Liverpool are aiming to challenge for the Premier League title next season, and are aiming to remind outfits across Europe that they too have the quality to win the Champions League.
If you took the 2025/26 season alone, you would laugh at Liverpool’s ambitions. They fell across the road with Arne Slot second in command – and it was a hard landing.
The Premier League champions are gone, Liverpool are in the hunt again. Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson left on free transfers, and their vacancies make up only one part of the rebuild.
|
Arne Slot’s Premier League Record with Liverpool |
||
|---|---|---|
|
24/25 |
# |
25/26 |
|
38 |
The same |
38 |
|
25 |
It wins |
17 |
|
9 |
Drawings |
9 |
|
4 |
Loss |
12 |
|
86:41 |
GF/GA |
63:53 |
|
84 |
Points |
60 |
|
2.21 |
PPM |
1.58 |
Andoni Iraola’s sensational arrival could change everything at Anfield, but the hot-headed, on-the-fly manager needs new components if he is to get a song out of the club.
Romano confirms World Cup star at top of Liverpool’s list
Liverpool have already signed Victor Munoz this summer, but the former Osasuna winner won’t be rebuilding Liverpool on his own.
To replace a striker of Salah’s caliber, FSG needed to sign someone really good, and Yan Diomande was set as the man for the job.
Alas, the Ivory Coast winger has played the Reds like a fiddle, elevating his position with rivals Paris Saint-Germain in Liverpool’s official fashion.
Diomande, 19, is one of the most talented young players in the game, and would give Iraola the perfect profile on the right. It’s frustrating, but Liverpool need to look elsewhere.
According to Fabrizio Romano, PSG striker Bradley Barcola is “at the top of the list”, although whether the Parisians will change their stance remains to be seen.
Romano says the winger is “open to a different future” after several trophy-laden years, but given that he “could be a target for Arsenal” again, FSG may need to act quickly.
“Liverpool has Barcola at the top of their list. So Barcola is always on Liverpool’s list. I told you this for months. I always told you, don’t forget Barcola. Don’t forget Barcola.
“And now we have Barcola as a key reference for Liverpool. But obviously it depends financially on what they can do to reach an agreement with Paris. [Saint-Germain]. So we have to look closely at Barcola and Liverpool.”
Luis Enrique’s side are adamant that the 23-year-old is not for sale, but there is a paltry £116m price tag in the area, and Barcola insisted after France’s World Cup win over Sweden that he is unsure what the future holds for him.
Why Liverpool should sign Barcola
The transfer market is in a tough spot. Some may be put off by Barcola’s high price, but PSG will rightly target Manchester City’s £116m signing of Elliot Anderson when determining the French winger’s value.
That’s economic for you, and it’s something Liverpool have to deal with, if they really want a winger who can pack a punch like Salah for Iraola.
There is definitely something fresh and honest about the way Barcola plays football. Like a kid on the playground, and all that. But it’s true: he runs with such beauty and speed, an electric winger with a desire to impress.
Across the last two seasons in France, Barcola has scored 34 goals and provided 28 assists for his title-winning outfit. PSG are the biggest power of their day, and Barcola is now eyeing a prominent role after growing into his own skin in his country’s capital.
Barcola doesn’t offer the kind of offensive quality that hurts
|
Bradley Barcola’s career by position |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Applications |
Terms + Help |
|
The winner is on the left |
132 |
36 + 34 |
|
The winner is right |
39 |
8 + 15 |
|
Center-forward |
25 |
9 + 2 |
The idea of Salah’s genius is belied by the simple fact that he has been a victim of Father Time over the past year or so. The winner has been one of the most aggressive runners in the game, outrunning defenders and finding space and scoring and scoring goals.
Basically, you knew what he was going to do, but he did it anyway, and he did it well. In a sense, the same can be said of Barcola, whose direct approach and eagerness to find space and score makes him a rare type of attacking profile.
Hailed as “one of the best left-wingers in the world” by commentator and Como scout Ben Mattinson, Barcola is a force to be reckoned with, and not only would he bring an edge that could rival Salah’s in his Liverpool days, but he could help bring a creative spark to the fold. He only got one assist in Ligue 1 last season, but he created 11 big chances, 4.50 xA (expected assists).
At Liverpool, he would be the perfect dance partner for the likes of Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak. He is certainly showing his ability with Les Bleus in the World Cup.
Liverpool need to do this deal. Looking at Barcola’s role at PSG over the past few years, he has world-class quality to offer Iraola’s side – and much more besides.
Just like Barcola: Liverpool open talks to sign £54m “beast”.
Liverpool still need to sign a number of young players in the summer transfer window.
