Andoni Iraola is not hiding behind the transfer window. He is stepping into it.
On the eve of Liverpool’s Premier League opener at Ipswich Town, the new head coach made it clear: this is his squad, these are his players, and the responsibility now sits squarely with him.
“I’m very happy with the signings,” he said. “Now it is the moment for me and the players to develop what we have.”
Barcola arrives as headline act
The most eye-catching addition is Bradley Barcola. Liverpool paid £123m to prise the winger from Paris St-Germain, a fee that underlines both the club’s intent and the scale of the expectations now resting on the 21-year-old.
Barcola is available for selection on Friday and will walk straight into a forward line already packed with talent. He joins a group in which Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Luis Díaz and Diogo Jota are all fighting for minutes. The price tag guarantees scrutiny. It does not guarantee a starting place.
The Frenchman is not the only big investment. A £60m deal for centre-back Jeremy Jacquet, agreed back in January, has now taken effect, while Iraola has moved quickly to add winger Victor Munoz from Osasuna for £34.5m and secured Ronald Araujo on loan from Barcelona to bolster the back line.
Liverpool have spent heavily. They have not, however, spent everywhere.
No new right-back, no Jones replacement
The club chose not to strengthen at right-back or bring in another central midfielder, decisions that have already sparked debate around Anfield. Iraola, though, is unapologetic.
“Do I want more signings? In the end, the club has decided those signings we have done are the ones that will improve our team, improve the positions,” he said. “There were other options that we decided not to take for different reasons, sometimes sporting or economical. It didn’t make sense in the market for those moves.”
The most notable outgoing is Curtis Jones. After 49 appearances last season, the academy product left for Inter Milan in a £30m deal, and Liverpool opted not to replace him directly.
That choice leaves Iraola with four senior central midfielders: Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo, with youngster Trey Nyoni pushing from below.
“In midfield we have good numbers,” Iraola insisted. “Now it’s a matter of getting the right calls from myself. I’m finding now the best combinations and we are going through a period where we will play a lot of games and we’ll have a chance to see the options we have and the combinations we have. It’s a matter of coaching.”
The message is unmistakable. The tools are there. The onus is on him.
Gakpo stays as City turned away
One decision will have pleased Iraola as much as any signing: Cody Gakpo is still a Liverpool player.
Manchester City tested Liverpool’s resolve with an £80m bid for the Dutch forward, but the offer was rejected. Iraola did not hide his relief.
He described himself as “glad to keep Cody Gakpo because he is a valuable player,” a line that hints at the role he sees for the 25-year-old in his attacking puzzle. With Barcola arriving and Gakpo retained, Liverpool’s front line looks deep, varied and expensive.
The gaps, such as they are, lie elsewhere. There is no new specialist right-back. There is no like-for-like Jones successor. Iraola has chosen to own those calls rather than deflect them.
Now the theory ends. Ipswich away will offer the first hard evidence of whether this leaner, reshaped Liverpool can carry the weight of its manager’s conviction.
