Yann Diomande ‘ready for Europe’s elite’ and comparable to Lamine Yamal, says former coach Borja Jimenez

RB Leipzig winger Yann Diomande is already equipped to join one of Europe’s biggest clubs and shares traits with Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal, according to his former Leganes coach Borja Jimenez.

The Ivory Coast international, who is only 19, has seen his market valuation rocket from €1.5m to around €90m since bursting onto the scene, and is currently being linked with a move to Real Madrid.

Jimenez, who oversaw Diomande’s emergence at Leganes in the 2024-25 season, believes the forward’s rapid development in the Bundesliga has proved he is ready for a major step up.

“Of course Diomande is ready to move to a big club, he is proving that week after week in the German league,” Jimenez told Spanish newspaper Sport.

‘A different player’ likened to Lamine Yamal

Jimenez described Diomande as a rare talent whose dribbling and ability to escape pressure mark him out as exceptional for his age.

“Diomande has the art of dribbling and bringing the ball out even in the most difficult situations,” he said. “He is a very different kind of player, and in many aspects he reminds me of Barcelona star Lamine Yamal.”

Jimenez recalled being immediately struck by the teenager’s impact during a training-game appearance for Leganes against their reserve side during the last international break in March 2025.

“The first impression of him was absolutely stunning,” he said. “It was in a match against the reserve team during the last international break in March 2025. We only gave him 45 minutes because he was doing whatever he wanted on the pitch, and he also scored a goal.”

According to Jimenez, Diomande’s performance that day left the coaching staff both excited and concerned for his safety, given the ease with which he was beating opponents from a higher level.

“We were afraid he might get hurt,” Jimenez added. “He had an incredible ability to change direction constantly and dribble past first-division players as if it were the easiest thing in the world. His impact was enormous and he kept producing the same level of effort, and he has great physical strength. He surprised us a lot, and I have never seen anything like it before.”

Former team-mate backs Diomande for the very top

Enric Franquesa, who shared a dressing room with Diomande at Leganes, echoed Jimenez’s assessment and said the teenager’s personality matched his talent from the outset.

“He was a player who surprised me a lot,” Franquesa said. “His maturity and his boldness were evident from the first day he trained with us.”

Franquesa explained that Diomande quickly convinced the Leganes squad that he belonged at senior level, with team-mates pushing for him to be included more regularly.

“From the very first moment, we felt he was a different player,” he said. “What I remember most are the comments from my team-mates when he came up to the first team. Everyone started saying: this boy has to play.”

Franquesa is convinced Diomande’s qualities in one-on-one situations will ultimately lead him to one of the continent’s leading sides.

“He will end up at one of the best clubs in Europe,” he said. “He has all the attributes. The hardest thing to find in football today is the ability to excel in individual duels, and he has that quality. It will open the doors of any big club for him.”