Andoni Iraola's Liverpool Set to Debut £123m Signing Bradley Barcola
Andoni Iraola is wasting no time.
Liverpool’s new manager is ready to throw £123m signing Bradley Barcola straight into the Premier League fire at Ipswich on Friday night, convinced the French winger’s talent and mentality can withstand the heat of an instant debut.
Barcola signed for now, not later
Liverpool didn’t spend quietly. They moved hard and late, striking a deal with PSG worth an initial £106m, a fee that could climb to just under the club-record sum Newcastle banked for Alexander Isak last summer. This wasn’t a luxury buy. It was a statement.
And Iraola has already seen enough.
“We are very happy with Bradley; it was our priority to sign a very, very good player in those positions,” he said on Thursday. The key word for him was not just “player”, but “mentality”.
“He has also come with the right mentality. I like that he wanted Liverpool a lot. He wanted to come here.
“It’s a good first sign, and being the player he is, he has come with the willingness to help us. He is playing well for us [in training], and if everything goes well in training today, he will definitely be available for us tomorrow.”
Barcola has not had a proper pre-season. No rhythm, no match minutes, no gentle easing in. Iraola knows it, but he is still tempted to roll the dice.
Asked if the 21-year-old is ready to start or more likely to come off the bench, Iraola admitted it is a live debate inside his own head.
“I see him in a good place,” he said. “He has trained for us; indeed, he hasn’t had minutes in pre-season. He has been training, and it’s a decision we have to make. But we have to consider he hasn’t had minutes in pre-season games.”
The implication is clear: if Barcola looks sharp again in the final session, Ipswich might be his first taste of English football – from the first whistle.
Gakpo stays, and Iraola leans in
While one winger arrived, another very nearly walked out of the door. Manchester City tested Liverpool’s resolve with an £80m move for Cody Gakpo, only for FSG to shut it down and keep the Dutchman at Anfield.
These are the sort of situations that can sour a dressing room quickly. Gakpo wanted clarity. He got it.
“My relationship with Cody has been very honest from the beginning,” Iraola said. “He has played very well for us so far.
“He was always aware of the situation in the market; we were constantly talking, and I hope we can keep him at the same level. He is in a good place physically and mentally, and I’m very happy to pick him.”
No sulking. No exile. Iraola is planning with Gakpo very much in his front line, starting with Friday’s trip to Portman Road.
Life after Salah on the right
Strip away the transfer noise and one question hangs over Liverpool’s attack: what does the right flank look like without Mohamed Salah?
Iraola is not panicking about replacing a specialist with another specialist. He prefers weapons, not labels.
“We prefer at the end to have the best players rather than players specifically for that position,” he said. He has already used Rio and Gakpo on the right and liked what he saw.
“I’m used at other teams to demand wingers to play on both sides. We’ve played with Rio and Cody now on the right; probably most of the wingers play on the left, but I’ve seen them good on the right.
“Bradley is very open and can play on the left or the right. At Lyon, he sometimes played on the right. It depends on the match-ups, but I’m happy with the wingers we have, and we are going to be able to cope on the right.”
The money, of course, invites its own spotlight. Barcola arrives carrying a fee that will be mentioned every time he miscontrols a pass or snatches at a shot. Iraola wants that narrative shut down before it starts.
“We can’t put pressure on the players to perform because of their price because we’ve seen how much players have cost at other teams this summer. Once he is our player, he is our player!”
The message: judge the footballer, not the invoice.
Tough start, tougher opponent
Iraola is still waiting for his first win as Liverpool boss. Two games, two 2-2 draws. Enough promise to build on, not enough ruthlessness to satisfy him.
“If you don’t win, you are frustrated,” he admitted. “It’s only two games, but we need to win.”
Ipswich, though, are no soft launchpad. They have already shown they can bite at home.
“Ipswich are a team that won their first game at home. Even the other day, in the first half they were the better team until United got the 2-1 and the game opened up. We have to be ready, give our best,” Iraola said.
He sounds relieved, at least, that the transfer window has finally stopped swirling around his squad.
“This game tomorrow, the first two games weeks are the most difficult, but I’m much more comfortable now the market is closed, and we know who we are. We have to perform and do our job.”
Now he knows his group. Barcola in, Gakpo staying, Salah’s shadow still looming over that right side.
The next step is simple and unforgiving: turn all that clarity into a first win, or face a very different kind of scrutiny.
