Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, applauds the fans following the Premier League match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Anfield on November 22, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)placeholder image
Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, applauds the fans following the Premier League match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Anfield on November 22, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Liverpool have been linked with a move for Yan Diomande, but who is the RB Leipzig flyer?
Arne Slot must sit awake at night wondering what he is going to work on at training the next day given how many problems Liverpool currently have.
Just as he looks to have found the right formation and team selection, another speed bump is hit with the draw against Sunderland being the latest example of the turgid football that has been on off, particularly at Anfield, for most of the season.
The record transfer spend has been reported extensively, and yet Slot appears no further forward in terms of finding the right balance as the festive fixture list approaches and Mohamed Salah gets set to head off to the African Cup of Nations.
Liverpool leading the race for Yan Diomande
There is a spark missing from the forward line which is why RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande has been linked to provide excitement, pace and unpredictability from either wing. The 19-year old is on four goals and four assists for the season as he continues to get bums off seats in the Bundesliga with every top club in Europe chasing his signature according to TEAMtalk with a source comparing the Ivory Coast international to Erling Haaland given his prodigious talent.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are all linked along with Liverpool.
RB Leipzig's Yan Diomande (blue) compared to Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo (red) and Everton's Iliman Ndiaye (green) using Data MB's radar comparison tool.placeholder image
RB Leipzig's Yan Diomande (blue) compared to Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo (red) and Everton's Iliman Ndiaye (green) using Data MB's radar comparison tool. | Data MB.
Using Data MB’s comparison model, Richard Hughes should set his sights on one player in particular, and it isn’t the two Premier League wingers. Diomande matches Semenyo and Ndiaye on almost every metric but it is on assists, key passes, dribbling and ball carrying that the teenager is more effective, making him the obvious player to sign. With a €100m (£87m) release clause, he is around £15-20m more expensive, but he is also six years younger.
What type of player is Diomande?
Football writer Bence Bocsak, who has featured in several publications providing analysis on players for The Guardian, BBC Sport and talkSPORT, is a huge fan: “Hard not to get carried away with Yan Diomande because what he has shown in less than 900 minutes for RB Leipzig this season is nothing short of special.
“He is ambipedal, which makes him so unpredictable in his dribbling and allows him to play LW and RW. Technically his first touch is sublime and he’s got that close control combined with quick feet that can get him out of tight spaces.
“When there’s space ahead of him, he is lightning fast and can use that to his full advantage. You leave space for him at your own peril. Based on what he’s shown at Leipzig, he’s the full package if you’re looking for a progressive winger.
“He’s probably more effective coming off the RW role where he can utilise his shooting a bit more. Seems to be slightly more comfortable with his left foot. I’d like to see him improve his crossing and he’s overall link-up and passing play in the final third. But as a ball carrier he is simply exceptional. Like I said it’s hard not to get carried away. Based on what he’s shown, the sky is the limit.”
If Liverpool want to find a new hero to replace the Saudi Arabia linked Mohamed Salah, Yan Diomande could well be the name on the lips of the recruitment team.
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