This summer, Liverpool made the second biggest purchase in its history (after Alexander Isak) by recruiting Parisian Bradley Barcola for €140 million. An XXL sum which even makes the winger the biggest transfer of a Ligue 1 player abroad. The French international has changed dimensions and it is a safe bet that the new coach of the Reds, Andoni Iraola, should quickly give the supersonic winger a chance. However, if observers are eager to see what Barcola will do in the Premier League, Liverpool have a headache to deal with. Throughout the summer, the English press announced Barcola as the ideal replacement for Mohamed Salah. A mistake for the specialists for whom Liverpool have recruited yet another left winger while Cody Gakpo, Victor Muñoz and Rio Ngumoha already occupy this position.
Iraola already seduced by Barcola
“No, he plays on the opposite wing! LFC currently has three players capable of playing on the left — Rio Ngumoha, Cody Gakpo and Florian Wirtz — but no one to play on the right. (…) I am not convinced by this option. You absolutely need a right winger! »declared the former Reds player, now a consultant on English television, Jamie Carragher. An implacable argument when we take a look at Iraola’s squad. Who then to replace Salah on the right wing? Barring any surprises, Barcola should take advantage of his status as a star recruit for the English club to find his favorite left side. Today, the only real right winger is the Italian Federico Chiesa, but we cannot say that the Transalpine is considered a potential starter.
On the eve of the trip to Ipswich Town, Iraola faced questions from the media on this subject. Before answering, the Spaniard began by announcing that Barcola should be on the trip for his big debut across the Channel. “We are very happy with Bradley. It was our priority, let’s say, to recruit a very good player in this position. He arrived with the right frame of mind. I appreciated his strong desire to join Liverpool. He just wanted to come here and I think that’s a good first sign, considering the player he is and his track record. He arrived with the desire to help us. I’m very happy with him and he trained well with us. If everything goes well in training today, he will undoubtedly be available for tomorrow’s match. (…) I see it integrated. He trained with us, it’s true that he didn’t have any playing time during the preseason. He’s been training and it’s a decision we have to make. But we have to take into account the fact that he didn’t get any playing time in the preseason games.”he declared, before confiding that he will probably ask the other wingers to take a turn on the right flank.
Rio Ngumoha and Victor Muñoz invited to move to the right
“I usually require all wingers to play on both sides. I know they usually have their preferred position, but we have aligned Victor (Muñoz), Cody (Gakpo) and Rio (Ngumoha) on the right side, both in preseason and in competitions. I think they probably played more on the left. I saw them very comfortable on the right. Rio may be more comfortable on the left, but I think he has the desire to progress and play on the right. (…) We know that Rio can play on the left and that he has demonstrated his qualities in this position. He must progress on the right in order to broaden his range of possibilities on the field. He is still very young. Just because he wasn’t exceptional in his first game on the right doesn’t mean he’ll never play that position again. Victor played more games on the left during his career, but he was perhaps even better on the right. Sometimes it all depends on the combinations that are established around them. We trust our wingers, they will all get playing time. Rio already has the look of a Premier League player, because he is very good. »
Will the wingers agree to make room for Barcola on the left side without complaining? Time will tell, although it is worth remembering that an element such as Gakpo could be one less competitor for Barcola since the Batavian is in conflict with his club following his aborted transfer to Manchester City. The Reds coach nevertheless counterbalanced his speech by ensuring that his French recruit could also help out on this much-scrutinized right flank. “Even Bradley (Barcola), I think he’s very versatile and he can play on the right or on the left. He started on the right when he started at Lyon and it will depend on the opponents, but I’m happy with the wingers we have in those positions. » The message got through.
