Liverpool have not quite fallen by the wayside this season, but there's no question that Arne Slot's side haven't been good enough across any department.
A dour mood has settled on Anfield's denizens, but Slot maintains that he is the man to lead this club back into the ascendancy, and after winning the Premier League last year, who can blame him for this self-belief?
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FSG are also inclined to give the man who came out on top after an exhaustive data-led search for Jurgen Klopp's successor in 2024, and if they succeed in hitting the right beats on the transfer front this summer, such as revamping the ailing attack, Slot might prove a few people wrong.
Liverpool lining up several attacking signings
Virgil van Dijk acknowledged after Liverpool's 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford last weekend that his side were sub-par once again, and there's no question now that Liverpool are limping toward the finish line.
But, barring another catastrophic failure, Liverpool should do it, should qualify for the Champions League. And with Europe's grandest stage comes the ability to sign elite players.
While Mohamed Salah's departure this summer calls for a top right winger - Bayern Munich's Michael Olise is the dream, albeit unlikely to move this summer - the Reds could also look for an upgrade on Cody Gakpo out on the left. There Liverpool's attacking efforts have gone stale.
According to reporter Lewis Steele, speaking to Anfield Index, Liverpool have been in contact with Bradley Barcola's camp ahead of a potential summer bid, with the Paris Saint-Germain forward playing second fiddle to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
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Barcola, 23, is part of a historic PSG side, and while Nasser Al-Khelaifi and his retinue want to extend the French winger's contract, talks have stalled, and Liverpool spy an opening humming to the tune of £62m.
While Liverpool would still need to invest in an out-and-out right winger, Barcola is worth pursuing, with the potential to grow into the Reds' own version of Olise.
Why Barcola could be Liverpool's own Olise
Kvaratskhelia is rather good at playing football, so the fact that Barcola isn't starting week in and week out for one of the greatest teams in modern history is forgivable.
Preferably coming off the left, Barcola can play across the frontline, with his versatility and dynamism sure to pique Slot's interest. Look at Luis Diaz last season, who was placed here and there, or Gakpo across the span of his Anfield career, treasured by managers not for his precision but his willingness to work in this role or that.
Bradley Barcola's Career Stats by Position
Position
Left winger
Right winger
Centre-forward
Barcola would follow suit, but there's no question that he is best off the left wing, and that he would displace Gakpo, who has started 29 Premier League matches this season.
PSG's frontline is a thing of beauty, interchangeable and enigmatic. They work as a pack, intuitive and intelligent in picking their moments. It's true that Barcola does not start every fixture for the Parisians, but he is still one of the best in the business, still improving.
Hailed as "one of the best wingers in the world" by Como scout Ben Mattinson, the France international has a natural eye for goal that complements an innate creativity. In Ligue 1 this term, he has created ten big chances for his teammates.
In that, he could develop into Liverpool's own version of Olise. Barcola's Les Bleus teammate is the talk of the town at the moment, but he was on the wrong end of the recent PSG vs Bayern semi-final, nullified during the second leg.
Paris St Germain's Bradley Barcola reacts
Barcola did not play from the opening whistle, but he came on and threatened, striking on goal and getting stuck in against a desperate Die Roten attack who couldn't quite make it work.
Said by journalist Harry Diamonds to have "magic star dust" in his boots, his fleet-footed running and capacity to make a difference in key moments does give him a likeness to Olise, and while Liverpool would love nothing more than to have the respective Frenchmen out on either flank, Bayern's man might be out of reach, and Barcola could grow into a superstar on his level with a prominent role on Merseyside.
Sporting director Richard Hughes now needs to make it happen, because Liverpool cannot suffer a repeat of this dismal campaign.
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