he explained how the team works. Then it’s down to the player to try to learn as fast as you can and to prove to the manager that you can be an important player for him on the field.”