Iraola's Bold Plan for Barcola and Gakpo at Liverpool

Andoni Iraola did not sound like a manager easing a £123m signing gently into English football. He sounded like a man ready to use him.

On the eve of Liverpool’s trip to Ipswich on Friday night, the new Reds boss made it clear Bradley Barcola has every chance of walking straight into the side at Portman Road, despite barely kicking a ball in pre-season.

Barcola thrown in at the deep end?

Liverpool have paid a staggering price to get him. An initial £106m to PSG, rising to just under the club-record fee they handed Newcastle for Alexander Isak last summer. Numbers that usually bring scrutiny, expectation, and a slow integration.

Iraola is not in the mood for slow.

“We are very happy with Bradley; it was our priority to sign a very, very good player in those positions,” he said on Thursday. The emphasis wasn’t on the fee. It was on the player and the attitude that dragged him to Anfield.

“He has also come with the right mentality. I like that he wanted Liverpool a lot. He wanted to come here.

“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.”

Available is one thing. Starting is another.

Asked whether Barcola is ready for a place in the XI or destined for a debut from the bench, Iraola paused just enough to show it is a live decision.

“I see him in a good place. 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.”

The dilemma is obvious: a player Liverpool have chased hard, paid huge money for, and watched shine at Lyon and PSG, but who arrives short of match rhythm. Ipswich away, under the lights, is not a gentle introduction. It rarely is.

Gakpo stays – and plays

While one winger arrived, another almost walked out of the door.

Deadline day at Anfield brought more than just the Barcola deal. Manchester City tested Liverpool’s resolve with an £80m offer for Cody Gakpo, only for FSG to shut the move down and keep the Dutchman on Merseyside.

That kind of bid can turn a player’s head. It can sour a dressing room too if not handled properly. Iraola insists that will not be the case.

“My relationship with Cody has been very honest from the beginning,” he 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: Gakpo is not a consolation prize because City’s money was rejected. He remains central to Iraola’s plans, starting with Ipswich.

Life after Salah on the right

Strip away the excitement around Barcola and the intrigue around Gakpo, and one question still hangs over Liverpool: what does the right wing look like without Mohamed Salah?

The club have not signed a like-for-like replacement. Iraola is untroubled by the idea of a specialist gap.

“We prefer at the end to have the best players rather than players specifically for that position,” he said. He has built sides before on flexible wide players, and he is leaning on that experience again.

“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 offer one warning, aimed at the noise around Barcola’s price tag.

“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!”

The fee is a headline. Iraola wants it to stay out of the dressing room.

Tough start, tougher test

For all the transfer drama, Liverpool still haven’t won a game under Iraola. Two matches, two 2-2 draws, and a sense of a project still finding its edges.

Ipswich, back in the top flight and buoyed by an opening home win, will not roll out a red carpet for a new Liverpool era.

“Ipswich are a team that won their first game at home. 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,” Iraola said.

Is he frustrated? He didn’t dodge it.

“Definitely. If you don’t win, you are frustrated.

“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 the questions about the right flank will now be answered on the pitch, not on a spreadsheet.

Portman Road will show whether Iraola’s boldness with his wingers becomes the foundation of his Liverpool, or the first big gamble of a new regime.