flashscore: Emerse Faé has shut down the chatter around Yan Diomande’s next move and said the winger will think about his career only after the World Cup. The Ivory Coast coach addressed Liverpool talk after Diomande played in a 1-0 victory over Ecuador in Philadelphia on his World Cup debut.
Faé’s Philadelphia response
Faé said the noise had followed Diomande across two stops. “When we were in France, during the preparation, journalists told me he was about to sign with PSG,” he said. “Here, they tell me he’s about to sign with Liverpool!”
He then drew the line around the tournament. “I don’t know, but for now, he will focus on the World Cup, and then afterwards, he can think about the rest of his career.”
The 19-year-old left winger’s rise has already pushed him into a transfer fight. Liverpool are actively pushing to sign the RB Leipzig player this summer, and senior figures at the club are optimistic they can beat Paris Saint-Germain to his signature. Leipzig, though, remain reluctant to sell and value him at upwards of £120 million.
Liverpool’s wide-area plan
Liverpool identified Diomande as a candidate to add pace to wide areas after Mohamed Salah’s departure at the end of the campaign, with new head coach Andoni Iraola now in charge after replacing Arne Slot. The club’s interest has also been described against the backdrop of a broader rebuild under Iraola.
Diomande arrived in February and has since stayed in the middle of a separate contract dispute as well, after Maxidel Management launched legal action claiming he remains under a valid contract with them. That adds another layer to a player already being discussed as one of the more expensive names in the market.
Diomande after Ecuador
Faé also praised the winger’s output and profile after the win in Philadelphia. “Yan – what can I say? I can’t put it into words. He’s very talented, but beyond the talent, he’s very young and he’ll improve,” he said.
He added that Diomande’s work rate and temperament make him easy to coach. “He’s a kid who works hard, has a real team spirit, laughs with everyone, and he listens, listens to the technical staff whenever he’s given advice, and tries to do his best, as he’s told,” Faé said.
That is the immediate frame around Diomande now: an active World Cup, a public tug-of-war over his future, and a coach telling him to keep the transfer talk out of the way until the tournament ends. Jay-Z met with Diomande in Philadelphia before kickoff, but for Ivory Coast, the next task is keeping the winger locked on the pitch rather than the market.
