Liverpool would have wasted their money on Yan Diomande, they can sign 13-goal star instead | OneFootball

Yan Diomande crushed Liverpool’s dreams over the last couple of days.

The Ivorian was expected to make the switch to Anfield with Richard Hughes eyeing up a move for the attacker for most of the 2025-26 season.

Most people saw him as the ideal successor to Mohamed Salah but, that clearly wasn’t meant to be.

The attacker has now chosen to join Paris Saint-Germain over Liverpool with the Champions League winners now lining up a move for him.

This obviously means that Liverpool will have to change course but, to be honest, it could’ve actually been a blessing in disguise.

Said El Mala is a better player for Liverpool to sign than Yan Diomande

A lot of Liverpool’s recruitment over the last couple of years has come from the Bundesliga.

Although at the top of the league, the quality of their teams are fairly similar to the Premier League’s, the further you get down, the worse it gets.

Indeed, RB Leipzig may have qualified for the Champions League this season but, their players often see the German outfit as a stepping stone.

The same goes for most other clubs in the division with Said El Mala a perfect example of this.

The 19-year-old currently plays for FC Koln an, while he’s a guaranteed starter there, the fact they finished 14th clearly isn’t enough to keep highly-rated players at the club.

That’s why so many players end up exiting and, since Liverpool are looking for back-up options to Diomande, there’s no reason why El Mala can’t feature in their planning.

Overall, he may not look like a better player than Diomande but, for what Liverpool need, he might actually be the better option.

Bet £10, Get £30 in Free Bets

Open an account and place a qualifying bet of £10 at min odds of 1/5 (1.2) or greater.

18+New UK/ROI customers. Min £5 deposit. Bet Credits available on settlement of qualifying bets, capped at £10 stake. Min odds 1/5 (1.20). Bet Credits expire in 7 days. Excl. Cashed Out/Free Bets/Boosted odds. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org

£30 FREECLAIM NOW

Liverpool need a goal scorer to replace Mohamed Salah

Liverpool may have signed Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike to score their goals last season but, after Isak failed to do that and since Ekitike is out injured, they need someone to help contribute.

Of course, Diomande would have been able to do this but, since El Mala is a tad more clinical than the Ivorian, the German may be the better choice.

During the 2025-26 season, El Mala scored 13 Bundesliga goals while Diomande only netted 12.

This difference is obviously minimal but, the fact that El Mala can also be used as a striker is a massive bonus.

The German also cost a fraction of the price that Diomande would which means that Liverpool would have more money to spend on other areas of their squad.

It’s still early days in the transfer window but, if the option to sign El Mala emerges, Liverpool should take it and run.