From the moment FSG decided to sack Arne Slot, it was clear that Liverpool were going to push to appoint Andoni Iraola after his contract with Bournemouth expired.
This is something of a gamble, but if it pays off, Liverpool will return to the “rock and roll” football that came to define Jurgen Klopp’s illustrious nine-year reign. This is how Iraola describes his approach, and it marks a diametric difference from the slow and calculated football that Slot instilled.
Iraola is distinctive, but he’s adaptable, and he’s fought tooth and nail to get himself up to this career peak. Now, FSG need to back him to the hilt with impactful additions.
Liverpool in talks with top target’s camp
FSG have a lot to sort out over the next few months. Michael Edwards and sporting director Richard Hughes failed to reach an agreement with Ibrahima Konate, who is leaving on a free transfer (ostensibly to Real Madrid), and right-back is still a concern too.
However, Mohamed Salah’s departure means that Liverpool need a new right winger as a matter of urgency, and FSG are prioritising a deal for one attacker above all others.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool are locked in talks with Yan Diomande‘s camp, though the race for the RB Leipzig forward is going to be difficult, with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich also giving chase.
Romano said in full: “Liverpool are in negotitations. They are on it, for sure. PSG are also speaking with the player’s camp. The battle is on. Diomande is very high on the list of Liverpool and PSG. I can tell you the preference on the player side is to do the deal fast before the start of the World Cup so Diomande can go to the World Cup without thinking. They will try to accelerate the deal before the World Cup. It will depend on Leipzig. It is never easy to negotiate with them but Liverpool and PSG are both working on it.”
The £87m-rated right winger might only be 19, but he is one of the most talented players in the world, and has expressed a desire to move to Anfield in the past.
If Liverpool manage to pull it off, they could hand Iraola his perfect new focal point in attack, someone who can take on the role that Eli Junior Kroupi has been performing with such aplomb over the past year.
Why Diomande can be Iraola’s new Kroupi
Kroupi, 19, has burst onto the scene under Iraola’s wing this season, but signing him might be somewhat difficult after the Cherries qualified for Europe.
Instead, Liverpool can happily pursue a deal for Diomande, and FSG are even hoping to get it wrapped up before the start of the World Cup next week.
|
Most Goals in a Prem Debut Season (teenagers) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Club |
Goals |
|
Junior Kroupi |
Bournemouth (25/26) |
13 |
|
Robbie Fowler |
Liverpool (93/94) |
12 |
|
Robbie Keane |
Coventry (99/00) |
12 |
|
Kevin Gallen |
QPR (95/96) |
10 |
The teenager scored 13 goals and provided ten assists for Leipzig this term, with Liverpool-focused journalist Bence Bocsak saying, “Whatever it costs, he’s a superstar. Worth every penny.”
It’s remarkable that he has made such significant gains in such short time. In a way, this is much like Kroupi in the Premier League, the French talent arriving from Lorient in Ligue 2 last summer and finishing the league campaign with 13 goals. He only missed three big chances.
However, with Salah going, Liverpool need to throw the kitchen sink at landing a new right winger, someone who can lead the Liverpool line for many years to come – and with the unpredictable flair of a maverick.
In the Bundesliga, Diomande created 17 big chances this season, winning 5.6 duels and completing 3.6 dribbles on average each game. It’s hard to see how this skillset wont’ translate seamlessly to Premier League football, especially with a coach in Iraola who has shown that he can take exciting talents and turn them into forces to be reckoned with.
The potential is boundless, and it’s worth noting that Diomande is also comfortable out on the left flank, something that Iraola could utilise to an emphatic effect, having done the same
There is a reason that PSG, the greatest team of their time, have a vested interest in Diomande. There is also a reason that Liverpool believe he holds the key to unlocking their full attacking potential.
Iraola has already shown through Kroupi and Antoine Semenyo that he can shape exciting talents into superstars, and now he can do the same with Diomande at Liverpool.
He’s better than Diomande: Liverpool hold talks to sign £130m “superstar”
Liverpool are hoping to sign a couple of top-class wingers in the summer transfer window.