Gallas’s shortlist reflects the premium placed on explosive wide players. Diomande, an Ivory Coast winger at RB Leipzig, had already built a strong club-season platform before helping his country secure a 1-0 win over Ecuador.
A tournament can provide the kind of stage that club football rarely matches. For Liverpool, the appeal would appear clear: Diomande offers youth, attacking threat and the possibility of further development. However, any reported interest remains just that, with no transfer agreement confirmed.
“There are Yan Diomande and Ayyoub Bouaddi,” Gallas said. “All the clubs are waiting for the end of the World Cup to pick up players from that big competition because, as we know, the World Cup is the best competition in the world.”
Bouaddi represents a different kind of opportunity. The Lille midfielder has reportedly attracted interest from Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and other clubs after impressing at club level.
Midfielders can be judged particularly sharply at international tournaments. They must handle pressure, dictate rhythm and make decisions against elite opponents, often with limited preparation around them. For a teenager, that environment can quickly alter perceptions.
One strong performance will not settle a transfer, but it can move a player from long-term scouting list to immediate recruitment target. Gallas believes that is exactly where Bouaddi now stands.
Gallas described the current transfer climate as unusually quiet: “Right now, if you look, transfers are just frozen.” His expectation is that clubs will make firmer decisions once the tournament concludes and the strongest young performers have been tested further.
The next storyline is whether Diomande and Bouaddi can sustain their early impact. If they do, Gallas’s prediction may prove timely: “the phone will start to ring” when the World Cup ends.