New Liverpool signing Bradley Barcola made an immediate impression on his debut and has subsequently already set a Premier League record for this season
Bradley Barcola during his Liverpool debut against Ipswich Town
Bradley Barcola was a bright spark on his Liverpool debut against Ipswich(Image: (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images))
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Bradley Barcola recorded the fastest speed of any Premier League player this season during his debut for Liverpool. The Frenchman, who joined from Paris Saint-Germain in a £123million deal earlier this week, came on for the final 26 minutes of Friday's 2-0 victory over Ipswich Town.
A quick-fire brace from Alexander Isak put Liverpool in complete control after just nine minutes with Andoni Iraola's side able to see out the remainder of the game with relative ease. During his cameo, Barcola added a fresh injection of skill with one particular run exciting the Liverpool away end.
With Ipswich pushing for a route back into the game, the 24-year-old was frequently afforded space on the left hand side and on one of those occasions, he showed off his blistering pace and recorded a speed of 35.9 km/h (22.3 mph).
Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak 9/10 and Liverpool pair 8/10 in comfortable win over Ipswich
And that is actually the top the speed from the opening weekends of the 2026/27 campaign so far with Coventry City's Milan van Ewijk and Pedro Neto of Chelsea the previous joint-record holders as they both registered a speed of 35.3 km/h (21.9 mph).
Liverpool have been lacking an attacker with considerable pace in behind for some time but it looks as though they now have that in Barcola. In addition to that attribute, Iraola has also been impressed by his training displays and end product.
“Bradley hadn’t played a single minute since the World Cup so we needed to be careful,” he said after the game. "I think he is training well, in a good place, and I think that he has helped us.
"Probably, we haven’t found him in a couple of situations where I think he was going against the ‘keeper, but we haven’t really seen his movements.
Andoni Iraola during a Liverpool game
Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola spoke highly of Bradley Barcola after the win over Ipswich
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"And also he has had a very good counter, very good passing side that I think Cody finished, but we didn’t score. But he was always a threat, you know?
"When he carries the ball, I think you can feel this threat. And I’m happy because I think 30 minutes is going to be good for his fitness, for his build up, and we will continue because now we play a lot of games, so he will have a chance to play more.”
Iraola is certainly correct in his verdict with Liverpool having nine games across three competitions in the next two months. Four of those come before the extended international break later this month.
A Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid next Wednesday is the first of those with Barcola hoping to make his first appearance at Anfield.
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