Liverpool seal £4.3m N'Guessan deal and revive Minteh hope after chaotic window

Liverpool have agreed a £4.3 million deal to sign Saint-Etienne forward Djylian N’Guessan, the club confirmed on Friday, with the 18-year-old set to join permanently in January after spending the 2026/27 campaign on loan at Ligue 1 side Stade Brestois. The announcement came days after the September 1 transfer deadline, offering Andoni Iraola a rare moment of clarity following a turbulent summer window.

N’Guessan has made 13 appearances for Saint-Etienne, scoring once, and featured seven times for France at the U20 World Cup last year as they finished fourth. The teenager represents a long-term investment for the Reds rather than an immediate fix to the squad gaps left by Mohamed Salah’s departure.

Iraola’s summer was defined in large part by the right-wing problem Salah’s exit created. The Spanish manager moved to address it with a pursuit of Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh, but the Seagulls rejected bids of £50 million and £60 million, keeping the 22-year-old Gambian international at the Amex Stadium.

However, Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler has since left the door open for a January exit. “If the whole team is successful and the individual shines then Yankuba will get a lot of attention again and he can then maybe fulfil his dream in the next transfer window,” Hurzeler said — comments that will have been noted closely at Anfield.

Beyond the Minteh pursuit, Iraola oversaw the arrivals of Victor Munoz, Ronald Araujo and Bradley Barcola during the summer, alongside the long-awaited first-team integration of Jeremy Jacquet, who was signed under predecessor Arne Slot. The Barcola deal in particular played out against the backdrop of Deadline Day uncertainty, adding to a window that tested the new manager’s patience from the outset.

With the January window now firmly in view, Liverpool’s business may not be finished. N’Guessan’s signing signals the club’s intent to plan ahead, while the Minteh situation gives Iraola genuine cause for optimism that the right-wing vacancy could yet be filled.