LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, August 8, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and AS Monaco FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, August 8, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and AS Monaco FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Andoni Iraola has outlined Liverpool’s search for difference-making wingers this summer, with players “of a high level” targeted, including Bradley Barcola.
Barcola is set to complete a £120 million move from Paris Saint-Germain before Tuesday’s transfer deadline and Liverpool do not intend to stop there.
There are hopes of landing another winger in the coming days, with PSG‘s Ibrahim Mbaye, Brighton‘s Yankuba Minteh and Crystal Palace‘s Ismaila Sarr among those on their radar.
But the search for a right-sided attacker has highlighted the difficulty in finding a player who, in Iraola’s words, “can tick all the boxes.”
Paris Saint Germain's Bradley Barcola during the UEFA Champions League match at the Emirates Stadium, London. Picture date: Tuesday October 1, 2024.
Paris Saint Germain's Bradley Barcola during the UEFA Champions League match at the Emirates Stadium, London. Picture date: Tuesday October 1, 2024.
“For a club like us we need wingers who can make the difference, who can be the man who can make the difference in isolation, who can attack the spaces,” he told reporters including the Liverpool Echo‘s Ian Doyle.
“[But] also do the defensive work that we are going to demand from them in terms of pressing or sometimes following the full-backs.
“And also if they can provide numbers then it’s perfect.
“It is difficult to find someone who can tick all the boxes, but it is what we are trying to do.”
Victor Munoz of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre on August 05, 2026 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Nikki Dyer/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Victor Munoz of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre on August 05, 2026 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Nikki Dyer/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Liverpool made two early signings this summer, with Jeremy Jacquet‘s move from Rennes arranged in January and Victor Munoz brought in before the start of pre-season.
But even Munoz was unable to join until later in the summer as he represented Spain on their way to winning the World Cup.
It opens Iraola up to the issues faced with Alexander Isak last season, with the striker missing pre-season with both Newcastle and Liverpool and arriving alarmingly short of fitness.
“I definitely would have preferred to have the wingers ready on the first day,” Iraola admitted.
“The same for every position. But I understand that it’s not easy in the market and the wingers that we are trying to sign, they are of a high level.
“They are wanted by a lot of clubs, and I think it’s very difficult also for the club to close those situations.
“But as long as we arrive at the right place at the end and we sign the right players, I think it would be worth it even if they haven’t been with us in pre-season.”
Barcola will not be involved against Nottingham Forest on Saturday even if his move is announced in time, but Iraola can hope for a stronger squad by the time Liverpool head to Ipswich on September 4.
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