Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has discussed how Bradley Barcola has settled into life at the club so far, following his move from PSG earlier this week.
Bradley Barcola new signing of Liverpool at AXA Training Centre
Andoni Iraola has discussed Bradley Barcola's move to Liverpool(Image: (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images))
Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has said he didn't feel the need to convince Bradley Barcola to join the club this summer, with the new recruit even managing to surprise the head coach in his first few days with the Reds.
It follows a months-long pursuit of the French international winger, who appeared to be top of the list of transfer targets early on for the Merseyside club, with a game of poker to be played with his team at the time, PSG. Eventually, as time ticked down in the transfer market, both sides came to a compromise at the tune of $166 million for the overall package, already putting him among the most expensive signings in Premier League history, but for good reason.
In Barcola, Liverpool could have someone who is the spiritual successor to Mohamed Salah, even if he may not play in the exact same position. Despite a lack of preseason minutes, the 23-year-old is lining up a full debut for Liverpool in the upcoming clash with Ipswich Town, where he could make quite an impact.
It may be a quick introduction for the former PSG and Lyon star, but the early signs for Iraola appear to be promising, as he reflected on the initial discussions he has had with the forward, and his investment in the team already.
He told the press during his pre-match conference for the trip to Ipswich: "I always had the feeling with Bradley that I didn’t need to convince him to come. I didn’t ever think I would need to convince him but sometimes when you talk to players, you feel that you have to sell your idea and sell the club.
"I think because he has had the experience of facing Liverpool in the last two seasons, he felt the stadium, he felt the club, and he was really convinced.
"All the questions he was asking were about football, tactics. The position he was going to play. He was very open, also, about playing on the right, of playing up front, of giving us chances so we can work better as a team. It wasn’t just about the individual or Bradley saying 'how am I going to shine?'. It was about the collective. I liked it."
Bradley Barcola new signing of Liverpool at AXA Training Centre
Bradley Barcola was one of several signings for Liverpool in the summer transfer window(Image: (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images))
The manager was then asked if that quick buy-in surprised him, to which he responded: "Yes, a little bit. He is someone who has won the Champions League the last two seasons and been very important (for PSG).
"But he was thinking collectively, not just about his position. It’s nice to hear those things. It’s true that he doesn’t speak perfect English and things were being translated. Sometimes we survived in English! But from the beginning, I had a good feeling. It was nice."
It's that ethos which should prove to be a bonus for Liverpool, as the team continues to push on in search of a first win of the Premier League season.
Barcola was one of four arrivals in the summer, as Jeremy Jacquet, Victor Munoz, and Ronald Araujo also joined the team, in hopes of making an impact.
Despite that business, there have been concerns over the perceived lack of depth, which could prove to be vital for a side that is fighting on all fronts and will be defined by the intensity that Iraola's side will bring to each game.
With that in mind, the manager revealed that there were options who could have joined the club ahead of the transfer deadline, but that they ultimately were not pursued.
"As a manager you need the players for today but if they (the club) explain to you the vision and the long-term project, you also have to understand the club," Iraola explained.
"I think sometimes it doesn't make sense to pay crazy money - the market was the market - for players who maybe in the long-term you don't need. Then you will need this money to solve other problems in that position.
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola speaking during a press conference
Andoni Iraola gave his thoughts on Liverpool's transfer window
"Sometimes it's better to look a little bit further than the next game and the next month. I think that's what has happened in some position in this market."
Iraola added: "The issue we have is that we have three players with long-term injuries since I've been here at the start of pre-season. Giovanni Leoni is already going to be out for a year and Conor (Bradley) and Hugo (Ekitike) are both long-term as well. They are players that we trust in the long-term and want them to be our players.
"Sometimes we decide not to think more in the mid or long-term and just a solution for these three months. But at the end, we want them to be players for Liverpool in their positions.
"The club has decided not to sign someone because we need them for these two or three months and instead trust the players we have, us working with the players we have and thinking of the long-term."
It remains to be seen how the transfer window will be reflected upon for the rest of the season and the years after that, but for now, it's up to Iraola to push on and land as many points as possible, starting with Friday's trip to Ipswich.