New Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has confirmed the club are pushing to add further reinforcements to his squad before the new Premier League season begins, despite an increasingly difficult pursuit of Ivory Coast forward Yan Diomande. Speaking at his first press conference with external media, the Spaniard said the club were “working hard” on incoming deals, even as he stressed the importance of getting the right players rather than rushing transfers through.
Liverpool have so far brought in two new faces this summer: Spain winger Victor Munoz, signed from Osasuna for £34.5million, and centre-back Jeremy Jacquet, whose £60million move was announced in January but only completed earlier this month. Iraola made clear those two additions are not the end of the club’s business. “Obviously we’ve signed two players already but we need more players. We know this. The club are working on this,” he said. “Me, as a coach, selfishly, you want the players here on day one, ready to train for pre-season. But we understand that football doesn’t work like this and I know that the club is working hard to get those signings and I am trying to help also.”
Diomande pursuit hits a snag
Much of Liverpool’s summer business has centred on trying to land Diomande from RB Leipzig, though the deal has grown increasingly complicated. Liverpool are understood to have had an £85million offer for the forward rejected by the German club, who are said to be holding out for a fee of at least £100million. Complicating matters further, Diomande has made his own preference clear, indicating he would rather join European champions Paris Saint-Germain should they agree to meet Leipzig’s valuation.
With the Diomande deal far from certain, Liverpool are reportedly assessing alternative options in the transfer market, including monitoring several young wingers as part of their broader recruitment planning. Iraola, working alongside the club’s recruitment team, has insisted Liverpool will not be rushed into deals simply to have new faces in place before pre-season begins, even as he acknowledged the challenge that creates for a coach eager to get his squad settled early.
A summer of change at Anfield
Iraola’s comments arrived just days after Liverpool confirmed the departure of Michael Edwards as chief executive of Fenway Sports Group (FSG). Edwards previously served as Liverpool’s sporting director between 2011 and 2022 before returning to the club as FSG’s CEO in 2024. During his time in the sporting director role, Edwards was widely credited with bringing in players such as Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, and he also oversaw the appointments of managers Jürgen Klopp, Arne Slot and, most recently, Iraola himself.
The scale of the rebuild facing Iraola has been sharpened by the summer exits of Salah, Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté, all of whom left Liverpool on the expiry of their contracts in June. Between them, the trio made 1,003 appearances for the club. Salah’s tally of 257 goals leaves him third on Liverpool’s all-time scoring list, behind only Roger Hunt (285) and Ian Rush (346). Salah and Robertson played central roles in Liverpool’s Champions League triumph in 2018/19 and their Premier League title win in 2019/20 under Klopp, while all three were key contributors to a second Premier League title in 2024/25 under Slot.
From Bournemouth to Anfield
Iraola took charge at Liverpool in May, stepping in after the club finished fifth in the Premier League under Slot. He arrives at Anfield following a three-year spell at Bournemouth, where he ended his tenure by guiding the club to a sixth-placed finish, securing Europa League qualification and, in the process, delivering Bournemouth’s highest-ever Premier League placing and their first taste of European football.
Preparing for pre-season
Liverpool’s players who were not involved at the World Cup are due back from their summer break this week, ahead of the squad flying out to the United States next Monday for a series of pre-season friendlies. With reinforcements still being sought, particularly in wide attacking areas following the departures of several senior players, Iraola’s summer transfer business is likely to remain a central storyline as the club builds towards the new campaign.
