Liverpool thought they had their guy. Yan Diomande was the name. The winger who was supposed to help fill the Mohamed Salah-shaped hole in the lineup. Then PSG came along and, according to David Ornstein, Diomande’s head got turned. He wants Paris. The trophy-hoarding project. The bright lights.
So now Liverpool’s front office is back at the drawing board. They already brought in Victor Munoz for the left side, and Munoz can play on the right too, which gives them some flexibility. But they still need a real answer on that flank. It’s worth remembering that Salah himself was a Plan B back in the day. Klopp originally wanted Julian Brandt. Sometimes the second choice works out fine.
Here are six alternatives Liverpool should be looking at this summer.
Bradley Barcola
What better way to get back at PSG than taking one of their own wingers? Barcola has 39 goals in 152 appearances for PSG, 107 of those starts. He’s 23, which is only four years older than Diomande and two years younger than Salah was when he joined Liverpool. The catch: Barcola is a right-footed left winger. Diomande is right-footed too, but Liverpool wanted him on the right. Barcola has played a few times on the right for PSG, including a Champions League cameo against Liverpool last season, so maybe he can adjust.
Rayan
This one might get complicated. Rayan joined Bournemouth in January and at 19 years old scored five goals in 15 Premier League games. That got him called up to Brazil’s World Cup squad. He’s a left-footer who plays on the right, which is a different profile than Diomande but closer to how Salah operated. He’s also tall for a winger and brings some power. But Bournemouth just got him. They’re not going to be eager to lose him after six months.
Iliman Ndiaye
This is the spicy one. Ndiaye plays for Everton. No player has gone directly from Everton to Liverpool since Abel Xavier in 2002. But Ndiaye can play both wings, leans right, and is right-footed. He’s 26, entering his prime, and has Premier League experience. The problem is persuading Everton to strengthen their biggest rival. Good luck with that.
Yankuba Minteh
Minteh at Brighton makes sense on paper. He’s fast, presses hard, and prefers the right wing where he can cut inside onto his left foot. His second season in the Premier League wasn’t as good as his first, but he turns 22 in July. He’ll be cheaper than Diomande would have been, though Brighton won’t let him go for pocket change. This one might have made more sense if Arne Slot were still Liverpool’s manager, since they worked together at Feyenoord, but the fit under Andoni Iraola could still work.
Matias Fernandez-Pardo
Fernandez-Pardo is part of Belgium’s World Cup squad and just had his best season at Lille: eight goals, seven assists. Not Salah numbers, not even Diomande numbers, but the kid is 21 with upside. He also learned to play striker this season, which could help Liverpool while Hugo Ekitike recovers from injury and takes some load off Alexander Isak. He prefers the left though, so he’d be more of a rotation option on the right.
Paris El Mala
El Mala broke through in the Bundesliga with FC Koln, scoring 13 goals in 34 games. He’s a Germany youth international, turns 20 in August, and was the top scorer at last year’s U19 Euros. He usually plays left wing but can also go through the middle, and he’s comfortable with both feet. Brentford was reportedly ready to break their transfer record for him this summer, but that deal fell through. He’s available now.
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