The ECHO's Liverpool correspondent Paul Gorst assesses the Reds' blockbuster £123m deal for Bradley Barcola
KIRKBY, ENGLAND - AUGUST 30: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Bradley Barcola new signing of Liverpool at AXA Training Centre on August 30, 2026 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Liverpool's new £123m man Bradley Barcola checks in at the AXA Training Centre on Sunday before his transfer was announced the following day(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Even by his own admission, Liverpool's wait for Bradley Barcola was a lengthy one.
"It took a long time but I'm really happy today to be able to play for Liverpool," Barcola said, upon completion of his £123m move from Paris Saint-Germain on Bank Holiday Monday.
"All I want is to be on the pitch and be able to play. I hope to achieve very big things. First of all, winning the Premier League – it's one of my biggest dreams in my life."
Such was the arduous process of trading him from PSG to Liverpool in fact, that even a new team-mate has since gone public with how tortuous that period apparently was.
READ MORE: Bradley Barcola first words after Liverpool £123m transfer as Andoni Iraola talks detailed
"Welcome Bradley, I have been waiting for you for three weeks," wrote Hugo Ekitike in a social media post, following confirmation of a deal that is only outstripped by the £125m agreement that brought Alexander Isak to Anfield, a year ago today.
If Ekitike feels the wait only started in early August, he is surely mistaken.
For supporters desperate to see more pace and power arrive in wide areas of Andoni Iraola's team this summer, it's been a timeframe that has gone on for much longer.
Barcola made that process far easier by telling all interested parties that he only ever wanted to move to Anfield, at least.
The two games played on Merseyside in the last two seasons clearly left a lasting impression on the France international, even if PSG triumphed on both occasions against Arne Slot's side.
Back in April, a red-hot Anfield atmosphere was not really given the performance it deserved as the Ligue 1 champions held firm and eventually ran out 2-0 winners on the night and 4-0 on aggregate.
A little over a year earlier, however, it could have gone either way.
PSG's penalty-shootout win in L4, after the two teams had drawn 1-1 over the two legs, was the springboard for them to go and end a historic wait for a European Cup.
It might have ended in disappointment for the Reds side back then, but they were well on the way to being crowned champions of England in March 2025, and Barcola clearly left feeling that Anfield's reputation in world football was well earned.
"Honestly, it's the passion of the fans," Barcola added about his decision to move. "I had the chance to play twice in this stadium and I saw the atmosphere and how the fans were behind the Liverpool players.
"When I knew about Liverpool's interest in me, I didn't ask questions and I knew it was a very big club for me."
Barcola never entertained the thought of an advance from Arsenal and while his move comes largely as a relief to many who had started to become concerned as the clock continues to tick towards Tuesday's 11pm transfer deadline, the full picture revealed how the deal was never truly in doubt.
Having made it clear he would not entertain talk of a new deal at PSG, the European champions pressed ahead with deals for Mika Godts, Ferran Torres and Maghnes Akilouche to go alongside an already ludicrously talented frontline of Khivcha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue and current Ballon d'Or holder Ousmane Dembele.
By the time Godts arrived from Ajax and Barcola was being left out of games against Aston Villa and Lens - in the UEFA Super Cup and Trophee des Champions respectively - earlier this month, it was becoming obvious that an agreement would be found.
PSG didn't particularly want to lose Barcola either.
In an ideal world, the winger, who turns 24 on Wednesday, would have stayed and fought for his place alongside the likes of Dembele, Kvaratskhelia and Doue in particular.
That would have led PSG to approaching their summer business slightly differently with those four in mind.
But after he made it clear a new deal wasn't in his thinking, this window represented the final chance for Paris to get full value for a player they signed from Lyon for around £45m in 2023.
Barcola, who was offered the chance to take the No.11 shirt, will instead wear the No.29 in honour of 'Alex Hunter' from the enormously popular FIFA gaming franchise.
The decision was not made to avoid direct comparisons with the legendary Mohamed Salah at a time when the supporters are searching for new heroes, and it should also be stressed that the new man will instead be deployed on the left side.
He will provide an injection of pace on that flank as Iraola looks to piece together a frontline that will get the best from £125m Isak.
A record of 39 goals in 153 appearances for PSG suggests Barcola will be expected to contribute himself in front of goal and after becoming the third player in a little over 12 months to cost the club north of £100m, the demands - and pressure - will be considerable.
He, alongside Isak and Florian Wirtz, are the torchbearers of a new era under Iraola and Liverpool regard their new arrival as one of thew outstanding players in his position across European football.
At that price point, that much might be obvious. Now, the task for Barcola is to prove that he has been worth the wait.