John Barnes claims Liverpool were RIGHT to sign Jota over Werner

Liverpool made the right move in signing Diogo Jota this summer instead of Timo Werner, according to club legend John Barnes.

Portuguese star Jota has been an inspiration since he joined Anfield this summer having netted an impressive nine goals so far, chipping in with some important goals in the absence of both Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

The Premier League champions were heavily linked with a move for Werner this year after he emerged as one of the most talented forwards in Europe with Leipzig last season, but the German ended up joining Chelsea after they agreed to pay £50m.

Many fans questioned the signing of Jota, who arrived from Wolves for £45m, with the Portuguese not exactly setting English football alight since he moved to the top flight. But Barnes believes the club made the right decision - insisting that Werner would not have been guaranteed a starting berth.

Jota was on the scoresheet once again in the 1-1 draw at Brighton on Saturday and continues to retain the backing of Klopp and Barnes said Werner may not have been satisfied with his playtime at Anfield given their wealth of attacking options.

'Timo Werner is doing well and I’m sure he could have fit into what Liverpool wanted, but Liverpool want a player that wants to come to them,' he said, speaking to BonusCodeBets.co.uk.

'From the financial point of view, they would have paid the £48m that Chelsea have for Werner without a problem, but maybe Werner wanted to guarantee that he was going to play in every single week, which he does at Chelsea and he may not necessarily have got that at Liverpool, just as Jota hasn’t.

'From Werner’s point of view, he would not have been guaranteed a starting place at Liverpool. Perhaps it's a decision he made and one Liverpool made in terms of wanting the player that would be happy to be a part of a squad as Jota is.'

The 23-year-old did not have an immediate impact on Merseyside but started to turn heads in October as he scored six goals in four games - including a hat-trick against Atalanta in the Champions League.

His form has led to suggestions he could displace Roberto Firmino from the starting line-up, and Barnes said Jota is showing a great attitude despite not being the first name on the team-sheet, and sees him as a perfect fit for Klopp's system.

'Jota is playing well not just because he’s a really good player, but because he’s happy to not play every game and he’s got the right attitude. What Klopp does with all the players is he looks at a player that can fit into what he wants and he knew Jota could do what he wanted.

'I’m sure Werner could have done the same, so like with a lot of players at Liverpool I don’t think they’re improving, I think they’re at a club that suits their style perfectly and the way Liverpool play perfectly suits Jota.

Chelsea had hoped Werner would quickly become one of the most clinical forwards in the division after blitzing 34 goals last season, but he initially found it tough to adapt to life in west London.

He had to wait until late October for his first Premier League goal, but has managed to chip in with eight across all competitions.