Iraola Reveals Why Arsenal Never Stood A Chance Of Beating Liverpool To Barcola’s Signature
Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has said that he knew from his first conversation with Bradley Barcola that he wanted to join the Reds.
Arsenal and Bayern Munich were also reportedly keen on securing the winger’s signature, but Iraola said the player didn’t need to be persuaded to make the switch to Anfield:
“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. 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. 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.”
Barcola had a Liverpool “dream”
It appears that the Frenchman’s move to Merseyside has been several years in the making. Speaking to The Guardian, former Lyon Under-16s coach Amaury Barlet said that the player had his eyes on playing for the club almost a decade ago:
“As a kid, he always spoke to me about Liverpool. When he was 15, 16, it was his dream [to play for them]. Maybe that changed when he was 19 or 20.”
Player ‘buy-in’ meant there was no fear of the deal being hijacked
Barcola‘s move to Anfield was protracted. It took several months for the deal to be finally agreed. Liverpool will pay £106m up front and another £17m in performance-related add-ons for the 23-year-old.
Fans were concerned that the lengthy negotiations could have led to another team, such as Arsenal, swooping in and signing him instead.
However, it seems that Barcola had his heart set on a switch to the Reds, and it meant that sporting director Richard Hughes was able to take his time before eventually reaching an agreement with PSG.
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