Premier League: Diogo Jota signs multi-year Liverpool contract extension ahead of new season

Diogo Jota has signed a new five-year contract to remain at Anfield until 2027.

Jota joined from Wolves in 2020 and was a key player in Liverpool’s cup double last season and proved vital when Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were at the Africa Cup of Nations.

He scored 21 times in all competitions for the Reds and has followed up Salah, who committed his future to Liverpool in June, in signing a new long-term deal.

“Well, [I’m] really proud, I have to say,” Jota told the Liverpool website after signing his new contract.

“Obviously since I arrived two years ago I established myself as an important player in this team – that’s what I wanted from the beginning.

“Now, signing a new long-term deal, it’s obviously from the club’s perspective proof of the belief in myself as a player. For me, obviously it’s really good to establish I’ll be here for a while.

“So, the beginning of a new season, let’s do it.”

JOTA TO MISS START OF PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON

The Portuguese international is currently recovering from a hamstring injury which prevented him from playing in Liverpool’s pre-season games.

Jota has revealed he will be out of action until late August at the latest, so will miss Liverpool’s Premier League matches against Fulham, Crystal Palace and Manchester United.

“Unfortunately for me I had an upset in this pre-season because I got injured [in the] last game of the season playing with Portugal,” he added. “So I was coming back in this pre-season, I felt it a little bit again. So it will be a few more weeks, I would say.

“When you fight for everything, like we did last year, you just want to do it again and to do it better, because it’s possible.

“That drive is in me and I know it’s in my team-mates and all the staff. We have everything to fight for those titles out there.”

JOTA’S SEASON DEPENDS ON NUNEZ’S FORM

Jurgen Klopp is likely to field a starting front three of Salah, Luis Diaz and new signing Darwin Nunez in the middle.

Jota has been counted on over the last two years to come in at any time and deliver, as Klopp will be hoping to rotate his players should Liverpool go deep in multiple competitions.

The 25-year-old has proved to be a reliable asset for Liverpool going forward and should Nunez not meet expectations or get injured, Jota will almost certainly be favoured over Roberto Firmino to fill the role up front.