The Briefing: Iraola targets titles, Man Utd's 'clear plan' for transfers and more

Football writer Ben Bloom provides your round-up of the latest Premier League stories and transfer news on Friday 5 June.

Iraola relishing Liverpool title challenge

Andoni Iraola says he is excited about “the chance to fight for titles” after becoming Liverpool head coach.

The Basque guided AFC Bournemouth to sixth place in the Premier League last season, earning the club European football for the first time in their history. Now he takes charge of the side that finished one place above his former club, a season after Liverpool were crowned English champions.

Speaking for the first time since signing for the Reds, he was asked what attracted him to Anfield.

“I think you don't need a lot of things to get attracted by Liverpool,” he told the Liverpool website.

“Liverpool is Liverpool. But obviously the atmosphere, the supporters, the club, the players, the chance for me to coach top-level players, the chance to fight for titles. I think it cannot be more attractive than this. It’s difficult to find it. So, really excited to start.”

With 11 Liverpool players featuring at the upcoming FIFA World Cup, Iraola said he is relishing the opportunity to work with his wider squad players when they return to training following the summer break.

“The senior players that have played in the World Cup, they’ve been feeling the pressure, they’ve been playing for their countries, I think they need and deserve a rest,” he said.

“And also this allows us to give also important minutes to train more closely with the young players that probably we don’t know as well.

“There are other players probably that haven’t had the minutes, have played for the development squad, have been on loan somewhere, and I think those trainings, those minutes will be very valuable for us to take decisions.”

Liverpool make contact over Diomande

RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande is a player in demand this summer and could become Iraola's first signing at Liverpool.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein reports that the Reds have contacted the Bundesliga club over potentially signing the 19-year-old.

The Ivorian has also attracted interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City following a breakthrough season in Germany, where he provided 13 goals and 10 assists across 36 appearances in all competitions to help Leipzig qualify for the UEFA Champions League. His 118 successful dribbles were also 50 more than any other player in the Bundesliga.

If he does end up at Anfield, it will not be the first time Diomande has turned out in English football, having previously undergone trials with Premier League clubs Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.

He also spent time at Scottish club Rangers, telling Sky Sports: “I did not know what was going on. For me, it was just funny moving from club to club like this, to see players like [Michael] Olise and [Eberechi] Eze. That was a good experience.”

None of those trials amounted to a permanent move, and he eventually signed for Spanish club Leganes in November 2024, making just 10 LaLiga appearances before RB Leipzig snapped him up last summer.

“Everything went fast,” he said. “This year was amazing for me. To play in the AFCON at 19, to qualify for the World Cup, to play in the Champions League, and I am on my way to the World Cup. I am just proud.”

Liverpool are on the lookout for a new right winger to replace Mohamed Salah, who is departing after nine seasons at Anfield.

Man Utd ‘will replicate transfer template’

Manchester United will look to follow the same transfer template as last summer, says the club’s chief executive, as they look to build on their third-place Premier League finish.

Man Utd's outfield trio of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko all scored 10 or more league goals after joining the club ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, while fellow new signing goalkeeper Senne Lammens was earlier this week named Barclays Transfer of the Season.

“I think the template for what we did last summer will be replicated,” United chief executive Omar Berrada told the club’s Inside Carrington podcast.

“You always go into a window and you don’t know how you’re going to come out of it, but you have to be really prepared.

“You have to have a clear plan, you have to know exactly what positions you’re looking to strengthen and you also have to be prepared for any eventuality. There could be exits we’re not expecting, there could be opportunities in the market that perhaps weren’t there at the beginning of the window.

“So, we have to be ready, we have to be agile and flexible. But we have a clear plan.

“I do think what we saw last season is a good way forward for us, which is we want a mix of experience and youth, we want a mix of players who have demonstrated they can perform in the Premier League and perhaps also players who are doing very well outside the Premier League.”

Earlier this week, BBC Sport reported that United have agreed a £35 million deal with Atalanta for Brazil midfielder Ederson.

Amad deals France pre-World Cup shock

France are many people’s pick to win this summer’s FIFA World Cup, but Man Utd's Amad dealt them a shock warm-up defeat against Ivory Coast.

The finalists from the 2022 tournament took the lead on the cusp of half-time through Man City’s Rayan Cherki's brilliant effort.

But Amad came off the bench and fired a wonderful 84th-minute winner, finding the bottom corner with a first-time finish.

A raft of other Premier League players also featured in the match, including Lucas Digne, Maxence Lacroix, Malo Gusto, Ibrahima Konate, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Ibrahim Sangare and Simon Adingra.

“It’s a wake-up call, if we needed one,” said France coach Didier Deschamps. “I’m not going to dramatise the defeat, just as I wouldn’t have become overly excited if we had won. It’s part of the preparation process.”

Elsewhere, Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres found the net in Sweden’s 2-2 draw with Greece. Gyokeres curled in a free-kick early in the second half after Liverpool defender Kostas Tsimikas had opened the scoring for Greece. Leeds United's Gabriel Gudmundsson, Brighton & Hove Albion's Yasin Ayari and Liverpool's Alexander Isak all started for Sweden.

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