New Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has had a slower summer in the transfer market than his predecessor enjoyed this time last year.
The Reds' frenetic few months breaking their club transfer record twice and splurging over £400 million as champions of England perhaps contributed to the downfall of Arne Slot, whose heightened expectations came back to bite him when Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League.
And yet Iraola perhaps has the hardest task of any Merseyside manager in the transfer market for years: how do you replace Mohamed Salah?
Liverpool could look to familiarity, as Rayan move shapes up
Liverpool have so far only signed Victor Munoz to bolster their attack – primarily a left-winger – with the assumption that the right flank will be occupied by someone like Dominik Szoboszlai or Jeremie Frimpong unless an available superstar emerges.
Yet Iraola has replaced a superstar before: after joining Bournemouth in January as the Cherries' Antoine Semenyo heir, Rayan took to the Premier League like a duck to water, with youth football expert Joe Donnohue stating it was “little surprise he's found the net so early on,” in a report for FourFourTwo's Boy's A Bit Special series.
Since then, the Brazilian has been called up to the World Cup and even given a start by manager Carlo Ancelotti in Raphinha's absence: and while Raphinha may be more the calibre of name that Reds fans would expect the club to replace a legend like Salah with, however, there may not only be more truth in Rayan – TEAMtalk reported links earlier this month – but more sense.
For a start, the 19-year-old has worked with Iraola before and has a clear track record not just of tearing up full-backs in this league, but delivering goals, too, with five goals in just 15 appearances thus far.
Rayan is far more than just a poacher, though, having proved himself as a high-intensity presser on the right flank who will run himself into the ground – and with Liverpool needing to find the best combination of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai, trying to accommodate another high-output superstar might be too tricky to co
Signing a teenager instead would allow Iraola a little grace, while his work-rate can help establish the tone: goals and assists wouldn't be expected of Rayan right away, as he instead looks to work within a system and platform the players around him.
The sticking point is, of course, the price, with Rayan likely to command the kind of fee that one would expect from a ready-made superstar, despite less than six months of Premier League experience under his belt.
With Bournemouth adamant that their starlet can't leave on the cheap – especially with Junior Kroupi and Alex Scott courting attention from the elite – Liverpool may be better off throwing their weight behind a big-money, proven star who can alleviate some of the pressure from the likes of Isak and Wirtz.
Yet with big names come expectations: perhaps Iraola would be far better placed to invest in someone who can get the most from the big names he already has right now.
Rayan is valued at €60 million by Transfermarkt. The Reds begin their Premier League campaign against Newcastle United.
