Liverpool Tawar Yan Diomande Senilai 100 Juta Euro

Klub Premier League Liverpool meningkatkan perburuan pemain dengan mengajukan tawaran sebesar 100 juta euro untuk penyerang sayap RB Leipzig, Yan Diomande, pada Juni 2026.

Proposal tersebut mencakup pembayaran tunai sebesar 90 juta euro ditambah bonus 10 juta euro, namun klub Bundesliga tersebut langsung menolak tawaran pertama dari The Reds.

RB Leipzig dilaporkan memasang harga minimal sekitar 120 juta hingga 130 juta euro demi mengantisipasi persaingan dari klub raksasa lain seperti Paris Saint-Germain dan Real Madrid.

Langkah agresif ini diambil di bawah kendali manajer baru Andoni Iraola yang baru saja mengamankan tanda tangan Victor Munoz dari Osasuna untuk membangun ulang kekuatan lini serang Anfield.

Ketertarikan terhadap Diomande melonjak drastis setelah pemain berusia 19 tahun itu tampil memukau bersama Pantai Gading di Piala Dunia 2026, termasuk saat menjadi penentu kemenangan 1-0 atas Ekuador.

Meski demikian, rencana transfer besar-besaran ini mendapatkan perhatian khusus dari mantan gelandang legendaris The Reds yang meminta manajemen untuk bersikap lebih cermat.

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

Mantan penggawa timnas Republik Ceko tersebut menilai bahwa nilai transfer yang terlampau tinggi berpotensi memberikan beban psikologis yang berat bagi pemain yang baru merumput semusim di Jerman.

"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.

Smicer menambahkan bahwa klub memang membutuhkan winger cepat setelah kehilangan pilar penting, sekaligus memproyeksikan suksesor jangka panjang bagi Mohamed Salah.

"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.

Di sisi lain, ia juga menyayangkan kegagalan kubu Merseyside dalam mengamankan target potensial terdahulu yang justru menyeberang ke rival domestik mereka.

"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 mengomentari manuver transfer pemain, pemilik nomor punggung 11 di era kejayaan Istanbul itu memberikan pandangan positif terkait penunjukan Andoni Iraola sebagai suksesor Arne Slot.

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

Menurutnya, keahlian Iraola dalam mengangkat performa tim tetap teruji secara konsisten meski manajemen Bournemouth berulang kali menjual pemain bintang mereka.

"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.

Smicer meyakini pendekatan disiplin yang diusung taktisi asal Spanyol tersebut mampu mengeluarkan performa terbaik skuad Liverpool yang sempat dinilai berada di zona nyaman.

“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 menegaskan bahwa ketegasan manajer baru akan mengembalikan atmosfer kompetitif di dalam tim tanpa memandang status kebintangan pemain.

“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.