Liverpool will be challenging for the Premier League title next season and will remind teams across Europe that they have what it takes to win the Champions League too.
If we considered the 2025/26 season in isolation, we would probably laugh at Liverpool’s ambitions. They fell by the wayside during Arne Slott’s second term, a hard landing.
The Premier League championship is over and Liverpool are the hunters once again. With Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson leaving on free transfers, their vacancies are just part of a vast rebuild.
Arne Slott’s Premier League results with Liverpool | ||
|---|---|---|
24/25 | # | 25/26 |
38 | match | 38 |
twenty five | victory | 17 |
9 | draw | 9 |
4 | loss | 12 |
86:41 | GF/GA | 63:53 |
84 | point | 60 |
2.21 | PPM | 1.58 |
The exciting arrival of Andoni Iraola could change everything at Anfield, but the high-intensity, front-foot tactician needs fresh pieces if he wants to improve his side.
Romano confirms World Cup star at top of Liverpool’s list
Liverpool have already signed Victor Muñoz this summer, but the former Osasuna winger will not rebuild Liverpool’s front line on his own.
To replace an attacker like Salah, FSG needed to sign a truly great player, and Yann Diomande was named as such.
Sadly, the Ivorian winger played the Reds like a fiddle, taking advantage of his position with rival suitors Paris Saint-Germain through a formal approach from Liverpool.
Diomande, 19, is one of the most talented young wingers in the game and he would have provided Iraola with the perfect profile on the right. It’s frustrating, but Liverpool need to move in a different direction.
According to Fabrizio Romano, PSG forward Bradley Barcola is “at the top of the list”, but it remains to be seen whether the Parisians will change their stance.
Romano insists the winger has “a different future open to him” after several trophy-winning years, but FSG may need to act quickly given he “could also be a target for Arsenal”.
“Liverpool have Barcola at the top of their list. So Barcola is always on Liverpool’s list. I’ve been saying this for months. I’ve always said, don’t forget Barcola. Don’t forget Barcola.”
“And now we have Barcola as a serious target for Liverpool. But obviously it depends on what they can do financially to reach an agreement with Paris (Saint Germain). So we have to keep a close eye on Barcola and Liverpool.”
Luis Enrique’s side are adamant that the 23-year-old is not for sale, but a provisional valuation of £116m has been set, and Barcola insisted he was unsure what his future held after France’s thrashing of Sweden at the World Cup.
Why Liverpool should sign Barcola
The transfer market is in a difficult phase. Some may be daunted by Barcora’s hefty price tag, but PSG will rightly point to Manchester City’s expected £116m signing of Elliott Anderson when assessing the value of the French winger.
That’s a financial issue for you and one that Liverpool will have to address if they really want a winger in Iraola who can pack a Salah-like punch.
There is certainly something new and genuine about Barcola’s way of playing football. Like kids on the playground and everything else. But it’s true. He is an electric winger who runs with great grace and speed and has a desire to impress.
In his last two seasons in France, Barcola scored 34 goals and provided 28 assists for the title-winning team. PSG were the definitive superpower of the time and Barcola is looking for a more prominent role after his rise to power in his native capital.
Barcola does not offer such destructive attacking qualities.
Bradley Barcola’s career by position | ||
|---|---|---|
position | app | Goal + Assist |
left wing | 132 | 36 + 34 |
right wing | 39 | 8+15 |
center forward | twenty five | 9+2 |
Perceptions of Salah’s talent have been somewhat distorted by the simple fact that he has been a victim of Father Time over the past year or so. The winger was once one of the most destructive runners in the game, able to outrun defenders, find space and fire home to score.
Basically, he knew what he was going to do, but he did it anyway, and he did it well. In some ways, the same is true of Barcola, whose direct approach and eagerness to find space and score goals gives him a rare breed of attacking profile.
Hailed as “one of the best left-wingers in the world” by analyst and Como scout Ben Mattinson, Barcola is a force to be reckoned with and could bring an edge comparable to Salah in his prime at Liverpool, as well as help bring some creative spark to the team. Last season, he only registered one assist in Ligue 1, but had an xA (expected assists) of 4.50 and created 11 big chances.
At Liverpool, he could be the perfect dance partner for the likes of Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak. He has certainly shown potential with Les Bleus at the World Cup.
Liverpool need to get this deal done. Judging by Barcola’s role at PSG over the past few years, he has world-class quality and more to offer Iraola’s team.
He looks like Barcola: Liverpool reveal contract talks with £54m ‘monster’
Liverpool still need to sign a number of wingers in the summer transfer window.
