Liverpool has been linked with a move for RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande this summer, but former Reds defender Jason McAteer believes the club should look at Bradley Barcola as a more reliable option
Ian Doyle Chief Liverpool FC Correspondent
13:12, 18 Jul 2026
Jason McAteer has offered his opinion
Jason McAteer has offered his opinion(Image: Getty Images)
Former Liverpool defender Jason McAteer believes his old club must breathe new life into their right flank and ought not to overlook bringing in a new full-back.
Andoni Iraola has acknowledged his interest in recruiting a right winger, having previously conceded that his squad lacks sufficient depth in certain areas. Liverpool endured a torrid time at right-back last season, with Conor Bradley still recovering from the serious knee injury he sustained in January, and Jeremie Frimpong hampered by muscular problems and inconsistent form.
This led to Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Wataru Endo, and Joe Gomez all being deployed in the position. McAteer is firmly of the opinion that the Reds must venture into the market to bolster their defensive options and secure an additional attacking outlet.
"I think the areas of concern are down Liverpool's right-hand side, having lost Trent (Alexander-Arnold) two seasons ago," he said.
"It vacated a big, big space which we obviously thought Conor Bradley would slot into. You felt Conor was ready to go into that position, but, unfortunately, through injury and performances, he's not been able to do that.
"And then Jeremie Frimpong came in. He's not an ideal right-back in defensive situations. He's more of a wing-back, more of an attacking player. So he's had to fill in, and we've had Szobsozlai play right-back too, so it's not been great.
Yan Diomande continues to be linked with Liverpool
Yan Diomande continues to be linked with Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
"I think that had unsettled (Mohamed) Salah as well, and then Salah's obviously gone. So that right-hand side is an area we need to strengthen, both in the full-back and the wide position.
"There's been no real talk about a full-back, but certainly (Yan) Diomande has been spoken about quite a lot to come into that area."
The Reds were prepared to part with £86 million ($115 million) for Diomande, only for RB Leipzig to hold out for upwards of £100 million ($134 million) — a valuation that has so far deterred other prospective buyers, including Paris Saint-Germain, whom it has emerged the Ivory Coast international would prefer to join.
McAteer went on to say: "Diomande did okay during the World Cup. It was difficult for Ivory Coast. He showed flashes of what he can do, but the thing about the younger players in this tournament is the likes of (Ayyoub) Bouaddi and (Lamine) Yamal seemed to take the headlines and kind of took the spotlight off him a little bit, which is not a bad thing.
"But the fact that you're looking at maybe paying £100m for him means that you're kind of looking for him to set the world alight at that kind of price on the biggest stage, and the World Cup was his platform. It was difficult to judge him on his World Cup performances, but he's definitely a young talent that needs to be looked at."
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In an interview with Betarades.gr, McAteer suggested that Bradley Barcola of Paris Saint-Germain would be the superior acquisition for Liverpool this summer.
"Between Diomande and Barcola I would probably go for Barcola right now," he said. "I don't think Liverpool need to buy potential anymore. I think we found out last season that potential doesn't necessarily work all the time.
"You kind of need to buy a bit more of a finished article and someone you can trust a little bit more. I just think Barcola's performances in this World Cup have just shown more maturity than Diomande."