Andoni Iraola did not sound like a manager easing a £123m signing gently into life at Liverpool. He sounded like a coach ready to use him.
On the eve of Friday night’s trip to Ipswich, the Liverpool boss made it clear that Bradley Barcola, the club’s eye‑watering late-window arrival from PSG, is not here to be wrapped in cotton wool.
“We are very happy with Bradley; it was our priority to sign a very, very good player in those positions,” Iraola said. The word “priority” did a lot of heavy lifting. So did the fee.
Liverpool have paid an initial £106m to prise the French attacker from Paris, with add‑ons taking the deal to just under the club-record sum they handed Newcastle for Alexander Isak last summer. It is a statement signing, late and expensive, and it comes without the usual comfort of a full pre-season.
Barcola has barely kicked a ball in anger over the summer. No rhythm, no minutes, no gentle build-up. Iraola, though, is not in the mood for excuses.
“He has also come with the right mentality. I like that he wanted Liverpool a lot. He wanted to come here,” the Spaniard said, leaning hard on attitude over preparation. “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 is one thing. Starting is another. When pushed on whether Barcola is ready for the XI or more likely to be eased in from the bench, Iraola paused just enough to show it is a live debate.
“I see him in a good place,” he replied. “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.”
So the dilemma is clear: a blockbuster signing with the right mindset, sharp in training, but short of match fitness. Liverpool’s need for a first win under Iraola may well tilt the balance.
Gakpo stays – and plays
If Barcola’s arrival lit up the final days of the window, Cody Gakpo’s non-departure added a different kind of drama.
Manchester City tested Liverpool’s resolve with an £80m offer for the Dutchman. FSG said no. Firmly. The winger stayed, held talks with the ownership group, and now has to fold that turbulence back into his football.
Iraola has no hesitation in using him. In fact, he sounded almost relieved to put the issue to bed.
“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.”
That last line matters. Gakpo is not a reluctant squad player whose move collapsed at the last minute; he is a starter in the manager’s plans, beginning with Friday at Portman Road.
Liverpool’s deadline day, then, became a story of two wide forwards: one arriving for a sum that will follow him everywhere, one staying after a huge bid was turned away. Iraola now has to knit both into a front line still adjusting to life without Mohamed Salah.
Life after Salah on the right
The question that will stalk Liverpool all season is simple: who replaces Salah on that right flank, and how?
Iraola’s answer is not to chase a like-for-like. He prefers quality over strict positional labels.
“We prefer at the end to have the best players rather than players specifically for that position,” he said. It was a coach’s answer, but also a challenge to his wingers.
“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.”
The pattern is clear. Interchange, flexibility, match-ups. No fixed chalk-on-the-boots right winger in the Salah mould, but a rotating cast of left-footers and right-footers asked to adapt.
“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.”
That word – cope – hints at realism. Salah is almost impossible to replace like-for-like. Iraola’s solution is to change the question.
What he will not do is let the price tag define Barcola’s every touch.
“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 to the dressing room is obvious: the fee is Liverpool’s problem, not Barcola’s. Perform, contribute, work. The rest is noise.
Tough start, tougher test
Iraola steps into Portman Road still searching for his first win as Liverpool manager. Two games, two 2-2 draws, and a sense of a project that has flickered but not yet caught fire.
He knows Ipswich will not roll over.
“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 said.
Those early weeks of a new regime can feel long. Performances get dissected, dropped points magnified, narratives set in place before the leaves have even started to fall. Iraola did not try to hide his irritation at the lack of a win.
“Definitely. If you don’t win, you are frustrated,” he admitted. “It’s only two games, but we need to win. 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 squad. Now he knows Gakpo stays. Now he has Barcola through the door, fit enough to tempt him into a bold call.
The window is shut. The excuses are gone. At Ipswich, Iraola’s Liverpool start to show who they really are.
