Danny Murphy believes that Bradley Barcola would be a ‘super signing’ for Liverpool and claimed that it might yet be a ‘blessing’ not to have landed Yan Diomande.
The Reds had been strongly linked with the RB Leipzig winger throughout June, and there were reports of personal terms being agreed, but the 19-year-old is understood to have chosen Paris Saint-Germain as his next club (The Athletic).
As per Fabrizio Romano, the current PSG forward has instead become the primary transfer target on Merseyside, and he’s no longer considered ‘untouchable’ at the Parc des Princes, although the Champions League holders would want more than £115m for him (The Athletic).
Speaking exclusively to Empire of the Kop on behalf of BetWright football betting, Murphy was asked whether he thinks Liverpool will ultimately sign Barcola this summer.
The former Reds midfielder replied: “I hope so because I think he’s a terrific player. I don’t think they should have been looking at Diomande for the money they were talking about anyway. He is a super talent, but that’s all he is: a talent. He’s a prospect.
“Paying over the odds for a player based on potential, I’m not sure over £100m for a player who hasn’t a body of work that justifies that money was the right way to go. In a way, it might be a blessing.
“Barcola would be less expensive and obviously maybe surplus to requirements with the signings PSG are making. We’ve seen in the Champions League for the last couple of years now the impact he can have on games, so it’s a less risky signing.
“The only thing with Barcola, of course, is he’s more comfortable on the left than the right. He can play on the right on occasion, but really I think someone more used to and suited playing on the right would probably be a better option. But Barcola maybe, too, why not?
“It’s certainly interesting and fascinating to see what they’re going to do because the squad needs a bit of reshaping. There are all these questions around Liverpool at the moment, which is, when you think about winning the league and then what we spent, it’s an incredible conundrum that they’re in really and shouldn’t be in.
“But in answer to the question, Barcola for me would be a super signing.”
Want more Empire of the Kop coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust
While we take Murphy’s point about Liverpool potentially paying over the odds for Diomande, whose reported asking price rose to €130m (£110.8m) off the back of one terrific season at Leipzig (The Athletic), it’ll still have felt rather anticlimactic for the Reds’ pursuit of the winger to have come to nothing.
Also, while the pundit is correct in saying that Barcola is more proven at the highest level, previous reporting would suggest that he’d every bit as expensive – perhaps even more so – than his Ivory Coast counterpart.
Their goal tallies were identical last season, with Diomande edging it in terms of his goals-per-minutes ratio. He also comes out on top for his overall career scoring ratio, although Barcola has a more extensive body of work behind him.
The figures below (from Squawka) show how the two wingers compared in their respective domestic leagues last season for a series of key attacking metrics. The Ivorian fares better for the majority of the stats measured, although there isn’t much to choose between either player for most of them.
With Diomande seemingly favouring PSG, it’s crucial that Liverpool throw everything they have at a potential move for Barcola. To come away from the summer transfer window with neither of them would be a sore one for Reds fans to take.
Over to you, Richard Hughes!
Welcome to our Live Comments section, where new comments will appear automatically
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Notify me of follow-up comments by email.
Notify me of new posts by email.
