Can Diomande Fill Salah's Boots? How the Last Decade's Premier League Succession Stories Stack Up

The farewell tour for Mohamed Salah at Anfield began in earnest last season, as the Egyptian's once-transcendent influence on Liverpool's fortunes gradually shifted from asset to albatross. After eight glittering campaigns that redefined what a winger could achieve, something had to give.

Enter Yan Diomande. The RB Leipzig teenager now carries the burden of stepping into one of English football's most hallowed positions, but he needn't feel entirely alone in his predicament. The Premier League has witnessed plenty of succession stories in recent years—some triumphant, others less so.

We've sifted through the last ten replacements for genuine legends of the English top flight, ranked from the genuinely dreadful to the genuinely inspired.

10) Jeremie Frimpong in for Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)

A cautionary tale on both fronts. Alexander-Arnold's Real Madrid adventure has been derailed by injury, while Frimpong's Liverpool tenure has been equally problematic—wounded and ineffective when available. There's talk of Xabi Alonso potentially reuniting with the former Leverkusen man at Chelsea, but he faces an uphill battle unseating Reece James in a back four, and offers little to suggest he'd be favoured over Malo Gusto should wing-backs become the preference.

9) Mathys Tel replacing Son Heung-min (Tottenham)

Tel's emergence as Tottenham's attacking lifeline towards the season's end said more about their injury crisis than any genuine leap in performance. The Frenchman showed glimmers under Roberto De Zerbi that had been absent under his predecessors, though his moments of promise were frequently undermined by recklessness—most notably an overhead kick to Ethan Ampadu's skull that gifted a penalty away in the relegation dogfight.

His 11 goal contributions arrived every 268 minutes of action. Son's 274 career contributions? One every 117 minutes. The gap speaks volumes.

8) Richarlison stepping in for Harry Kane (Tottenham)

The Brazilian arrived as Kane's heir apparent in summer 2022, and duly inherited the throne after just 12 starts in his debut campaign. He's since demonstrated precisely why replacing a 280-goal centre-forward is an impossible ask when your strengths lie in celebrating goals you haven't scored, winding up opponents, and general striker belligerence rather than, well, actually putting the ball in the net.

7) Christian Pulisic following Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

Hazard's 2019 departure to Real Madrid for £90m—potentially ballooning to £140m with add-ons—remains one of football's most spectacular financial miscalculations. Chelsea's transfer ban prevented immediate replacement, though Pulisic arrived having agreed terms beforehand. He and Callum Hudson-Odoi combined to offer little semblance of Hazard's left-wing brilliance, and the Blues are still searching for an adequate successor to this day.

6) Rayan Cherki taking over from Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

Tijjani Reijnders got it spot-on last June: "I'm not here to replace De Bruyne." Quite right. City subsequently moved for Cherki anyway, acquiring a maverick talent where De Bruyne's genius lay in selecting the path of least resistance—a path invariably impossible for any other footballer to navigate.

Cherki has considerable ground to cover before matching De Bruyne's consistency and ruthlessness. Whether we'd welcome him making that journey remains an open question.

5) Moises Caicedo replacing N'Golo Kante (Chelsea)

Kante possessed an omnipresence that's unlikely ever to be replicated, though Caicedo's early struggles at Stamford Bridge—when £100m seemed a questionable investment—have since given way to genuine excellence. The Colombian has proven himself about as worthy a successor to the Duracell Bunny as Chelsea could reasonably have hoped for.

Here's to seven more years, perhaps?

4) Luis Diaz stepping in for Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

Liverpool's hierarchy must have felt rather pleased with themselves: Díaz for £37.5m in January, Mane to Bayern for £35m six months later. Díaz promptly played a starring role in Liverpool's 2024/2025 Premier League triumph while Mane entered his second Saudi Pro League season at Al Nassr.

That smug expression didn't last long. The club then flogged a prime Díaz to Bayern for £65m and found themselves desperately wishing for a 34-year-old Mane's return, forced to rely on Cody Gakpo down the left.

3) Phil Foden following David Silva (Manchester City)

The last two campaigns have been unkind to Foden, yet the three seasons immediately following Silva's departure showcased a player of increasing influence and responsibility. By 2023/2024, he'd become the principal man, plundering 19 goals, claiming eight assists, and sweeping the individual Premier League honours.

2) Ruben Dias replacing Vincent Kompany (Manchester City)

Guardiola claims his sole Manchester City regret was never giving Joe Hart a proper opportunity, though one suspects he'd revise that given his time again—particularly regarding Kompany's 2019 departure. Fernandinho soldiered on at centre-back the following season, leaving City simultaneously weakened in defence and midfield. They finished a distant second to Liverpool.

Dias arrived in summer 2020 alongside Nathan Ake. City have since won four consecutive Premier League titles.

1) Erling Haaland succeeding Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Aguero barely featured in his final City campaign, yet they still claimed the title. That emboldened them to muddle through without a striker and win again in 2021/2022 before Haaland materialised. The Norwegian plundered 52 goals in his debut season, spearheading the treble triumph, and has scarcely stopped scoring since.

Sometimes, succession planning works exactly as intended.