Liverpool Must Prioritize Replacing Salah Over Signing Barcola

Jamie Carragher has thrown a sharp dose of realism into Liverpool’s transfer debate, warning that the club must replace Mohamed Salah on the right before splashing out on Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola.

Liverpool are preparing their first offer for the France international, with PSG valuing the 21-year-old at around €150 million, according to reports. Barcola, though, is a left winger by trade. And that, Carragher argues, is exactly the problem.

“He is a wonderful player, there is no doubt about that, and I would love to see Barcola at Liverpool,” Carragher told Sky Sports. “But for me he is a left winger.”

Salah owned Liverpool’s right flank for nine years, redefining the role and racking up goals at a historic rate. His departure has left a glaring hole in Arne Slot’s squad, one Carragher believes has to be the club’s first concern.

“The main thing that stands out as an urgent need for Liverpool right now is replacing Salah, who was playing as a right winger,” he said. “And I do not think Liverpool have any player in the squad who feels completely comfortable playing in the right wing position.”

On the other side of the pitch, the picture is very different. Cody Gakpo, 17-year-old prospect Rio Ngumoha and new signing Victor Muñoz already crowd the left-hand lane.

Digging into the balance of the squad, Carragher underlined just how congested that side is. “The team probably have at least four numbers in the squad before Barcola joins, if he joins, who can play on the left side quite comfortably.”

His message is not anti-Barcola. It is about priorities.

“If you asked me, do I want Barcola to arrive along with Liverpool signing a right winger too? I would be very happy because players would have to leave, and that is of course a natural thing,” he said.

“But at the moment, I felt that this summer should be dedicated to replacing Salah, and Barcola does not make up for Mo’s departure.”

There is another layer to the argument: the pathway for Ngumoha. The teenager scored in the recent friendly win over Wrexham and is being tipped for a rapid rise, but only if he plays.

“Rio is a young lad, and he is really excellent, and I think he will keep developing from what he showed last season,” Carragher said. “But this is an important point: you are buying a very young player for a large sum of money in Barcola, and he is currently better than Rio Ngumoha.”

That is the tension. Pay a huge fee for a left winger now, and Liverpool risk blocking a homegrown talent just as he is trying to break through.

“You expect in the end, over the next year or two, that Rio will want to play week in, week out with Liverpool, and it is up to him to prove that,” Carragher added.

There has been talk of shifting Ngumoha across to the right to open up more minutes, but Carragher is not fully convinced that solves anything.

“So when you pay that kind of money for a young player in his position, it makes you a little uncertain,” he said. “There is talk of Rio Ngumoha potentially playing on the right side and getting some minutes there, and as a young player it is a good thing to play on both sides, but I think his current position is the left wing.”

Carragher’s ideal scenario is bold and ruthless: Liverpool go big on a genuine right winger, still land Barcola, and then clear out some of the surplus wide options.

“If they go out and bring in a player for the right wing position, and sign Barcola, then sell two of the wide players currently in the team, then I think that would be a wonderful thing,” he concluded.

The dilemma is clear. With Salah gone, Liverpool can’t afford to get this window wrong.