Liverpool's New Signing Bradley Barcola Set for Premier League Debut

Andoni Iraola is ready to throw Liverpool’s new £123m signing Bradley Barcola straight into the Premier League spotlight at Ipswich on Friday night – and just as firmly, he is refusing to sideline Cody Gakpo after the club blocked his big-money move to Manchester City.

Barcola fast-tracked for debut

Liverpool pushed hard and late to land Barcola, striking a huge deal with PSG on the penultimate day of the window. The Reds will pay an initial £106m, with add-ons taking the total just shy of the club-record fee forked out to Newcastle for Alexander Isak last summer.

Barcola has barely had a pre-season. No rhythm, no friendly minutes, no gentle easing-in period. Iraola is not remotely put off.

“We are very happy with Bradley; it was our priority to sign a very, very good player in those positions,” the Liverpool manager said on Thursday.

“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.”

Available is one thing. Starting is another. Asked whether Barcola is ready to go straight into the XI or be eased in from the bench, Iraola admitted there is a call to make.

“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 temptation is clear. A record-breaking winger, hungry to prove himself, at a club that has just waved goodbye to Mohamed Salah and needs a new edge on the flanks.

Gakpo stays – and still starts

While Barcola walked through the door, Gakpo very nearly walked out of it. Manchester City tested Liverpool’s resolve with an £80m offer, only for FSG to shut it down and keep the Dutchman at Anfield.

That kind of saga can sour a dressing room quickly. Iraola has moved to make sure it doesn’t.

“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.”

Gakpo is expected to be in the frame again at Portman Road. No punishment, no cold shoulder, no awkward exile. Just another key attacker in a squad suddenly stacked with high-end options across the front line.

Life after Salah on the right

The obvious question hangs over all of this: who replaces Salah on the right?

Iraola’s answer is blunt. He is not chasing a like-for-like.

“We prefer at the end to have the best players rather than players specifically for that position,” he said.

“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 fee, inevitably, follows Barcola into every conversation. Iraola pushed back on that pressure.

“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!”

Tough test at Ipswich – and a need to win

Behind all the transfer noise sits a simple reality: Iraola is still waiting for his first win as Liverpool manager.

Two games, two 2-2 draws. Encouraging in flashes, frustrating in the table.

“Ipswich are a team that won their first game at home,” he warned. “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.”

Is he frustrated by the wait for a victory?

“Definitely. If you don’t win, you are frustrated,” he replied. “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 the window is shut, the noise fades and the real work starts. For Iraola, that means trusting a £123m winger who has barely kicked a ball this summer, backing a forward whose exit was blocked at the last minute, and going to a fired-up Ipswich side still riding the high of promotion.

The questions about Liverpool’s new era will not be answered in one night at Portman Road. But with Barcola cleared to feature and Gakpo firmly in the manager’s plans, the shape of Iraola’s front line is about to come sharply into focus.