Liverpool will feel that it has a better roster on paper following the summer transfer window, but Andoni Iraola also needs more from the existing players in 2026/27
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola on the touchline at Portman Road
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola on the touchline at Portman Road(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Liverpool did not do as much in the summer transfer market as many initially expected, nor as much as would have been ideal to bolster a roster that looks lacking in depth in a couple of key areas.
But while a major improvement is required this season, the first glimpses of which were present against Ipswich on Friday, that cannot only come from the players and coaches who are new.
Rather, Andoni Iraola needs to get much more out of the stars who drastically underperformed for Arne Slot during a torrid campaign that saw the old head coach fired at its conclusion.
It is often said that clubs dismiss managers because it is easier to change one person than the whole squad when it comes to a reset. Equally, though, Liverpool will be expecting more from some key men — and quickly.
Ryan Gravenberch declined in the title-winning season, and he has found himself on the bench for a couple of games already under Iraola. Alexis Mac Allister, the man who has come in for him, however, has looked refreshed.
It is early days still, of course, and the Argentine has much to prove yet, but it would be fair to say that Mac Allister's performances to date this season have been better than anything he produced in 2025/26.
Alexis Mac Allister in action for Liverpool against Nottingham Forest
Alexis Mac Allister in action for Liverpool against Nottingham Forest(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside via Getty Images)
Signed from Brighton for around $47 million (£35 million) in 2023, Mac Allister has been clever enough to mask his physical limitations for most of his Liverpool career, but last term was a different story.
He seemed to lack the speed required to cover the vast spaces that were being left vacant, and when he got the ball, he looked too fatigued to do anything much with it.
So far this season, though, he has looked like a different player. Mac Allister quietly played very well at Ipswich, for example, and so far looks to be the best option in the midfield double-pivot alongside Dominik Szoboszlai.
He covered more than 10 kilometers at Portman Road, completed 88 percent of his passes, and kept things ticking in the center of the field. He was harshly cautioned early in the game, but didn't let that impact him.
Content Image
Content Image
"He's just a player who keeps things ticking over," former Liverpool man Didi Hamann said last month. "He can nick a goal and has scored some important ones."
So far, there have been no new contract negotiations with the 27-year-old. He has another two years left on his existing deal, though, and will be approaching 30 by the time it expires.
A vastly improved performance this season won't necessarily mean that he gets an extension, but it would at least make it plausible.
Last year, Mac Allister entered the campaign carrying an injury, and he never looked able to get properly up to speed. Thankfully, this time around, things appear to be different.