How the Luis Diaz hokey cokey became a defining feature of this Dream Team season

IN his own special way, Luis Diaz (£3.7m) has been Dream Team’s main character this season.

The Liverpool winger has amassed 173 points at an average of six per game so far, a total that puts him joint-eighth among midfielders.

With 12 goals and four assists to his name in all competitions, Diaz has been a very useful asset for the majority of the campaign.

And yet Dream Team managers can’t make up their minds about him.

Incredibly, the Colombia international has been among the top five most transferred-out players for seven of the 21 Gameweeks.

Conversely, he’s also been among the five most popular recruits NINE times.

THE LUIS DIAZ HOKEY COKEY

• GW2: n/a
• GW3: n/a
• GW4: 1st most transferred IN
• GW5: 4th most transferred IN
• GW6: 1st most transferred IN
• GW7: n/a
• GW8: 4th most transferred OUT
• GW9: 3rd most transferred OUT
• GW10: 5th most transferred IN
• GW11: 2nd most transferred IN
• GW12: 3rd most transferred IN
• GW13: 3rd most transferred OUT
• GW14: 2nd most transferred OUT
• GW15: n/a
• GW16: 5th most transferred OUT
• GW17: 3rd most transferred IN
• GW18: 1st most transferred IN
• GW19: 3rd most transferred OUT
• GW20: 3rd most transferred OUT
• GW21: 4th most transferred IN (currently)

Diaz’s current ownership of 40.5% makes him the fourth most selected player in the game, second among players in his position.

But it’s extraordinary how his popularity has fluctuated throughout the season.

One reason for this is that Mohamed Salah (£8m) is the only guaranteed starter among Liverpool’s attacking assets.

Elsewhere in the forward line, Diaz faces competition from Cody Gakpo (£4.8m), Darwin Nunez (£4.3m), Diogo Jota (£4.4m) and Federico Chiesa (£4.2m).

As a result, the 28-year-old has completed 90 minutes just seven times out of his 29 appearances.

Furthermore, he’s sat out four games entirely and played less than an hour on eight occasions.

There are plenty of other midfielders in the same bracket who are more assured of playing time, hence why Diaz has frequently featured among the most transferred-out players.

On the plus side, he’s generally made the most of his time on the pitch, averaging a goal involvement every 115.4 minutes – a very healthy rate for someone in his position.

At the time of writing, Diaz is once again among the most popular recruits ahead of the Reds’ double header against Ipswich and PSV in Gameweek 21.

Arne Slot’s side need just one point against the Eredivisie outfit to ensure they finish top of the Champions League (league phase) table.

In fact, it’s generally a good time to stock up on Liverpool players as they are the only team with SIX fixtures to fulfil across the next three Gameweeks at present.

That being said, it could be argued that Gakpo is now the best accomplice for Salah for gaffers keen on a double up in attack.

All together now: you put Diaz in, Diaz out, in, out, in, out, shake it all about…