Cody Gakpo Shines in Liverpool's Victory Under Iraola

Andoni Iraola never wavered. Not when the rumours swirled all summer, not when Manchester City circled with £85m on the table, and not when Cody Gakpo’s future at Liverpool looked like the next big saga of the window.

On a sharp, cool night at Portman Road, Gakpo showed exactly why.

The Dutch forward lit up Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Ipswich Town, ripping through the hosts in the opening exchanges and effectively killing the contest inside nine minutes. Twice he picked out Alexander Isak with precise, ruthless service. Twice Liverpool scored. Game under control before Ipswich had even settled.

For Iraola, it simply confirmed what he already believed.

“I had no doubt with Cody,” the Liverpool head coach told reporters afterwards. “He has been very, very good. All pre-season, [and] has started very well this season, producing numbers.”

All summer, the noise around Gakpo grew. Talk of a move, first to Tottenham, then with Manchester City pushing hardest. The champions were ready to spend big, sensing an opportunity. Gakpo was open to exploring his options. Liverpool listened, but never quite crossed the line. As the deadline loomed, they couldn’t find a replacement they trusted. The door closed. Gakpo stayed.

Right now, that looks like a pivotal decision.

Gakpo at the heart of Iraola’s attack

At Ipswich, Gakpo didn’t just stay wide and create. He morphed as the game demanded. After his two early assists from the left, Iraola pushed him into the No. 9 role to help Liverpool see out the match. The shift underlined exactly why his manager values him so highly.

“Today, even after the two assists, he finishes as the No. 9 to help us close the game,” Iraola said. “It’s good to have Cody because he can play in the three positions up top, like all of our other players.

“To have him in this place for the beginning of the season is good.”

That versatility is becoming a cornerstone of Iraola’s front line. Gakpo’s movement, his willingness to drift, drag markers, then suddenly burst into central spaces gives Liverpool a fluid edge that suits the new coach’s aggressive style.

But it’s not just about talent. It’s about mentality.

“I think Cody knows how much we value him. I think there is no doubt. I rate him very highly,” Iraola stressed. “I will demand [a lot] of him, obviously. He has also strong competition for minutes because we have good players in those positions, and it’s a matter of pushing each other.”

That competition has been supercharged by the arrival of Bradley Barcola.

Barcola’s first steps and a crowded forward line

Liverpool paid £123m to bring Barcola in this summer, a statement signing for a new era. Yet Iraola made it clear at Portman Road: no one walks into this team. Not even the marquee addition.

“Now with Bradley, with Rio, with Victor, it’s a matter of sometimes they will start, sometimes they will come from the bench, sometimes they will not play,” Iraola said. “But this competition, I think, is going to be good for our team.”

Barcola’s debut came in a controlled 30-minute cameo. It was measured, deliberate, and very much part of a plan.

“I think Bradley hadn’t played a single minute since the World Cup so we needed to be careful,” Iraola explained. “I think he is training well, in a good place, and I think that he has helped us.”

The Frenchman showed flashes. Intelligent runs. A sharp counter-attack. One slick move and pass that Gakpo almost finished. Another moment where, Iraola felt, Liverpool simply didn’t pick him out when he was racing through on goal.

“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,” the coach said. “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.”

The message to the fanbase was clear: be excited, but be patient.

“I think it’s normal, he hasn’t played any pre-season minutes,” Iraola added. “I think he’s still in a good place. I don’t think he will need something like a very special build-up, but we have to be aware that he hasn’t been playing in a while and the demands of the games are very different from training, so we have got to consider this.”

A frontline built on pressure and proof

For Gakpo, that pressure comes from a different angle. He isn’t the new face. He’s the one who nearly left. The one a champion club tried to prise away. The one Iraola refused to doubt.

Right now, Gakpo is answering every question with end product. Pre-season form. Early-season numbers. Tactical flexibility. A manager who demands more, and a squad stacked with options ready to take his place if he slips.

At Portman Road, he didn’t slip. He set the tone.

If this is how he responds to a summer of uncertainty, what happens when the games really start to pile up and the title race begins to bite?