The departure of Liverpool gaffer Arne Slot at the end of the 2025/26 Premier League season was not a great surprise, as our top flight title defence campaign went horrifically wrong - and was in no way helped by the massive overspend in the summer transfer market as the players just did not gel well enough for way too long.
As the Anfield faithful will know, our board has now pivoted to former AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola and the 43 year old Spanish gaffer is now using what remains of his off season break to make the adjustment to life in the biggest role that he has yet had. Just as he begins to anticipate all the rewards that can come with such a job, he will be fully aware that this will also bring new pressures and expectations.
For those fans who like a flutter and use an online sportsbook Ireland site if they sit across the Sea, it also offers fresh new predictions and odds to dabble with when it comes to how he will perform making the step up.
With the transfer window speculation rumour mill full of potential fresh incomings to Liverpool before the season begins again and we see what the future might hold under the Basque former professional full back, there is plenty of talk about yet another new striker and even some claims that we could be launching a bizarre bid to try and tempt Darwen Nunez back to the club.
Whilst that particular link seems to scream of media invention to get fans talking in the odd moments where they will not be preoccupied by this summers' shenanigans out in the United States of America, Mexico and Canada with the 2026 World Cup, there is certainly a groundswell of rumoured interest building in the press when it comes to Yan Diomande.
The impressive, highly rated, young RB Leipzig winger comes off the back of a great season for his club, and his the 19 year old has seen his stock significantly on the rise in the past 12 months as his debut German Bundesliga campaign has also seen international recognition for his country, Ivory Coast. He has again been in the news this week with a very solid showing in their World Cup group stage victory over Ecuador on Monday.
Although he did not find the net, or help himself to an assist, his display in Philadelphia saw him create five chances, with eleven duels won. In his campaign last season, his performances now see him build on 13 goals and ten assists in 36 appearances across all competitions, so although he already had plenty of potential suitors this summer, the interest is only going to increase depending on what kind of tournament he ultimately has.
For those fans with longer memories, Diomande has been a pretty regular link to the club and there were claims we were in discussions with his representatives as far back as December last year. So whilst the only real update here is that on top of now opening tentative talks with his club directly, and that Iraola has apparently more than given his thumbs up to getting this deal over the line, it would certainly make for a statement first signing - should we in fact follow through and manage to get him in first.
With the World Cup and the additional extended break he will likely get, quick movement on this one is incredibly unlikely and if anything does ultimately happen, we are probably talking in and around deadline day at best.