Liverpool's Andoni Iraola Prepares for Bradley Barcola's Debut
Andoni Iraola is wasting no time. Liverpool’s new manager is ready to throw £123m signing Bradley Barcola straight into the Premier League storm at Ipswich on Friday night, convinced the French winger’s talent and attitude justify an instant debut.
Barcola arrived from PSG in one of the window’s most eye-catching late deals – £106m up front, the total fee rising to just under the club-record sum paid to Newcastle for Alexander Isak last summer. The numbers are huge. Iraola is determined they don’t become a burden.
“We are very happy with Bradley; it was our priority to sign a very, very good player in those positions,” he said on Thursday, clearly satisfied the club landed their man. The manager kept coming back to one word: mentality.
Barcola hasn’t enjoyed a full pre-season. No rhythm, no match minutes, no gentle easing-in period. Iraola doesn’t seem overly concerned.
“He has also come with the right mentality. I like that he wanted Liverpool a lot. He wanted to come here,” he explained. For a coach who values intensity and commitment, that matters as much as any dribble or sprint.
Barcola has trained with the group and, by Iraola’s account, impressed quickly. “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.”
Available, yes. Starting? That’s the call still hanging in the air.
“Good question,” Iraola replied when pressed on whether Barcola would begin the game or come off the bench. “I see him in a good place. 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 temptation is obvious. A record-challenging fee, a high-ceiling winger, a fanbase eager for a new attacking hero after a summer of uncertainty on the right flank. Iraola is trying to keep the noise down.
A different kind of noise has surrounded Cody Gakpo. While Barcola walked through the door, Gakpo was almost pushed out of it. Manchester City tested Liverpool’s resolve with an £80m offer, but FSG shut it down and chose to keep the Dutchman.
Gakpo has already held clear-the-air talks with the ownership. Now Iraola has moved to underline his trust in a player who has started the season well and, crucially, remains central to his plans.
“My relationship with Cody has been very honest from the beginning,” he 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.”
The message is unmistakable: whatever happened in the final days of the window, Gakpo is not a spare part.
Life after Salah on the right
The wider question is what Liverpool look like without a like-for-like Mohamed Salah replacement on the right. Iraola isn’t panicking about structure or labels. He wants quality on the pitch and flexibility in the wide areas.
“We prefer at the end to have the best players rather than players specifically for that position,” he said. He’s used to demanding wingers who can operate on both flanks, and he’s already put that into practice.
“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.”
Barcola fits the same mould. Left, right, it doesn’t matter much to Iraola as long as the match-ups work.
“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 fee, though, will follow Barcola everywhere he goes. Iraola wants to shut that conversation down before it suffocates the player.
“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!”
No caveats. No asterisks. Just another attacker expected to run, press and produce.
Tough start, no excuses
Behind all the transfer talk sits a simpler reality: Iraola is still chasing his first win as Liverpool manager. Two games, two 2-2 draws. Encouraging spells, but not enough control, not enough points.
“Definitely. If you don’t win, you are frustrated,” he admitted. There was no attempt to dress it up. “It’s only two games, but we need to win.”
Ipswich, newly returned and already bloodied but unbowed, stand in the way at Portman Road. Iraola has seen enough of them to know this is no soft landing.
“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.”
He sounds more settled now the transfer window has finally slammed shut. The squad is defined. The distractions, at least on paper, are over.
“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.”
Who Liverpool are under Iraola will start to come into sharper focus at Ipswich. Barcola might step straight into the spotlight. Gakpo will be asked to prove, again, that he belongs at the heart of this project.
The prices are eye-watering. The expectations are heavy. The patience, as always at Anfield, is limited. Now it’s down to Iraola’s Liverpool to show whether this new-look attack can turn promise into points.
