Former Liverpool winger Vladimir Smicer has warned against a blockbuster move for RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande this summer, insisting a fee in excess of £85m would be a major risk for such an inexperienced player.
The 2005 Champions League winner believes Liverpool would be overpaying for a 19-year-old with just one Bundesliga season, amid reports the club are ready to offer a package worth up to £86m. Leipzig are holding out for around £112m.
Liverpool have been in talks with Leipzig for weeks, but Smicer says such valuations place heavy pressure on young players still developing at the top level.
“I would be careful with the price of Yan Diomande because he only played one year in Germany,” Smicer told Casinostugan.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
Liverpool recently appointed Andoni Iraola on a two-year deal after the departure of Arne Slot following a fifth-place Premier League finish.
Smicer added: “Andoni Iraola, he is a very highly rated manager. 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.
“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.
“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 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.”
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