Liverpool Tawar Yan Diomande Dekati Seratus Juta Euro

Klub Premier League Liverpool meningkatkan perburuan untuk mendatangkan penyerang sayap RB Leipzig, Yan Diomande, dengan menyiapkan paket tawaran transfer yang mendekati angka 100 juta euro atau sekitar 86,8 juta poundsterling pada Juni 2026.

Dilansir dari The Athletic, tawaran terbaru dari kubu Merseyside tersebut merupakan peningkatan dari proposal sebelumnya demi memenangkan persaingan dari Paris Saint-Germain dan Real Madrid. Namun, RB Leipzig dilaporkan enggan melepas pemain berusia 19 tahun itu dan menetapkan harga minimal sebesar 130 juta euro.

Manajer baru Liverpool, Andoni Iraola, disebut menjadi sosok utama yang sangat mengagumi gaya dinamis Diomande dan mendesak manajemen klub untuk segera merampungkan transfer tersebut. Pemain asal Pantai Gading itu diproyeksikan sebagai suksesor jangka panjang bagi Mohamed Salah di lini serang.

Meskipun demikian, mantan pemain sayap Liverpool, Vladimir Smicer, memberikan peringatan keras terkait risiko finansial yang sangat besar untuk memboyong pemain muda dengan pengalaman yang masih minim di kompetisi tertinggi Jerman.

"I would be careful with the price of Diomande because he only played one year in Germany," ujar Vladimir Smicer, mantan pemain Liverpool.

Smicer menambahkan bahwa keputusan merekrut pemain muda bertalenta memang memiliki sisi positif untuk investasi jangka panjang, namun biaya besar tersebut membawa tekanan tersendiri bagi sang pemain.

"Of course, he's 19 and is showing good things. Maybe in your head it's better to buy him now for £50m than in two years for £150m. But he's only had one season," kata Vladimir Smicer, pria yang mencatatkan 184 penampilan bersama The Reds.

Pria asal Republik Ceko itu juga menyoroti kebutuhan mendesak skuad Liverpool akan sosok penyerang sayap yang memiliki kecepatan mumpuni setelah kepergian beberapa pilar penting.

"We need a strong winger with pace, which is what we were missing this season. We'll be missing Salah next season, so we need a replacement for that kind of player," tutur Vladimir Smicer, legenda yang memenangi Liga Champions 2005.

Ia juga menyesali kegagalan Liverpool dalam mengamankan target transfer potensial lain yang akhirnya berlabuh ke klub rival domestik.

"It was a pity that Antoine Semenyo went to Bournemouth and then chose Manchester City, because I saw him as a good player for our team; he is the one that got away," ucap Vladimir Smicer kepada Casinostugan.

Selain membahas mengenai transfer pemain, Smicer turut memberikan pandangannya mengenai penunjukan Andoni Iraola sebagai pelatih baru di Anfield setelah pemecatan Arne Slot pada akhir Mei.

“Andoni Iraola, he is a very highly rated manager," kata Vladimir Smicer mengenai mantan bos Bournemouth tersebut.

Smicer memuji kemampuan Iraola yang tetap mampu menjaga semangat serta performa tim secara konsisten meskipun Bournemouth sering kehilangan pemain-pemain terbaik mereka di setiap musim.

"At Bournemouth they sold their best players every season, but it didn't change the spirit of the team. They still played the same way. He was able to replace those missing players and every year he improved the team," ujar Vladimir Smicer menambahkan.

Menurutnya, kompetensi dalam meningkatkan kualitas individu pemain non-bintang merupakan atribut utama yang sangat dibutuhkan oleh Liverpool saat ini.

“This is the attribute that you want to see in your team. The players and the team are getting better and better, even with players who are not like star players. It's going to be a great challenge for Andoni Iraola to go to Liverpool and do the same thing. I think some of the players were in a bit of a comfort zone this season," tutur Vladimir Smicer menilai performa musim lalu.

Ia meyakini bahwa pendekatan disiplin Iraola akan membawa perubahan positif dan menuntut kerja keras yang sama dari seluruh anggota tim tanpa memandang reputasi besar.

“We won the league and thought everything was going to be okay. We got new players and I felt like we were not getting the best out of them. I think Iraola, with the way he was managing Bournemouth, can get that.

I think he will be much harder on the players, probably demanding different things, and if they won't be doing those things, they won't be doing those things, they won't be playing. It doesn't matter the name. If the players approach the manager that way and the manager approaches the players this way, it could be good for Liverpool,” kata Vladimir Smicer memungkasi evaluasinya.