Bradley Barcola Set for Liverpool Debut Against Ipswich

Andoni Iraola is wasting no time. Liverpool’s new £123m signing Bradley Barcola is in line for an instant debut at Ipswich on Friday night, with the manager captivated by the French winger’s attitude as much as his talent.

Barcola arrived from PSG in a deal worth an initial £106m, rising to just under the club-record fee Liverpool paid Newcastle for Alexander Isak last summer. He has barely had a pre-season, no real rhythm, yet Iraola is ready to throw him straight into the Premier League storm.

“We are very happy with Bradley; it was our priority to sign a very, very good player in those positions,” Iraola said on Thursday. “He has also come with the right mentality. I like that he wanted Liverpool a lot. He wanted to come here.”

That hunger has clearly struck a chord. Barcola has impressed in training, and Iraola made it clear that, fitness permitting, he will be involved at Portman Road.

“It’s a good first sign, and being the player he is, he has come with the willingness to help us. He is playing well for us in training, and if everything goes well in training today, he will definitely be available for us tomorrow.”

Start or bench? That is the only real question now.

“I see him in a good place,” Iraola continued. “He has trained for us; indeed, he hasn’t had minutes in pre-season. He has been training, and it’s a decision we have to make. But we have to consider he hasn’t had minutes in pre-season games.”

Gakpo stays – and still starts

While one winger arrived, another very nearly left. Deadline day at Liverpool turned into a tale of two wide men.

Barcola came through the door. Cody Gakpo was told to stay where he was.

FSG blocked an £80m offer from Manchester City for the Dutch forward, a move that could have unsettled a lesser dressing room. Gakpo has already held clear-the-air talks with the ownership, and Iraola has been just as direct with his player.

“My relationship with Cody has been very honest from the beginning,” the Liverpool boss said. “He has played very well for us so far.

“He was always aware of the situation in the market; we were constantly talking, and I hope we can keep him at the same level. He is in a good place physically and mentally, and I’m very happy to pick him.”

The message is blunt: price tags, bids, blocked moves – none of that keeps you out of Iraola’s team if you perform.

Life after Salah on the right

The bigger question around Liverpool’s attack hangs over the right flank. Mohamed Salah has gone, and Liverpool have not signed a like-for-like replacement.

Iraola is not panicking.

“We prefer at the end to have the best players rather than players specifically for that position,” he said. He wants wingers who can switch, adapt, and stretch teams from either side.

“I’m used at other teams to demand wingers to play on both sides. We’ve played with Rio and Cody now on the right; probably most of the wingers play on the left, but I’ve seen them good on the right.

“Bradley is very open and can play on the left or the right. At Lyon, he sometimes played on the right. It depends on the match-ups, but I’m happy with the wingers we have, and we are going to be able to cope on the right.”

He did, though, move quickly to strip away any sense that Barcola’s fee defines him.

“We can’t put pressure on the players to perform because of their price because we’ve seen how much players have cost at other teams this summer. Once he is our player, he is our player!”

Tough test at Portman Road

For all the noise around transfers, Iraola still waits for his first win as Liverpool manager. Two games, two 2-2 draws. Promising spells, but no three points.

That needs to change, and he knows Ipswich will not roll over.

“Ipswich are a team that won their first game at home,” he said. “Even the other day, in the first half they were the better team until United got the 2-1 and the game opened up. We have to be ready, give our best.”

Is he frustrated by the winless start?

“Definitely. If you don’t win, you are frustrated,” he admitted. “It’s only two games, but we need to win. This game tomorrow, the first two games weeks are the most difficult, but I’m much more comfortable now the market is closed, and we know who we are. We have to perform and do our job.”

The window is shut. The squad is set. Barcola is in the building, Gakpo is still in red, and Iraola wants his first statement victory. Portman Road will show how quickly this new Liverpool can turn potential into points.