Liverpool certainly aren’t firing on all cylinders. Liverpool certainly haven’t hit their stride under Andoni Iraola, but they are in a promising position to attack the top of the Premier League table after the international break.
The forwards need to start playing with more gusto, though; playing as a free-flowing unit, a strike-force in concert and representative of the nine-figure fees paid for players such as Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz and now Bradley Barcola.
Barcola was the Reds’ big summer signing, but whether he can live up to the legacy of someone like Sadio Mane before him remains to be seen.
A look at Mane’s Liverpool legacy
Back in his day, Mane was one of the best forwards in the world. He never quite hit the same kind of numbers as Salah, though.
|
Jurgen Klopp’s Most-used Players at Liverpool |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Apps |
Goals + Assists |
|
Mohamed Salah |
349 |
211 + 90 |
|
Sadio Mane |
269 |
120 + 46 |
|
Roberto Firmino |
355 |
111 + 76 |
|
Diogo Jota |
145 |
56 + 22 |
|
Divock Origi |
171 |
41 + 16 |
Electric on the ball and invariably dangerous, either out on the left or as a centre-forward of sorts, Mane won the full gamut with Liverpool, and this is exactly the kind of profile that Iraola needs right now.
The 34-year-old simply knew that he was better than his opponents. In 2022, he finished second in the Ballon d’Or rankings, behind Karim Benzema.
From a positional standpoint, Mane has been replaced a few times at Liverpool since he left for Bayern Munich in 2023. However, have FSG succeeded in signing a player of a similar calibre on the left flank, and could the same issue seep over to the right side, now that Salah has left on a free and joined Trabzonspor in Turkey?
How Liverpool have replaced Mane
Liverpool knew they were going to be up against it when replacing the Senegalese winger, one of the greatest players in his nation’s history, but the Kop must have felt they had hit the jackpot when landing Luis Diaz from Porto months before.
It’s now been over a year since Diaz kicked a ball for the Reds, though, and the absence of a reliable. He’s resurgent now, but Cody Gakpo didn’t fit the bill last year.
FSG have moved to remedy their mistakes, signing Barcola and Victor Munoz (from Osasuna for £35m). Both have enough dynamism to play off the right, but that’s not their natural position, and Liverpool still need to make a fix there.
Barcola has the potential to become a superstar at Liverpool, but he’s not quite the same player as Mane. That’s fine, but Liverpool do have their eye on a similar player, with Julian Ward gearing up to make his move next year.
Perhaps it’s a good thing that this transfer target plays off the right.
Liverpool have held talks to sign the new Mane
One step at a time. You would hope that Ward has taken note of the fan discontent in his predecessor’s decision-making at Anfield and is ready to strengthen in the right areas come 2027.
Well, according to Gambian football expert Baboucarr Fallaboweh, interviewed by Sport Witness, Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh is determined to join Liverpool after the Merseysiders failed to sign him in a £70m deal this summer. Despite talks throughout the summer, the Seagulls stood firm.
There is an acknowledgement that Minteh has not yet reached his potential in the Premier League, but even so, he has hinted toward so much potential as a first-class attacker down the line. In fact,
Minteh has not yet played this season as he recovers from a summer injury setback, but the Gambian winger, still only 22, demonstrated a lot of potential over his first two seasons in the Premier League, with his underlying data bespeaking elite potential.
|
League Form 25/26 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (* per 90) |
24/25 |
25/26 |
|
Matches (starts) |
32 (20) |
34 (26) |
|
Goals + Assists |
6 + 4 |
3 + 4 |
|
Shots (on target)* |
1.1 (0.5) |
1.2 (0.3) |
|
Big chances missed |
8 |
4 |
|
Accurate passes* |
9.5 (69%) |
12.6 (68%) |
|
Big chances created |
8 |
11 |
|
Key passes* |
0.9 |
1.4 |
|
Succ. dribbles* |
1.4 |
1.9 |
|
Recoveries* |
2.7 |
2.8 |
|
Def. contributions* |
2.7 |
2.6 |
|
Duels won* |
3.8 |
4.8 |
In fact, it says something that one scout has even gone as far as to claim that Minteh “can reach Sadio Mane[‘s] level” in the Premier League, not only pacy but incisive and combative to a level beyond most wide forwards.
He’s the real deal, alright, ranking last season in the Premier League among the top 3% of Premier League players last season for top speed, the top 10% for dribbles and the top 20% for duels won per 90. That’s certainly like Liverpool’s Senagelese winger of old.
Like Mane, he would be arriving from the south coast, already full-fledged as a Premier League star, but yet to reach his full world-class potential.
There’s no question that Liverpool need a right-sider. Salah’s unique profile would be difficult to replace, but if they sign Minteh, they might just have their new Mane – and on the right side too.