Alan Shearer Says There’s “One Thing” That Bradley Barcola “Has To Improve” If He Wants To Succeed At Liverpool
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The Premier League’s all-time leading scorer Alan Shearer thinks Liverpool summer signing Bradley Barcola has to work on his finishing.
The Frenchman had gilt-edged chances in both halves of the 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid midweek, and Shearer says it is an area of his game that could do with some improvement:
“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.”
For £123m, you should really expect the finished article, and you would want Barcola to put away his chances with more regularity in the future.
Is Barcola a poor finisher?
On the evidence of the last two seasons, the answer is an emphatic ‘no’. He has not underperformed compared to his xG.
During the 2024/25 campaign, Barcola scored 14 goals from an xG of 13.62. Last season, he found the back of the net 11 times from an xG of 10.83.
What that suggests is that the 23-year-old is an average finisher, nothing more, nothing less. You won’t see Harry Kane levels of scoring more than expected, but it is not a bad record by any stretch of the imagination.
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Liverpool have added pace – not just goals
While fans will be keen for Barcola to find the back of the net on a regular basis, the main reason why the Reds were so keen to bring him to Anfield is due to his speed.
The Merseysiders lacked penetration last season because they did not have pace from wide areas. Barcola’s arrival fixes that issue. Last season in the Champions League, the France international clocked a top speed of 36.7km/h. He is lightning quick.
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