Bradley Barcola had long had his heart set on playing for Liverpool, and he made his first star for the club against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday night
Bradley Barcola
Bradley Barcola (Image: (Jan Kruger - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images))
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Alan Shearer believes Bradley Barcola might be a player who gets bums off seats - but he needs to improve his goal output. Barcola impressed on his full debut for the Reds in their Champions League comeback victory over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
Signed from Paris St Germain in a £123million deal towards the end of the window, the French international could have scored on two separate occasions. In the first half he saw a one-on-one effort saved by Jan Oblak, and then, in the second 45, he was sent clear, but with the goal at his mercy, he struck his effort wide in front of the Kop. And Shearer, speaking via Betfair, believes: “Liverpool have got (Cody) Gakpo, they've got Barcola, they've got (Rio) Ngumoha, they’ve got (Victor) Munoz as well.
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“So, they've got those players to sort of play both sides, but it was slightly concerning that Barcola went off on Wednesday feeling his calf.
“I mean it looked a little bit more than cramp. But there's no doubt, I mean he's a top player, Bradley Barcola. The one thing he has to improve on is his goal output.
“He had a chance or two on Wednesday night that he should have scored and those stats in terms of goals need to improve. But he's a fantastic player and he'll get bums off seats and he'll excite people.”
Barcola did limp off just before the hour mark against Diego Simeone’s side, but Andoni Iraola confirmed on Friday that it was down to cramp.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 9: Bradley Barcola of Liverpool down injured during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 match between Liverpool FC and Atletico de Madrid at Anfield on September 9, 2026 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Bradley Barcola receives treatment from the Liverpool medical staff during the Champions League win over Atletico Madrid at Anfield (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
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“When I talked about these things it was not just the physical side, it was the mentality, to keep the focus during 90 minutes.
“Now I think we are probably playing better second halves than first halves. It means probably that we are finishing the games quite strong but still you need to do a full 90 minutes, not just starts, not just the second half, we need to be complete all the time.
“But I see most of the players in a good physical condition. We have some situations – [for example] Bradley Barcola already hasn't had a proper pre-season [so] he's got cramps.
"The ones that have had some niggles, a little bit less preparation, they are still not probably at their best, but overall I see the team in a good place.”